What BigLaw Associates Actually Do All Day

The first surprise about BigLaw is how rarely a junior associate is doing the thing people picture when they hear "lawyer."

You are unlikely to spend your first month arguing in court or personally negotiating a billion-dollar acquisition. You are much more likely to review documents, research one question, revise a draft, manage a checklist, or make sure the senior lawyer has the right information at the right time.

That is not meaningless work. Large matters are built from hundreds of small decisions, and juniors learn by owning increasingly important pieces.

Transactional associates

Transactional law helps clients create or change business relationships through deals and contracts. It includes M&A, private equity, capital markets, finance, real estate, funds, and other specialties.

A junior transactional associate may:

• review contracts and summarize risks during diligence;
• draft resolutions, certificates, schedules, and other closing documents;
• update a purchase, credit, or investment agreement;
• manage a checklist of documents, approvals, and signatures;
• compare comments from several parties;
• organize a virtual data room;
• confirm that closing conditions were satisfied; and
• take notes on calls and turn decisions into action items.

At first, you may feel like a professional checklist manager. The deeper skill is learning how the documents connect and which details can stop a deal.

Litigation associates

Litigation is the process of resolving disputes through courts, arbitration, investigations, or negotiated settlement.

A junior litigator may:

• research legal issues and draft memos;
• review documents for relevance, privilege, and key facts;
• build a chronology;
• draft discovery requests or responses;
• help prepare witnesses for interviews or depositions;
• cite-check and proofread briefs;
• coordinate with experts and vendors;
• attend hearings, interviews, or depositions; and
• help prepare exhibits and arguments.

The work becomes more strategic as you understand the record. A seemingly small document-review assignment may teach you the case better than anyone else on the team.

Regulatory and specialist associates

Tax, antitrust, restructuring, benefits, environmental, healthcare, IP, and financial-regulatory lawyers may support deals, counsel clients, or handle disputes.

Their days often combine technical research with advice to a broader team. A specialist might explain how a proposed contract triggers a rule, draft a section of an agreement, or respond to an agency.

Specialization can provide early expertise, but it makes the exact practice group especially important.