You’ve worked for years to gain the education and skills needed to reach your position, so let us begin with congratulations. Few individuals rise to the challenge of landing a prestigious first-year associate position. 

You probably know, however, that it’s not time to rest on your laurels. The first year is crucial to establishing your professional identity and positioning your career toward a long-term trajectory. 

Here are some practical insights on how to shine in your first year.

Understand Expectations and Excel Early

Get off on the right foot by paying careful attention, performing at peak level, and becoming known as a top attorney. Remember to:

• Show initiative – Look for opportunities to go beyond assigned work, such as participation in practice subspecialties or working committees.

• Clarify what’s expected of you – Ensure you know your billing expectations, team priorities, and law firm culture.

• Watch the details – Establish trust and credibility with reviews, corrections, and suggestions that show an eagle eye on the fine details.

Build Meaningful Relationships

Your first law firm can become a source of professional relationships that outlast your tenure there, remaining career-long touchpoints and points of reference. In particular, regard: 

• Supervisors as advocates – Align with their priorities and work style, seek counsel, and enlist them to advocate on your behalf after proving your value.

• Peers as allies – Don’t set your peers up as competitors. They can become lifelong anchors in your legal network by focusing on collaboration and mutual support.

• Clients as your first priority – Support your firm’s priorities and core values by using emotional intelligence and care in client relations.

Master the Art of Feedback and Growth

If you dread feedback and criticism, adjust your mindset to both welcome and invite it. Your first law firm is where you level up from law school theory to the real-world environment, and receiving useful input is much more valuable than being left to your own devices.

Try to:

• Invite and actively listen to constructive criticism.
• Follow through on input and guidance.
• Seek reevaluation to display growth and earn respect.
• Develop formal and informal mentorships to accelerate your learning curve.

Stay Resilient in High-Pressure Environments

As a first-year associate, you're likely to encounter as many—or more—stressful situations during your first year as an associate as you did in law school. You won’t be able to pre-plan or overwork your way out of them all, so invest some thought and time into navigating a professional environment that is prone to high-pressure situations:

• Develop calming methods to reduce stress.
• Use apps and proven strategies to manage multiple assignments, tasks, and timelines.
• Seek input to correctly prioritize conflicting deadlines.
• Learn to overcome your own tendencies toward perfectionism, procrastination, etc.
• Know your limits and balance ambition with realism.

Cultivate a Long-Term Mindset

This year is only the first step in a longer journey. Devote energy toward setting long-term goals and planning the direction and needs for your intended career trajectory as an attorney:

• Prioritize professional development – Seek training opportunities, leverage useful continuing legal education (CLE) courses, and attend industry events.

• Develop AI knowledge now – Learn AI prompting, bias identification, and output review, as well as AI’s role in research and legal support, since it’s expected to automate up to 44% of legal support staff tasks.²

• Think like a future partner – Consider what type of leadership role and function you want to steer toward and seek mentorship and training that support it.

Avoid Pitfalls that Derail Top Candidates

While you work to establish yourself within a firm, keep in mind that your success is also in their best interest. It can cost firms $200,000 – $500,000 to replace a new associate when everything from recruitment to training is tallied up, and staff changeover can negatively impact client relationships, productivity, and firm reputation and culture.²

But an exit isn’t the only potential negative outcome—you can also end up limiting your advancement or being cast in an understudy role. In addition to focusing on the positives, such as relationship-building and career development, there are some common pitfalls to avoid along the way.

Steer clear from: 

• Early burnout – Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint. Set boundaries that facilitate high performance over the long term to avoid lawyer burnout.

• Fear of asking questions – Don’t be scared to ask. Questions help others know you’re seeking clarification with your mind on the job and display a lack of arrogance.

• Office politics – Focus on your work and remain professional rather than putting energy into interpersonal drama.

E.P. Dine Helps Lawyers Build Career Success

While making the best impression with your work is critical, it’s not the only goal. The most successful first-year associates build beneficial relationships, clarify how they fit within firm-level goals and roles, and learn how to maximize their productivity through effective time management and prioritization. 

Enlisting E.P. Dine as part of your professional network is another key step toward long-term success. We are the foremost legal recruitment search partner, not just for associate lawyer hiring but for filling legal positions at all seniority levels for firms and corporations nationwide. We have an extensive professional network and deep expertise built on a 40-year history of serving top employers and candidates.

E.P. Dine can help you succeed in your current role and move forward in the future.

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Sources: 

1. Thomson Reuters. How will leveraging AI change the future of legal services? https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/how-will-leveraging-ai-change-future-legal-services-2023-08-23/‍
2. Thomson Reuters. Forum: The Attrition Antidote — Anticipating (and preempting) attrition through people intelligence. https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/legal/forum-spring-2022-attrition-antidote/