My first year of practice was filled with apprehension and stress, new situations, some successes, a few failures and numerous lessons learned along the way. Not only were the substantive and procedural elements of the law new and challenging, but so were the interactions and relationships with colleagues, the courts and clients.
Stepping back for a few moments in the early part of this year and reflecting on the first calendar year of my hopefully lifelong career was an important conclusion to this building-block time period of my practice. Although the resetting of the billable hours ticker on New Year’s Day was fairly discomforting, considering that an entire year’s worth of work, which is quantified by a handful of numbers, was seemingly erased to a single zero in the progress column, the lessons learned and experiences enjoyed in the first year were valuable steps toward a successful second year and, hopefully, many additional years to come. Three experiences, which were actually reoccurrences throughout the year, especially stood out and became the unforgettable understandings of my first year of legal practice.
Avoid the ‘Fatal-File’ Scenario
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