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How To Manage New Attorneys At Your Law Firm

Recent law school graduates hired at your firm need a lot of guidance.

happy-young-lawyer-solo-practitioner-small-firm-attorney-300x200Recent law school graduates hired at your firm need a lot of guidance. As junior attorneys they will have a steep learning curve and may make a lot of mistakes. If you want to get the most out of your new attorneys, it’s best that you prepare for the task of helping them realize their potential. At Smokeball we strive to have open communication with our team members to ensure they are set up for success in their various roles. Things constantly are challenging and always moving, our teams are constantly evolving. Below are a few tips you can ensure success out of your new Attorney.

Mentor Matching

If you’re bringing in new attorneys, consider having a mentoring program available to those who want it.  You might even consider creating a mentor/mentee matching program that pairs your brand new attorneys with more experienced lawyers. A good mentoring program can help fresh new hires get up to speed faster than if they were left to figure everything out on their own.

Give Feedback

No matter how talented your new hire is, they are still a new attorney and may need constant feedback to be assured that they are on the right track.  Keep track of the work they’re tackling and make notes on how they can improve.  Consider conducting feedback sessions every few months, at least in the beginning. This way the new attorney has an opportunity to have mistakes corrected before they become bad habits. Once your new attorney has reached a level of competency and you have faith in their ability to do the work, you can scale back your feedback sessions.

Learn From Them

Take the opportunity to learn from your new attorneys. Despite their lack of experience in the field of law, they do offer you an opportunity to learn about developments in the society that you may have missed due to generational gaps and getting stuck in old habits. For example, many new attorneys understand how technology can improve your law firm’s productivity, take their expertise in this area very seriously.

Offer Training

Most new attorneys won’t remain with your law firm for the long-term. But the more opportunities you offer for advancement and professional development, the longer they will stay with your firm.  Put in place professional development opportunities and paths for advancement at your firm so that new attorneys have something to work towards. Also, always keep your talent pipeline full by staying connected to passive and active candidates.

Give Back

Many new attorneys are looking for ways to give back to the community. Law firms who are engaged in community work such as offering pro bono work or supporting charities have an easier time of attracting new lawyer talent.

Connect Generations

When you’re putting several generations in the same workplace, you need to implement strategies for bridging the gap and resolving conflicts that arise from differences in worldview and work styles.  Be honest about how one generation’s approach to work may impact another and come up with strategies that can make it easier for those differing work styles to complement each other.

Be Flexible

Never become so stuck in your ways that you’re unwilling to examine your assumptions and change your processes. Many new attorneys become frustrated working at law firms that have ineffective processes that harm productivity.  Be willing to listen to suggestions for improving the way you do things.

Managing new attorneys can be challenging but when done effectively you can reduce turnover and improve employee satisfaction.

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janeJane Oxley is President of Smokeball, a productivity and case management software provider that increases efficiency and profitability for solo attorneys and small law firms. Jane’s worked in the legal field for her entire career, spending over 20 years engaged with small law firms. She has a strong affinity with small law firms and the crucial role they play in the communities they serve and is passionate about helping them work towards more productive and less stressful practices.

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