New York Lawyer
July 20, 2006

Q:
Recently I made a mistake in an assignment. A fairly big mistake. I overlooked a point of law, which made a significant difference in the analysis of a matter. The partner realized it, pointed it out to me, and was not happy.

How can I recover?

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A:

First, repeat after me: everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. Every lawyer out there at some point or another has made a mistake, including this partner you are working with. So you are not alone. I'll begin and end by saying that.

Unfortunately, lawyers aren't real good at admitting mistakes. It would help younger lawyers if more established lawyers were better about admitting the fact that they, too, have made mistakes, and to give guidance about how to get over it.

If the partner is not being helpful in this regard, here's how you recover:

Don't over-apologize. Just say "my mistake" and move on. If you agonize publicly, people will lose confidence in you. If you need to vent and say how stupid you feel, do so with a person outside the firm. Ask for feedback if appropriate. It could be that you need to find out what the problem was, if it's something systemic and not just a one-time-only unfortunate occurrence. If so, take on board the criticism and make yourself a better lawyer in the process.

Get a re-run. Work hard to get another assignment with the now-doubting partner. You want to get back in his/her good graces, and the way to do so is to keep working with the partner so that the memory of this mistake can fade away. I promise you, if you work hard and are vigilant, in six months this will be a dim memory.

Be careful. The good thing about making a mistake is that it teaches you a valuable lesson, which is that the practice of law can be tricky, and that you must be extremely careful in how you conduct yourself. Everyone gets a wake-up call at some point or another; you've had yours. Sounds like the damage wasn't too bad, so be grateful.

Guard your self-confidence. The problem with incidents like these is that they (understandably) sap a person's self confidence, which can lead to a downward spiral as you second-guess yourself and become overly vigilant and self conscious. I'm assuming you're an intelligent person who can go on to be a good lawyer. Don't let the demons get to you.

Many, many lawyers have rocky starts and go on to have successful careers. Don't let this unduly discourage you.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work