Success Tips For New Associates

Practical Law BeeSucceeding as a new associate is a juggling act that will involve balancing your evolving legal expertise with managing your workload, creating relationships with partners, fellow associates and support staff at your firm, and building strong business relationships. Here are a few tips to help you thrive during this pivotal time in your legal career.

1. SEE EVERYONE AS A CLIENT
Whether dealing with a senior associate, partner, or client, provide all work product as final. Be sure to obtain a clear idea of deadlines, give yourself a buffer to review and ask any questions that come up, and finish early wherever possible. Flexibility and a willingness to learn are also highly desirable characteristics in new associates that will result in more introductions and opportunities coming your way, ultimately leading to faster and more significant growth. Develop a reputation as a finisher, and input hours on a timely basis, at the end of each day. Consider what you’d like your colleagues and clients to say about you when you’re not around, and sow every seed you can to cultivate this image.

2. DEVELOP INTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS
Be courteous and respectful to all of your colleagues, regardless of their role. It’ll reap rewards when you inevitably need to call on them in a crunch in the future, as well as making for a more enjoyable working environment. Identify the most highly-regarded writers within your firm and set out to emulate them. Whether or not a formal mentoring program exists, actively seek out a mentor. Look for someone with a similar personality and goals to you with whom you get along well, then think about what work and clients you find most interesting. Your mentor doesn’t need to be in your practice area, or even in your firm, but they should be someone on whom you desire to model yourself.

3. MARKET YOURSELF EXTERNALLY
Learn to market yourself and your services externally. Join networking groups and relevant business and charitable organizations. Before attending events, set a goal of how many people you will meet and greet — this will help you push past your comfort zone. Rehearse your elevator pitch ahead of time, and when talking about you or your firm, frame your expertise in terms of the value you provide to your clients. What do you help your clients achieve? Start building a referral network and know that every single touch point is an opportunity to build your future book of business. Focus on cultivating long-term relationships and loyalty, and recognize that existing and previous clients are the biggest source of referrals.

4. LISTEN INTENTLY
Develop a genuine interest in your clients and go the extra mile to make them feel like their matter is the most important one on which you’re working. Never be too busy to keep them updated on the progress of their matter. Return phone calls and emails as quickly as possible, and switch your priority from winning them over by talking, to listening carefully both for what they’re saying—and what they’re not saying. Every client communication is a marketing opportunity, and a chance to identify a gap where you or the firm could help with additional matters. Expanding the breadth of coverage you provide your clients with can help maintain the relationship for longer, and increase your chances of additional referrals.

5. FOCUS ON THE 20%
You are likely already familiar with the Pareto Principle, also known as Pareto’s Law, which states that in many instances 80% of results come from 20% of work. It is also widely accepted that 20% of clients contribute to 80% of firm revenue. The opportunity here lies in optimizing your top 20% of time and clients. Relish the opportunity for all training available to you and remember that your ultimate objective is to bring the firm new profit and clients while becoming the best possible attorney you can. Legal know-how resources can help you optimize your time by giving you a better start, saving you significant time getting up to speed and giving you confidence on new matters. Take advantage of all resources at your disposal and constantly be on the lookout for ways to make the most efficient use of your time. When you are less busy, take the opportunity to engage in training, pro bono work and additional projects, and reach out to friends and colleagues to see how you can help them with any opportunities or challenges they’re facing.


Sponsored

ABOUT PRACTICAL LAW
Practical Law helps law firms practice smarter, operate more efficiently and better serve clients.

From helping a first year tackle a new project, to making sure you have the latest analysis of current market trends, to supporting professional development and knowledge management initiatives, we offer practical legal know-how that helps law firms meet the demands for a more efficient practice.

Our law firm subscribers currently include 85% of Am Law 200 firms and hundreds of mid-size and boutique firms. To learn more or request a free trial, call 888.529.6397 or visit www.practicallaw.com

Sponsored