Winter 2012 #5. Young Lawyers: Advice On Rising Above Your Peers In This Still-Struggling Economy.

Maine Bar Journal

2012.

Winter 2012 #5.

Young Lawyers: Advice On Rising Above Your Peers In This Still-Struggling Economy

Maine Bar JournalVOLUME 27 , NUMBER 1, WINTER 2012Young Lawyers: Advice On Rising Above Your Peers In This Still-Struggling EconomyRecent law school graduates hoping to see improvements in legal hiring had little to celebrate when the National Association for Law Placement released its June report, indicating the worst job market since 1996, when the legal profession was still recovering from the recession of the late 1980s.

For the lucky 87 percent that found employment nine months after graduation last year, keeping their jobs is top of mind. To help young lawyers better understand what they should and should not be doing on the job, Betsy Collins, a partner in the Mobile, Ala., office of Burr and Forman LLP, recently released a free podcast from the [American Bar Association] Section of Litigation, "Advice for Young Lawyers."

Drawing from 25 years of law practice and from the sage advice given to her when she was starting out, Collins offers several practical strategies to help ensure a thriving career in this still-struggling economy.

Several of Collins' tips focus on how young attorneys can best impress their supervising lawyers:

"When a partner asks you for a draft, don't take that too literally," says Collins, explaining that young lawyers should turn in work that is as complete as possible. "Partners don't really want drafts. They don't want a document with a lot of blanks that leaves a lot to be filled in."

"Think creatively," advises Collins, comparing a young attorney's research on a difficult question to a mouse in a maze. "If you hit a dead end, try to find another way to the cheese." Taking such self-directed initiative will be appreciated by busy supervisors.

Don't ever ask a partner a question that you could easily find out on your own.

Be a good communicator by staying in regular touch with the supervisor for whom you are doing work. "Make sure they know what you are doing, but don't drive them crazy with every detail."

When conducting research on the Internet for a brief, "Don't just take a soundbite. You need to read the case and know what the case says before you cite it."

When working with a partner or other supervising attorney, check the cases they cite in their briefs-actually pull...