Page 3 - First-Year Associates Handbook

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First-Year Associates Handbook | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 | S3

popular book “Never Eat Alone,” explains that the plague, but you should embrace them

“an unwritten goal is merely a wish.” I have a as an opportunity to get to know partners,
few suggestions to get you started.
meet clients, and connect with profes-
One of your primary goals as a irst-year sionals in your industry. Your presence is
associate should be to seek and do great noticed!
work—no matter how mundane any particu- These events can be intimidating—you are, Click
lar project may seem. Think of working at a after all, one of the most junior people in a
law irm as a pie-eating contest where the room full of strangers. But, nobody knows
prize for winning is more pie. Ask yourself: that. Everybody will be polite and friendly
What can I do today on the project that I am and you can use that to your advantage,

staffed on to make the partners and senior so long as you can provide some value. If
associates lives easier? If you handle your you ind yourself in a situation where you
tasks well and free up the partner’s time, you know the names of the attendees prior to the
may earn his or her trust, position yourself for event (such as events hosted by your irm Listen
more interesting assignments going forward, or gala dinners where the seats at the table
and, if you are lucky, perhaps gain a valuable are assigned), take some time to research
mentor along the way. Don’t be afraid to ask the background and read the biographies
questions either; it is one of the best ways of individuals you would like to speak with.

to latten the learning curve.
Doing this provides you with insight into a
A second goal is to be a team player. I person’s passions and a great way to launch
received many opportunities as a irst-year a conversation. Most people will be lattered Earn
associate because of my willingness to volun- that you took the time to read about them
teer to represent the irm. And I don’t mean (just don’t be creepy about it). Alternatively,
that in the “gunner” sense; you can be helpful you could casually raise the topic of a com-
and eager without being abrasive. Contrary to mon interest and go from there. Either way,
popular belief, partners notice when associ- if you prepare in advance you will have a
ates seek to represent the irm, so long as they signiicant advantage and the time spent will

do so maturely and responsibly. What pro be much more productive.
bono opportunities are available at your irm? If, on the other hand, you ind yourself in
Do you have an idea for a legal publication? a situation where you do not know a single
Are you active with an association like the soul in the entire room, make eye contact
ABA? Even non-legal activities count: Are you with someone and introduce yourself. Here
active with a local charity or museum? These are a few open-ended questions, adapted
extra efforts—particularly when coupled with from a TED article titled “How to Turn Small
great work product—can enhance your proile Talk Into Smart Conversation”: What is the
both internally and externally.
most interesting thing that happened at work

Many irst-year associates decline to volun- this week? How do you end up in your line
teer for any extra work because they cannot of work? Who do you think is the luckiest
predict their schedules or they think they are person in this room? The latter question is
already too busy. Do not fall into this trap. of a more creative variety, but the idea is to
Pick something and do it now—you will be launch a conversation, not chit-chat about
surprised at how accommodating people will typical and often uninspiring subjects like Stay compliant from the comfort of your own home or
be when you go above and beyond what is your projects or the weather.
required of you.
If you are terriied by the idea of approach-
ofice at CLECenter.com. With new, accredited content
Now that you have a general outline of ing complete strangers, at the very least make
your goals, spend some time developing an effort to get to know your peers outside updated daily, seamless online tracking and 24/7 access,
them. Ferrazzi points out that for your writ- your irm who you have to talk to about work.
ten goals to be most effective, they should For example, be friendly with the junior asso- CLECenter.com makes compliance easy.
be speciic, realistic, and challenging. The ciates at the law irms that you work with.
goals discussed above are very broad, so When you are both stuck at the ofice at 2:00
you should set short-term milestones and a.m. it’s nice to have one other person to talk
checks. You should also dedicate some time to about your shared situation.
to setting long-term goals based on where Knowing how to successfully initiate a
Visit CLECenter.com
you would like to be in three or ive years. Set conversation does not, however, absolve
calendar reminders for yourself to constantly you from staying informed so that you can
review and update your goals (at the very maintain the conversation once you are in it. to click, listen, earn – anytime
least annually or on your birthday).
By now I imagine you have heard the following
Establishing a dedicated system of net- advice at least a dozen times, but it is some- or Call A CLE Counselor Today at (800) 348-0466
working (i.e., ensuring you attend X number thing that bears repeating: Read international,
of networking functions a month) should be national and industry news. Go outside your
another goal. Just because you now have a job immediate comfort zone. Follow something
does not mean that your networking days are interesting or cutting-edge, whether that’s

over. Whether you hope to become a partner sports or tech. The more well-rounded you
at a big law irm, move in-house, or open up are, the easier conversations will be. Lucky
your own practice, you still need to build for you, I am going to go one step further and
relationships.
tell you how to do it in the most eficient and
Your network will make you a better lawyer.
trendy way possible.
Still, networking isn’t easy for most. As Rob Jordan (Twitter: @robjordan33), a
a irst-year associate you will be invited to former BigLaw associate and writer about
a variety of events that range from formal the business of law, recommends these three

dinners to law school recruitment events. absolute essentials: Twitter, Flipboard, and
Given your assignments and extracurricu- Pocket. Twitter is your source of real-time
lars, merely mustering the energy to attend news, Flipboard aggregates the articles from
these events may be challenging. But they your Twitter account interspersed with simi-
are necessary. You may be surprised to learn lar content from other sources, and Pocket
that many associates avoid these events like
allows you to save any interest- » Page S9
» Page S3