About a month ago, just as the pandemic hit the U.S., I had the opportunity to serve as a panelist on the topic of, “What I Wish I Had Known as A Young Lawyer,” to an audience of “baby” lawyers (and their mentors). If you know me, you know that mentoring is my jam, and I can talk to young lawyers all day, every day —-but in candor, I feel like I whiffed.
Part of the reason was because the topic was so broad. I didn’t know anything as a baby lawyer! How could I possibly crystallize 14 years of lessons learned in a meaningful way as a panelist? Yup, I whiffed.
So in true Meybe form – after some thought, here’s my attempt at redemption. I’m going to tackle the request for advice for baby lawyers, one bite-size piece at a time.
My first piece of advice is focus on acquiring and growing your skills.
I think back to my first few years of practicing law, and how it was terrifying. I felt like I didn’t know anything – and that at any moment, I was going to be found out and fired at best, and in the worst of my nightmares, I would commit malpractice and be disbarred, wasting 3 years of a six figure education and having to pay back my debt as a barista, and not a barrister.
Wanna know a secret?
I didn’t know anything.
Wanna know an even bigger secret?
The law firm that hired me and the lawyers that supervised me knew.
Yep! You read it correctly.
Law firms hire law school graduates, knowing that they know nothing. They are investing in your ability to learn (and bill profitable hours, let’s be honest).
So why is this important, you may be wondering?
Because knowing ahead of time that everyone knows you don’t know anything can free you from the wasted energy in trying to pretend or “fake it til you make it.”
Instead, lean into the grace you will be given as a neophyte, and focus that energy on observing and learning from the other professionals around you, asking questions, and growing your skill set.
Note that I specifically use the word “professionals” and not lawyers. That’s intentional. Yes, you will absolutely learn from other lawyers — but you will also learn from the receptionist, the legal assistants, the paralegals, the marketing or business development professionals, the office manager, etc.
And if you are in your first year of practice, they all know more than you.
Which brings me to the word, “skills.”
You probably assume that “skills” refers to your ability to research, read and interpret cases, draft pleadings and craft legal arguments and articulate and defend your position. And you’re right. At the same time, it’s so much more than that.
- Are you organized? Can you calculate and stay on top of deadlines? Are you detail-oriented? Can you plan ahead?
- Are you resourceful? Are you good at figuring things out and problem-solving?
- Most people claim to be a hard-worker but are you willing to roll up your sleeves and do things you may deem “below your pay grade?”
- Can you carry on a conversation with colleagues, clients and prospective clients without being socially awkward?
Think of skills as your tools or your weapons in your arsenal. The more you have, the better – but you have to have a variety of skills because one size does not fit all. And the more skills you have, the more valuable you are.
Trust me. When you are the only associate who knows how to e-file or snail mail a package at the post office downtown that closes at midnight, when all the staff is gone – you have just upped your value. When you are the only associate that connected with the partner’s client enough to recommend a thoughtful business development gift, which was loved by said client – you have just upped your value. When you are the associate that not only knows the deadlines, but you also researched the judge’s preferences or you are willing to drop off a file at a partner’s house on your way home that she forgot- you have just upped your value.
The last tidbit of advice about growing your skills is to bloom where you’re planted.
Not everyone gets to have a corner office in a high rise at a big firm. (By the way, this is not my measure of success, but it is a common sentiment among law students that this is the dream to reach for). Actually, it’s probably better to say that not everyone gets their version of their dream job, whatever that may be.
But instead of focusing on where you are not, focus on growing your skills where you are so you can be the lawyer you want to be with the practice you want. Getting your first legal job can be challenging, but landing the next job is easier if you have grown a network and acquired skills and experiences that will not only be reflected on your resume but in your interview.
So my advice to baby lawyers is this: first, find gainful employment.
Then grow, baby, grow.
Your thoughts on the panel were a line drive, down the third baseline, hit! Thanks for your time, and this post. It’s helpful to be reminded that our practice is a journey, not a destination. Growth takes time, awareness of the opportunities in our surroundings, and commitment.
Yes, that our profession is a practice cannot be reiterated enough. It doesn’t help that the most common imagery of success is a ladder, is linear when that’s far from the truth.
As someone who has lived and practiced law on different continents, I take “bloom where you are planted” to mean: engage with your new local scene and professional environment, wherever you are. So far, so good 🙂
Mey, thank you for this inspiring break from daily routine.
So glad that’s helpful! And yes, soak up all you can.