New/Young Lawyers
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New Lawyer Tips from “What I Wish I Knew My First 5 Years of Practice” panel
I recently spoke on a panel entitled “What I Wish I Knew My First 5 Years of Practice”. In preparing material for the panel I developed a list of tips for new lawyers. Here you go, you are welcome. New Lawyer Tips Free time? Go to court; sit in on different types of hearings/trials relating to your practice area. If you’re bold enough speak with a few of the attorneys you watched. Make an outline of how you see each new case you get progressing. Fill in with anything unexpected. Helps to manage expectations and time. Talk through cases with other attorneys. Find a few…
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Practice Areas: More than you thought you knew
I’ll admit, I knew nothing about lawyers and their practice areas when I decided to go to law school (why did I become a lawyer you ask, that’s another post). All I knew was criminal and corporate. Once I got into law school I learned about public interest law. That became the practice area of interest for me. Going through law school helped me become aware of the different types of law. I became interested in bankruptcy and mediation as time went on. Going to school in Texas made me aware of Oil and Gas law. Again something I never thought about but makes perfect sense for that geographical location.…
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Is Your Image Keeping the Clients Away?
Image is everything for attorneys and anyone in business for that fact. No, I don’t just mean how you look, but yes that is important. I’m talking about what you are showing the world in terms of you/your firm/your business. I have recently had a few events where I have had the chance to speak with some attorneys. Some were brand spanking new and some had been practicing for years but they all had something in common. They were lacking in the image department. Now what do I mean by this? Well let me tell you. A few of these attorneys were still using a Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL account…
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Here’s What You Can Learn From My Biggest Interview Fail
Many years ago after I had just passed the bar I did what most new lawyers do I sent out hundreds of resumes to whoever was hiring. I had multiple versions of my resume to try and fit the different types of positions I was applying for: government, law firm, nonprofit, etc. Lesson #1 Tailor your resume to the position I went on countless interviews, but there was one that was possibly my worst interview ever. I was still new to the area but I thought I knew where I was going; I was wrong. Even though I left 90 minutes before my interview I ended up late. Lesson #2 If you…
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2 Tips for New/Young Lawyers
Technically I am considered a new/young lawyer because of my age but based on number of years in practice I would no longer be classified as such. One thing I always get asked for when I meet other new/younger lawyers is: “do you have any tips?” So here are a couple of tips: One tip that I think is important for new/young attorneys (or seasoned attorneys) is to make time each month to go to court and sit in on different types hearings/trials relating to your practice area. Set aside a few hours a month (or more if you can) and grab a legal pad and a pen and just…
