This time last year I had just been called to the bar, I was starting a new job (spoiler alert I’ve been here for a whole year) and I 100% did not know what I was doing and had mad anxiety about being fired. A year later, I can’t say that much has changed.
Looking back, I cannot believe how quickly time flies. I originally wanted to make this post a short sweet list of things I’ve learned but as I thought about this more and more I could not come up with anything. This is not to say that I’ve learned nothing but it definitely is not something that I can boil down to a succinct, clean list.
My experience has definitely been strange and interesting. I articled in-house at an insurance company and was not hired back. I got this news and quickly begin searching and planning my next steps. I got a job in private practice and began working the day after I was called to the bar. To be honest, this adjustment after 10 months of chilling in house was pretty difficult for me. My firm – thankfully – was not large enough that I would be aggressively pressured or judged for working in-house hours however, I did feel pressure to stay later than I ever did when I was articling.
I quickly learned that so long as you work hard and put in a good day of billables then you shouldn’t guilt yourself into staying late for no reason. The learning curve was steep. I’ve worked in private practice prior to and during law school but on the Plaintiff’s side. Going from in-house insurance defence (I was basically a Wagg motion clerk – yes thats right, I prepared, filed, served and attended Wagg motions) to doing mainly subrogation work and being able to run my own files was a drastic shock.
I also discovered that – at least for me – most of the time the mental strain and stress I was experiencing was something I was able to control. If I thought about things too hard I would think myself into an anxiety episode. On the other end of the spectrum, I would have moments where I had accepted the fact that I would likely be fired soon or that my termination was imminent and would plan accordingly. I can certainly recognize how crazy and ridiculous this sounds but this is just the truth.
I’ve learned to trust my own judgment. If a file is in your name, the client is paying you for your service and expertise. Of course being a <1 year call is intimidating and you will obviously need help along the way but this does not mean you should shy away from a challenge or have a meltdown when you mess up or avoid telling a client that you don’t know something. This is a profession demands the desire to learn and to be successful you will need to accept this and be able to adapt as you will often find yourself in situations where you have to do a bit of research to answer your client’s questions or be able to justify your opinions.
I also learned that you need to be really careful with your friendships and relationships that you begin and maintain. People in this field talk A LOT. So establishing your reputation even this early in the game is vital. You cannot disregard the power of gossip. Taking unreasonable positions and being unnecessarily combative is not a cute look and is never really a good idea. All bark and no bite – nope that’s not a dog description that’s the type of annoying lawyer that calls you with trash files and ridiculous settlement proposals but will never proceed to a trial or a hearing.
Additionally there are “friends” or people who disguise themselves as such waiting to sabotage your life. I’ve learned this in the worst pay possible and thought this phase of my life was over after law school but sadly this is not the case (after all the legal profession is basically law school but with salaries).
What has worked for me so far is taking initiative, being proactive and resourceful. If faced with a problem that you are not fully equipped to handle, ask others at your firm, if that fails, do some research and be honest with what you know or do not know. No one knows everything and this is especially true with <1 year calls. Another thing that has almost always worked for me is using my judgment. Sometimes I am forced to adhere to an informal revision or vetting process which is internal at my firm. There are times when deadlines are missed a result of this. I will balance the need for revision/vetting with the importance of meeting a deadline. If the latter is more important then I will submit and then amend later if needed. This has worked to my benefit in year 1. Often the revisions are minor or amendments to the submission can be easily done. I’ve learned to use and trust my own judgment.
My objectives for year 2 is to try and diversify my skills and perhaps become more active in the professional world outside of law. Sometimes closing yourself off to just legal events and professional groups can be detrimental to your professional goals and stifling. If you only join and converse with insurance defence lawyers how will manage getting a job in another industry if you have to or choose to? Anyway, we shall see where I am next year at this time and whether there are any ground-breaking truths that are revealed.