For years, new lawyers at law firms around the world were entering a profession with a reputation for high starting salaries and fast opportunities for advancement.
As a New York Times article titled “No Longer Their Golden Ticket” pointed out earlier this year, new lawyers are facing a new reality:
“As the profession lurches through its worst slump in decades, with jobs and bonuses cut and internal pressures to perform rising, associates do not just feel as if they are diving into the deep end, but rather, drowning.”
The adjustment from law school to a law firm marks a make or break time for new lawyers around the world. It’s time to practice law, not study it. It’s time to understand how to manage the business aspects of practicing law.
It’s time to do all that, essentially, on your own.
West author Grover E. Cleveland likens it to being a baby shark in an ocean of big sharks. Now in an environmental policy position in Seattle, Cleveland draws on his own experience as a lawyer – most recently at Foster Pepper PLLC – as well as the new lawyer experiences of people in various roles and levels in the legal profession for his book, Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer.
I talked to Cleveland recently and he said being a new lawyer has always been a sink or swim scenario, but that the economic conditions around the globe in the last few years has only increased the stress.
“Because of the economy, law firms in particular are giving new lawyers fewer second chances so you have to show that you can practice law right from the start,” Cleveland said. “In addition, there also is an expectation that lawyers will be available almost 24/7, and the fact we now have clients across the globe in different time zones makes keeping balance and drawing boundaries even more difficult.”
I asked him about some of the biggest challenges facing a new lawyer right now and, as he explains in this audio clip, Cleveland says it’s still about how much a lawyer has to learn:
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Cleveland passed along three points for new lawyers to consider to get up and running right away:
1. Take charge of your own career: You have to realize no one is going to do it for you.
2. Be more diligent than you ever have: Be on the lookout for simple mistakes in document preparation. Even the smallest mistakes can have huge consequences.
3. Focus on anticipating other lawyers’ needs: Make yourself indispensable by knowing what the senior lawyers need and how you can help.
In addition to his own experience as a new lawyer, Cleveland said he got a lot of his examples of “war stories” in his book from colleagues and lawyers who work in a variety of firms, agencies and businesses. He even got a few after putting out the word on Facebook.
As taxing as it can be to start a career in the law, Cleveland says it’s worth it for those who learn to manage their work and their life.
“I don’t want to make it sound all drudgery,” said Cleveland. “It is challenging, but at the same time law is a very exciting, invigorating profession.”
Again, Grover E. Cleveland’s book is Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer.
You also can learn more on Cleveland’s Web site.
Posted by Kevin Hunt in:
In Practice | Practice tips |
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