There are, according to the Rhode Island Bar Association, 4,800 lawyers in Rhode Island.
They appear to be finding work. Many begin their careers as municipal prosecutors. Municipal police departments routinely hire law school graduates to prosecute such cases as drunk driving, vandalism, and larceny. The public sector, it seems, is always in need of public defenders who get little pay and loads of experience. And private firms often recruit top students from law schools throughout New England, perhaps not as vigorously as Tom Cruise in the John Grisham novel-turned movie, The Firm, but they do recruit, nonetheless.
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And for others, there is corporate law. With businesses competing in expanding world markets and the complexities rising in an era marked by mega-mergers and acquisitions, the need for legal advice and expertise has become paramount to a corporation’s success.
Winfield Major enjoys the continuity of corporate law. Major, of East Greenwich, spent 12 years as a lawyer at Old Stone Bank and four years at the Providence law firm of Edwards and Angell. Just weeks ago he returned to corporate law — as general counsel at Bacou USA, Inc. in Smithfield. Bacou USA manufactures safety eye ware. The company has 325 employees in Rhode Island and 1,800 nationwide.
Bacou USA is a high profile public company, traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In recent months Bacou USA has purchased several smaller companies. The company competes for business on a world stage — all of which keeps Major extremely busy.
“The biggest difference — and the real attraction for me — is that when you are in-house, you are part of an organization and you have a continuity,” said Major. “When you are outside, you have many clients and you respond to their needs. You don’t have the day-to-day familiarity with a client, which I enjoy.”
At a company the size and scope of Bacou USA, the work of a general counsel varies greatly. As a publicly traded company, there is always a need for a legal expert on securities work. And the highly competitive industry puts a critical emphasis on patent and trademark issues.
“We have a lot of inventions and products that need to be protected,” Major said. “There is also a lot more international work these days. You have to familiarize yourself with customs and practices all over the world.”
The soaring demand for legal expertise at major corporations is good news for budding lawyers, said Kelly Shea, director of career services at Roger Williams School of Law in Bristol. Shea sees corporate law as yet another opportunity for law school graduates.
“It’s a growth area for job opportunities and that’s always good for the students,” Shea said.
The rising complexity of the business world, bodes well for the profession, she added.
“A lot of corporations used to have small legal departments and special matters were farmed out to firms on the outside,” she said. “Over the past five years, more companies are doing things in-house.”
Part of that trend, Shea said, could be a matter of economics. It may simply be cost effective to employ full-time legal representation.
“Companies are expanding so much,” Shea said. “It’s easier for them to have lawyers on the inside who can deal with matters on a daily basis. You don’t come in after the fact. Most of what you do in the corporate environment is proactive.”
Working for a company is attractive to some law school students, Shea said, because there is the sense that the hours may be more manageable and there is not the same pressure to recruit clients and meet a certain goal of billable hours that may be present in some firms.
“A lot of students are interested in it,” Shea said.
Edward Poll can understand that interest. Poll, a nationally recognized consultant, author and speaker based in Los Angeles, combines 25 years of law practice and business experience. Poll said quality of life is definitely a factor for many lawyers who choose to work for a corporation, rather than a private law firm.
“When you are in a private practice, you know no bounds on your time — and your family pays the price,” said Poll.
Recent law school graduates may find that major corporations are turning first to experienced lawyers — at least for a position such as general counsel. But still, a few recent graduates are heading into corporations with their newly earned law degrees. Of the Roger Williams School of Law Class of 1997, day division, 7 percent of the 88 graduates obtained jobs in a corporate setting, according to Shea.
Michael Sweeney, chairperson of the Rhode Island Bar Association’s business organization committee, is a principal in Duffy & Sweeney, a business law firm in Providence. Before forming Duffy & Sweeney, he worked at the Providence firm of Hinkley Allen & Snyder for more than seven years.
Sweeney’s specialty is corporate law. It is a growing field, and one, he said, that attracts business-minded lawyers.
“Lawyers who have a strong interest in business and the capital markets are drawn to corporate law,” Sweeney said. Sweeney works with a large number of diverse clients, he said. Corporations, he said, are finding more need for legal advice than ever before. That keeps his business growing, and explains why more lawyers are finding that working for a particular company has become an option.
“The increasing number of laws and regulations governing business has resulted in more and more clients seeking our advice in navigating the minefields that are out there,” Sweeney said. “Every area of law has become more complex.”
Like lawyers who work for a corporation, Sweeney is drawn to his corporate work by a desire to be part of a growing business.
“It’s a strong interest in helping a business grow and succeed — raising capital and competing in the marketplace,” Sweeney said. “I love taking a client from A to B.”
Poll expects that a trend toward corporate work will continue for many lawyers. There is a natural draw, he said, in the ability to become a major player — and be paid like one — at an established corporation.
“There are a lot of reasons why a lawyer from a private firm would want to move over to a corporation,” Poll said. “Generally, they would want to be the top legal officers in the company. And frequently, the money at the corporate level is greater.”
And the position of general counsel, Poll said, is now a stepping stone for those who have their sights set on a top management position.
“You become an important part of the management team,” Poll said. “A number of lawyers go on to be chief executive officers.”
