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Grover E. Cleveland
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Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving As a New Lawyer 1st Edition

by Grover Cleveland (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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This book contains hundreds of tips from attorneys throughout the country with the critical advice new lawyers need to ensure their success. The book is current and comprehensive, providing useful, practical advice that law schools don't teach. It starts with important steps graduates can take even before they begin work. With an easily readable style, Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks continues to teach new lawyers the ropes from their first day on the job. Humorous, real-life examples illustrate the lessons along with useful checklists that provide comprehensive advice quickly. More information is available on the Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks website.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0314917470
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0314917478
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    West Academic Publishing
  5. Publication date
    January 21, 2010
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  8. Print length
    164 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An excellent book of career advice for young lawyers, it nicely captures the competitive nature of the legal profession today." David Lat, Founder and Managing Editor, Above the Law, February 3, 2014

"consistently straightforward, practical guidance. . . It's a feast of the proverbial stuff they don't teach you in law school. . . I don't know why any new lawyer -- or law firm that hires new lawyers -- wouldn't clamp their jaws around a copy of Sharks." - Washington State Bar News, March 2011

"spot on" as a useful resource for new associates" - Professional Development Quarterly, November 2010

"filled with invaluable tips, checklists and useful advice for new lawyers which will not only ensure their success in the profession, but more importantly, their survival." Law Gazette (Singapore), April 2011

"includes practical advice from lawyers around the country, including an Appendix with quick tips for success and a dozen personas to avoid. The goal is simple: to help associates succeed." The National Jurist, February 2011

From the Back Cover

"This is an essential read for any attorney who is practicing at any sized law firm, or for that matter, a government agency. Pragmatic, practical, filled with real-life examples, and written with a sense of humor by an author who has successfully navigated these waters, this is a handbook for success that every lawyer should read. "

Wendy L. Werner, Former Editor in Chief, Law Practice Today, webzine of the Law Practice Management section of the ABA and Former Assistant Dean, Saint Louis University School of Law.

"Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks is a must-read for every new lawyer...right after the bar exam! The book offers practical insights that every new lawyer will find helpful throughout their career. "

Seann Hallisky, Senior Corporate Counsel - Technology Transactions, T-Mobile USA, Inc.

"Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks should be required reading for every new lawyer going to work at a law firm."

Jamie Pederson, K&L Gates LLP

"Cleveland's book is fabulous! It hits all the right topics, gives sound advice, and provides useful checklists. It includes everything new associates need to know to get off to a great start in law firms and to be successful in their careers."

Rita Alli, Director of Business and Professional Development, Stoel Rives LLP and 2010-11 President, Association of Legal Administrators.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ West Academic Publishing; 1st edition (January 21, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 164 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0314917470
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0314917478
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

About the author

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Grover E. Cleveland

Grover E. Cleveland

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Grover E. Cleveland, the author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks, is a Seattle lawyer and a former partner at Foster Pepper PLLC, one of the Northwest's largest law firms. His clients included the Seattle Seahawks and other companies owned by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen.

Grover is a sought after speaker on career success for lawyers. He focuses primarily on providing workshops and select coaching engagements for the top law firms in the world. The goal is simple: to help new lawyers provide value sooner. Grover is also a regular presenter at national law career conferences and at law schools, including Harvard.

His career advice column for lawyers appears in Above the Law, Ms. JD, and on American Bar Association websites.

Grover was named after his grandfather who was named after the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. There is no blood relationship.

More information is available on the Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks website.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Advice for Aspiring Attorneys of All Types
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2010
Verified Purchase
"Swimming Lessons" is a great guide for new and aspiring lawyers. In it, Cleveland lays out the realities of professional practice in a clear and candid manner. The book is mainly geared towards those who are interested in "Big Law" -style private practice, and provides many key insights for how to thrive in that setting. This leads to much discussion of the Big Law business model, firm structure, and how a new lawyer can succeed in this highly specialized environment. Hence, there are useful tips such as the importance of always billing one's time (it is better to seem inefficient rather than lazy), and how to be strategic in the selection of non-billable work.
While the focus is on Big Law, much of Cleveland's advice also translates well into other types of practice settings - such as non-profits and government. For example, his advice on building successful relationships with more senior attorneys applies to almost any type of practice (your superiors are more likely to invest valuable resources in you if you can show that you'll make their lives easier). Likewise, his thoughts on utilizing support staff, improving the quality of one's work, and successful organization transfer equally well. Some of the details may differ in implementation, but the core principles are valid in almost any professional setting. As such, "Swimming Lessons" is an excellent resource for anyone pursuing a legal career.
11 people found this helpful
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Elle
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful but mostly for large law firms
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
It made me feel better, but I don't know that I actually learned anything substantive from it. Mostly I gained a sense that everyone flounders a bit at the beginning and it's normal to feel overwhelmed. Also since most of the information is common sense, it relieved some of my anxiety because it seemed to indicate that most of doing well is common sense. The information applies mostly to large law firm associates. Since I'm at a small law firm, I needed more practical advice about how to get things done without a staff of secretaries or paralegals. So if that's the kind of advice you need...this is not the book for you. If you are at a large firm and need to know how to delegate tasks to your staff or get work from partners, then this book would be more helpful.
2 people found this helpful
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Mike S
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Gift You Can Buy for the Law Students and Baby Lawyers in Your Life
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book is an absolute must-read for law students and new lawyers. Grover's clear, direct advice definitely helped me to make partner in a large Northwest law firm. Later in my career, revisiting Swimming Lessons assisted in keeping me grounded and re-orienting to a new career as a government attorney.

Having been a member of the firm's hiring committee and supervised many young attorneys (and having made my own share of mistakes), I can vouch first-hand for Grover's book as a key aid to smoothing the learning curve of professional life in the law. Swimming Lessons was also fun to read with great real-life examples of the issues junior lawyers are likely to face. I've given this book as a gift to several law students and young attorneys because I believe so strongly in the usefulness of its content.
8 people found this helpful
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Sara M.
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a lot of substance, but good if you're young
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2012
Verified Purchase
This book offered a lot of really, really basic career advice. Since I went back to law school after several years in a professional environment, I didn't really need to be told not to get drunk and rub my boss's shoulders....but I guess some people need to be told that.

There were a few tidbits in here that I will take with me that are more law-specific, but for the price I would have expected much more substance.
4 people found this helpful
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farnaz farzanrad
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
Loved this book. Was interesting to read.
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Darien Fleming
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book! Read it as a book group with ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
Wonderful book! Read it as a book group with Junior Associates. It's a great conversation starter!
One person found this helpful
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Bia
5.0 out of 5 stars The must-have for young lawyers
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Thsi book sintetizes what you should know to begin your career in a law office, in all possible aspects. i do recommend!!
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IUJake24
2.0 out of 5 stars A bullet point sheet expanded
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
Some good points in the book, i.e. your boss is your client, dependability is gold, etc. Overall, the information provided in the book will be less helpful to you than scheduling 30 minutes to meet with your supervising attorney or another partner level attorney to discuss best practices, your role in assisting them on matters, and what makes an associate a net positive rather than a necessary annoyance.
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