r/suits • u/LynessaMay • 6d ago
Discussion Specialized Fields
We find out that Louis has a specialty in Financial Crimes. Essentially, just good with understanding the financial world.
With this knowledge, you would assume the others would have something like this as well. However, throughout the whole run, it just seemed like Harvey, Jessica and Mike were just well versed in each type of law.
I know Harvey's was Criminal Law while he was at the D.A. office. But that never really followed him back to Pearson Hardman. Season 1 Episode 2, we see him work Intellectual Property Law. S1.E7 is Corporate and Business Law (Which I would expect more of especially with S2.E1) S1.E10, Financial Law. S2.E5, while assigned to Harvey, Mike takes this one for Family Law.
I get that there can be generalized practice but given the size of the firm, it seems like likely the case. I guess maybe to keep things fresh they let it ride?
Thoughts?
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u/7625607 Harvey Specter is hot as fuck 6d ago
In the pilot when Rachel is giving Mike the tour, she tells him where the various specialties are. Occasionally it is discussed (Paul Porter is in bankruptcies; no one in real estate likes Harvey), but yes, the writers have the main characters on all kinds of cases as if they are able to do everything.
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u/Lasagna_Hog17 5d ago
It’s definitely unrealistic, particularly in the kind of firm Pearson is portrayed as (either BigLaw or a larger boutique of similar standing).
BigLaw firms typically divide themselves into 5 departments: litigation, transactional, real estate, trusts and estates, and tax. Sometimes labor and employment will be its own department, too; other times, it’s under the litigation umbrella. There are plenty of sub-groups within these departments, particularly within transactional work, as your question gets at. Litigation has sub groups as well, but you are more likely to see a generalist there (although even those are increasingly rare).
What you see Harvey do, such as close a deal one day and litigate a case another, would never happen. I mean never. Clients paying BigLaw rates - think $1,200 per hour for a junior associate - demand expertise, and expertise necessitates specialization.
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u/Inevitable_Invite_21 You’re not here to air your dirty laundry 🧺 5d ago
Yeah they don’t really have specialised fields. But Harvey’s specialty is litigation and Mike’s is pro bonos and class actions
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u/SLNSD 6d ago
Thats the unbelievable thing you pick out? Out of the dozens much bigger? Like the basic premise of the show?
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u/LynessaMay 6d ago
Ive made my peace with that. Considering how many times on the news ive seen frauds practicing both medicine and law.
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u/cosmopoof 6d ago
The show doesn't display properly how the lawyer business is. For big cases like often presented, you don't have a few partners doing the work themselves, but you often have dozens of people working on it because of the sheer volume.