Life in a Law Firm
You would know by now that you will likely be spending most of your waking hours in the office. You may be spending more time with your colleagues than with your family. As a new lawyer, you have to also start building relationships with new people in a new environment.
Cultivating good relationships with law firm partners, legal associates and support staff is one of the many soft skills that you will be learning and using in your working life. People skills are not taught in law school and we are expected to be equipped with it when we enter the workforce. How we interact with others in the workplace depends very much on our personality. For the introvert, being in the company of many people and having to interact with them in a fast pace work environment can be even more difficult than law practice itself. It is worse if you have to face office politics.
What do you do if you have problems with your bosses or colleagues in the law firm? What happens if your boss does not have any time for you? How do you interact with and relate to senior support staff who may have started working even before you were born?
You also have to manage the much-dreaded clients your seniors have been talking about. What happens if the clients intimidate you, treat you with little respect because of your youth or even bully you?
Being friendly, open and welcoming is a good start. Take the time to understand how the firm operates and the various dynamics of your seniors. Work hard, show initiative and be humble.
As senior lawyers, we recognise that the current generation of lawyers is intelligent. At the same time, humility is an essential quality which the support staff will appreciate. They will be more willing to help you if you are humble and willing to learn.
Having good bosses is a blessing. Building a good working relationship with the boss is necessary but can be daunting. They are very busy and some of them do not know how to train or guide the junior lawyers. It takes time to understand them and their work style.
A former colleague of mine had a female boss who spoke very fast when giving instructions to him. As a junior lawyer, he struggled working with her. He even resorted to recording her conversations with him so that he could fully understand her instructions. He did not work very long with her.
We have to acknowledge that there are some people whom we just cannot work with. It could be due to a clash of personalities. However, don’t give up without trying to make it work. If you are struggling with your boss, find a suitable time to have a good conversation with him. Share your concerns. Ask him for advice on how you can work better with him. Do not be surprised if he has no good solutions though. You may have to find ways to fit into his working style.
I have heard stories of young lawyers being badly treated by senior support staff who are the other “bosses” in the firm. Some of them adopt a superior attitude and can be difficult. As these staff have had a long working relationship with the boss and are likely on very good terms with him, it may be difficult to get any help from the boss in dealing with them. You may find that the best approach is to be friendly and professional with them and ignore their other behavioural traits.
In the beginning of my law career, a senior support staff I worked with became upset with me for reasons unknown to me. I spoke to her to find out the reason for her unhappiness but to no avail. I had no choice but to leave things be. Leaving things be can be a good solution too; not everyone in the office has to be your friend.
When a client complains to the boss about your work, the boss may react by reprimanding you and you may not get a chance to share your side of the story. A few years ago, I scolded a young lawyer for the way she was handling a client. She got very upset. Later, I found out that I was actually the first person to scold her in her life! Find the right opportunity to bring up the matter if you think a complaint was unjustified. Share your views in an objective manner and if you have made a mistake, acknowledge it.
Forge good friendships with your fellow legal associates. Often, you stay in a law firm because of these friendships. You go through good and bad times with them. They are your support system.
Find mentors within your firm or outside of it. Speak to your mentors regularly and ask for their advice if you face challenges in your career. Such support will help to sustain you in law practice.
One of the skills which I feel will help young lawyers in their career is mediation training. It is not only a professional skill but the course teaches active listening, people skills and problem solving, all necessary for lawyering.
If you regularly feel anxious, troubled or unhappy, such feelings should not be dismissed as they will not easily go away. I know of a number of young professionals who suffer from mental health issues. It is important to discover what is ailing you and seek professional help. You need to address these issues so that you can learn to manage them and enjoy a better quality of life.
Maintain happy and healthy relationships outside of work. If our personal life works well, our professional life will follow suit.
We become better lawyers with time, age and life experiences. We learn how to deal with professional conflicts. Sometimes, we just need to be patient and give ourselves time.
