Lawyer Shocked!

This CareerJournal article contains some unintended humor:

More and more associates at law firms across the U.S. are second guessing whether they want to sign over their lives to their jobs. Some are working fewer hours. Some are losing interest in making partner. And they are leaving big law firms in droves: "The rate of associate attrition we're seeing today at big firms is the highest level we've ever seen," says Paula A. Patton, chief executive of the NALP Foundation, a nonprofit group in Overland Park, Kan., that examines law-firm hiring trends and practices.

For partners, it's a quizzical and unwelcome development. Last fall, Cesar L. Alvarez, president of Greenberg Traurig, was interviewing a student at an Ivy League law school. The interview was just beginning when the student asked Mr. Alvarez to tell him what the "lifestyle would be like" at the firm.

The student didn't get a "call-back" interview. "I told him that if he's going to work at a large law firm, that mind-set isn't going to get you very far," recalls Mr. Alvarez, who is based in the firm's Miami office. In his opinion, the question reflected the attitude of more and more young lawyers. "A generation ago, nobody would have asked that question, even if they'd thought of it. But there is a difference in people coming out of law school now."

The student actually had the audacity to ask about the firm’s lifestyle? Outrageous!

He should have known that an honest and reasonable question like that is not tolerated at many firms. The next thing you know, he'll be asking about taking weekends off.