Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: Practical advice for new lawyers
This final column on unwritten rules highlights other steps you need to take to make a good impression and get off to a strong start.
Q: I have heard that there are lots of “unwritten rules” at law firms. Is that true?
A: It is. In prior columns I covered unwritten rules for building internal and external relationships and effective communications. This final column on unwritten rules highlights other steps you need to take to make a good impression and get off to a strong start.
1. Attire Matters.
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Most associates get this. But attire still makes the “unwritten rules” list, because when senior lawyers have concerns about attire, they often don’t communicate those concerns to the associate.
A partner recently recounted that he thought a new male associate who wore an open collar without a tie conveyed an unprofessional image of the firm. The partner did not share his opinion with the associate. The partner just thought the associate should know better. The partner did discuss his disapproval with other senior lawyers.
This does not mean that all associates need to wear suits all the time. For young tech clients in particular, dressing too formally can be off-putting. The point is to be conscious of the impression you make – and realize that others may not share your perspective on the appropriate level of formality.
Your colleagues (and clients) will form opinions about you using all the information they have. You don’t want your attire to undermine your credibility. If you look disheveled, other lawyers may think you are disorganized. If you are overly casual, they may think you do not take your job seriously.
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If you do brilliant work, your attire is not going to sink you. But being persuasive is a huge part of any lawyer’s job. You need to use every possible tool to lend credence to your words. That includes attire and demeanor.
An associate at a global law firm gives this sound advice:
“You don’t have to dress for success, but don’t dress for failure. If you represent yourself well, you will give the people you work for confidence that you take the job seriously and are doing your best.”
Paying attention to attire can be vital for lawyers who are concerned they may not get respect because they look young.
You may not have to look like a million bucks. You do have to look like several hundred dollars per hour.
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2. Don’t Be First on the Hall to Leave.
When you are still building your reputation, don’t be the last on your hall to arrive or the first to leave. You will not endear yourself to colleagues if they are toiling away and you are AWOL. If others in your group are working long hours, you don’t want them to realize (or suspect) that you are home eating bon bons on your couch. Those lawyers may conclude they cannot count on you in a crisis. And if you are working around the clock, (subtly) let others know.
3. Use “Face Mail.”
When you get assignments from lawyers in your own office, try to discuss the assignments in person. This is even more important if you have not worked much with the assigning attorney. Email can be efficient, but you need to get out of your office and get to know other lawyers at your firm. A colleague of mine refers to this as “face mail.”
Lawyers are more likely to give you work if they know you. You can also get more information about an assignment in a face-to-face discussion. And understanding the nuances of a project and a lawyer’s work styles can help you exceed expectations.
4. Making your hours may not be enough.
Opining on the subject of billable hours, one partner recently said, “If all you are doing is meeting the billable hours requirement, you are just doing the bare minimum. And I don’t want to work with you. I want to work with someone who is willing to make a bigger commitment.”
In a similar vein, another partner told me that one of her biggest peeves is associates who hit their hours “and then stop working.”
“You see it in the financial reports, they hit their hours – and then nothing.”
Perspectives will vary among lawyers. Just be aware that sometimes complying with the firm’s policy is not enough. When compared to others at your level, it is generally best to keep your hours at least in the middle of the pack.
Good luck!
Grover E. Cleveland is a Seattle lawyer, speaker and author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: The Essential Guide to Thriving as a New Lawyer (West 2010). He is a former partner at Foster Pepper PLLC, one of the Northwest’s larger firms. His clients included the Seattle Seahawks and other entities owned by Microsoft co-founder, Paul Allen. Grover is a frequent presenter on new lawyer career success at law schools and firms nationwide. Some of the questions in this column come from those presentations. Readers may submit questions here or follow him on Twitter @Babysharklaw. He is not related to the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.
