In fall 2024, Furqan Mohammed spoke to the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law about his career in BigLaw and beyond. Furqan thanked Samridhi Sharma and SALSA for the invitation.
Before opening his own firm, Furqan spent five years as a commercial litigator at Perkins Coie LLP. He shared what he learned there with students who are about to start that same path.
Two Pieces of Advice for Incoming BigLaw Associates
- Culture comes from your partners, not the brochure. The “firm culture” described by hiring committees and interviewers matters much less than the culture created by the partners you work with every day in your own practice group.
- A book of business is independence. Attorneys with their own clients are the ones who are irreplaceable and in control of their own destiny.
I know some will disagree with the latter advice, because we are all told when entering BigLaw to “just do good work,” but my experience in BigLaw made clear which partners had “say” and which partners did not.
Furqan Mohammed
That realization, Furqan told the students, is the reason he decided to open his own firm.
Mentoring the Next Generation of South Asian and Muslim Lawyers
Furqan regularly speaks with law students, from the National Muslim Law Students Association conference to a webinar for Pakistani law students on U.S. personal injury law. Learn more about Furqan.
At a Glance
- Fall 2024
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
- South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA)
- Topic: a career in BigLaw and beyond
More of Furqan’s speaking and mentoring is collected in the community.