I have a favorite band, The Airborne Toxic Event. They’ve achieved fame and a lot of airplay for their song, Sometime Around Midnight. They’ve performed on Letteman and Jimmy Kimmel Live. They have more than 38,000 fans on Facebook (yes, I’m still calling them “fans”).
In the beginning, it was just Marshall Skadden, Leslie Arps – both of whom had just been turned down for partner at a major Wall Street law firm – and John Slate, who had worked for Pan Am airlines. Flom [who did not receive any offers during hiring season] was their associate …. “What kind of law did we do?” Flom says, laughing. “Whatever came in the door!” Outliers, p. 118
I summed up my “experience” with the Skadden chapter:
So, what’s the point of the story? I think there are many, but you’ll have to read the book to find the ones that resonate with you.
I, for one, forget sometimes that so many of our firms have been built on the humble backs of hard working men and women. Go through the framed degrees on the walls of your founding partners and you will find amongst the Harvard and Yale degrees, Brooklyn Law School, Seton Hall University, Pepperdine University, University of San Diego, and Southwestern University School of Law.While it is admirable to aspire to the reputation of Skadden Arps, it is just as admirable to aspire to the tenaciousness of Marshall Skadden, Leslie Arps, John Slate and Joe Flom.