ABSTRACT
The weeding-out process does not stop with recruitment but continues after a lawyer is initially selected by a firm. Some lawyers use the large law offices as stepping stones to positions with big business. The "up-or-out rule" is designed to insure that lawyers who are not going to be made partners leave the firm, permitting a constant flow of new talent into the organization. Many associates begin to investigate these job opportunities seriously at this time, particularly because they are better able, after five years, to evaluate accurately their chances with the law firm. One of the clearest indicators that an associate must leave is the announcement that other lawyers who graduated when he did have been made partners. The rules concerning permanent tenure in large law firms are not clear and it is considered in poor taste to ask about them openly.
