New lawyers often face an intense learning curve in the transition from law school or a clerkship into the life of a practicing attorney.
A panel of young professionals gathered at the Annual Meeting and Convention to share the tips, strategies and skills needed to succeed and thrive in a law practice. Here are some of their suggestions:
How Networking Plays Into the Job Search
Caroline Braga – I am the biggest advocate for networking. Every single job I’ve gotten so far has come through networking. It’s something I emphasize for all young attorneys. I wasn’t at the top of my class, so I felt I had to figure out another way to make myself known to get the job I want. Make sure you go to these networking events and be strategic. Don’t just talk to the friends who came with you. Branch out to different people and keep in touch with them. You never know when an opportunity might come from those relationships.
Transitioning Between Large and Small Firms
Maralee Sanders – In my experience, the resources at a larger firm will often be better. You’ll have better IT, research programs, support staff. However, in a large firm, it can often feel like you’re just a number or a cog, or that you’re stuck doing the same work as part of a bigger machine. In a small firm you get more exposure working on big projects or whatever comes through the door. At my first job in a small firm, they sent me to court on my second day. One downside is that the different personalities of the people who work around you can have a bigger impact on you. For me, it was a scarier jump moving from a small firm to a big firm.
Track Your Billing Hours
Zachary Posess – We’re lawyers, we have high-paid jobs. But at the end of the day, many clients think of us like hourly workers. You have to justify how much time you spend on a task and why, so keeping track of billing is something you have to learn quickly. You might think that billing is more of a secondary task because it isn’t talked about much in law school, but you’ll get into some hot water quickly if you go days without tracking your hours carefully. It can be very challenging to recover from that. It’s also our ethical duty to our client and the firm to ensure that we keep accurate hours. It’s an important detail to start early. People have different methods for keeping hours – some write everything down, others use online billing systems. Find the one that works best for you.
From Law School to Working at a Firm
Alessandra Moore – My second day at a firm, a partner asked me to draft a motion to quash. In my mind I thought ‘what is a motion to quash?’ I had to Google it. Something I learned, which will be your best friend in private practice, is samples. Most of the assignments you get have been done before. I found a sample motion in the firm system and modeled it of that. A good practical tip is that when someone asks you to do something you have no experience in, find a sample or find a mentor and work from there. In law school you’re mostly on your own schedule. There are no emergencies. That’s not the case in private practice. But for me it’s fun to be placed in those high-pressure situations.
Think Like a Problem Solver
May Wedlund – At the base level, it’s all about problem solving. A client is coming to you because they have a problem in their life. You can be creative with how you solve their problems. Not every legal problem has a solution that requires a court filing. Keep your mind open about how the problem can be solved.