Advice From 'Marty Supreme,' Getting A Handle On A Fast-Growing Nonlegal Career Path, And Paris Checking In - Above the Law

Advice From 'Marty Supreme,' Getting A Handle On A Fast-Growing Nonlegal Career Path, And Paris Checking In - Above the Law

Briefly

"When I was a teenager growing up in NYC, I frequented a place called the Table Tennis Center on 96 th Street off Broadway. You didn't wander in accidentally. You went because you knew. Street level, thick with smoke, always noisy, it featured a bunch of beaten-up tables, metal chairs and a mix of old-school hustlers playing for cash, petty criminals, competition-level players, kids like me, and the curious who almost always left having lost whatever money they had on them."

"The place was owned/run by Marty Reisman, a trash-talking, expert player and hustler. But he had a soft spot for the kids. He gave us ping-pong lessons and enjoyed showing off for us playing what he referred to as "pigeons" for money, often with an extreme handicap like using a sneaker or just his elbow as a paddle. Every so often, before there was a lot of action in the place, he'd speak with us about things other than ping-pong or money."

"One of the things we monitor closely at Ex Judicata is trending nonlegal jobs for JDs. One that keeps crossing our screens is "Practice Group Director" or "Practice Manager." Essentially, this is someone who assists the Practice Group Leader (PGL) in running the particular practice (litigation, capital markets, IP, etc.) at a law firm like a business unit so the PGL who is a partner can focus on client development and legal work. We have found that the role is often misunderstood."