Who doesn’t remember their first day of practice as a lawyer? It’s something every student of law works long and hard for. Morale is high and so is the eagerness to please and do well.
That’s why so many new lawyers hire me to help them get a jumpstart on building soft skills and becoming more business-minded. They recognize that they have many years ahead before becoming fully competent at their new job. Yet, some law firms don’t acknowledge this fact.
Some law firms ignore the reality that a new lawyer still needs to be trained. They seem to believe that, once called to the Bar, a new lawyer is instantly possessed with all the knowledge and information they need to be a successful practitioner. What’s important for law firms to know is that this attitude will deteriorate a new lawyer’s morale and, eventually, cause them to start looking for a new job. This is a sunk cost for law firms.
The good news is that I’ve worked through enough of these scenarios to be able to detect when a law firm is in danger of repelling a new lawyer. Here are five telltale signs, as well as tips on how a law firm can support the development of a new lawyer.
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