[hackuser]

> being a Lawyer, if someone comes to me, it's because of me, not because of the firm I am working in

Are you speaking hypothetically, i.e., 'if I was a lawyer'? I'm not an attorney but for a variety of reasons I have relatively deep insight into the legal industry, and I think this statement is generally not true.

As in any field, most business comes from referrals and networking, and much of that happens within a firm. If your career is at a top firm then you are going to build a much different network than a similar attorney who opens their own office in a strip mall. When Goldman Sachs needs an outside attorney, where do they go and who do they ask? Even ignoring referrals, just imagine who is there when you are invited to dinner by your colleague: Is it the mayor and local Fortune 500 CEO, one of whom takes a liking to you and asks you to join the board of a local charity, or is it the lovely neighbors who drive Uber or run a small medical practice, and ask for some legal tips?

Personally, I don't enjoy the hunt for status and I think it impedes socio-economic mobility, but I'm afraid that's the way it works.

[charlesdm]

I have a tax lawyer I work with, and I couldn't care less which firm he works at. However, he does work at a good firm, and a good name helps in negotiations (in this case, with the tax authority). A while back, I had a tax audit, and surprisingly the person doing the audit told me my firm can turn "black" into "white". That says quite a bit about the name and reputation of the firm.

[soufron]

I am a lawyer yes. But let's say I have a good cv.