First Day, First Assignment

It is your first day as an attorney--in a firm, in public service, in-house.

A senior-to-you lawyer asks for your help.

It is your first assignment. What next?

Review the assignment.

🔵 What is the case number?

🔵 What background documents would be helpful?

🔵 Who else is on the team?

Schedule a meeting with the assigning attorney or other team member.

🔵 Confirm mutual understanding of the task.

🔵 Confirm how much time to spend on the assignment.

🔵 Determine how to best communicate with the assining lawyer.

🔵 Ask as many questions as time allows.

🔵 Make sure to walk away with the format of the ultimate deliverable.

🔵 Confirm the internal and/or external deadlines--and whether they're hard or soft deadlines.

Before getting started:

🔵 Review your notes.

🔵 Make sure you have no further questions.

🔵 Build in time to let the final work product sit--buffer time between when you wrap it up and when it is due.

🔵 Dig in.

While you work, if you get stuck, ask another associate.

When you need to reach out to the assigning attorney:

🔵 Outline all you've done so far;

🔵 Ask for a meeting; and

🔵 Keep working in the interim.

When you think you're done:

🔵 Proof and edit--more than once;

🔵 Have a legal assistant proof and edit;

🔵 Submit the project--recapping the work and answer and offering to keep working as needed.

You don't know what you don't know.

There is no such thing as overcommunicating, especially in the beginning.

Take your time and be ready to defend your work, your outcome, and your next steps.

You got this.

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