New attorneys are faced with many new challenges and experiences in their first few months of practice—from taking on your first case to moving to a new city and getting acclimated in a new environment where everyone already seems to know each other.
One of the most difficult first steps can be showing up to your first event in the legal community you’ve just joined.
The title of our article is advice we did not necessarily receive, but advice from personal experience that we impart on all new lawyers we encounter. We both routinely attended events as the only attorney from our respective firms. Showing up to legal community events, while daunting to a new attorney, is what can make the difference in a new attorney’s career trajectory.
Something that became surprisingly obvious is just how much other attorneys enjoy talking with young lawyers. Attending events in the legal community is the first step in what leads to the rest of the advice we wish we had received. This includes:
Build Rapport with Opposing Counsel
Many young lawyers are advised to be cognizant of how you treat your opposing counsel. This is usually framed as a cautionary tale that how you treat opposing counsel will be how they treat you when the shoe is on the other foot. Other typical advice is to be professional, be courteous, and remember this is your adversary, not your enemy. The overarching theme is to build the rapport with opposing counsel, but what no one told us was how.
Being a polite young attorney is a great place to start. No one told us what to do after that. The advice we wish we would have received is to a conversation with opposing counsel outside the confines of your case, which can go a long way. It is much easier than it seems to find common ground with another attorney. For starters, we all have the same shared experience of attending law school. We know the same people. We practice before the same judges. These professional common grounds lend themselves to conversation starters. From there, it becomes far easier to open that door to other commonalities. After your case is complete, ask opposing counsel for lunch or coffee. Most people are flattered by the ask, and that connection could have lasting implications for you and that relationship.
It is human nature to want to connect. Advice we wish we would have received sooner was to not be afraid to open the dialogue. For example, instead of emailing, pick up the phone. Ask opposing counsel about their hobbies. Ask about their practice areas. Ask what organizations they are part of. Invite conversation.
Use All Resources Available to You
Starting out in practice is an intimidating experience. Most attorneys a young lawyer encounters seem to already know everything there is to know about practicing law. But what we have found in practice is some of the most experienced attorneys are not aware of some available resources. Advice we wish we had been given is to find all the resources available and put them to full use.
Many bar associations have practice-specific sections or groups full of valuable resources, including practice manuals specific to your jurisdiction, as well as online discussion groups and other resources. Most attorneys are happy to help a new attorney with a unique issue, but doing research on your own can help you find the right person to ask.
It’s Professional, Not Personal
As a newer attorney, communication from opposing counsel can come off as abrasive, aggressive, or even mean. This may seem like a personal affront to even an experienced attorney. While there are exceptions to every rule, most of the time that is not the intent. Advice we wish we had been given is that it’s not personal.
Ultimately, we all represent a client and their interests, not our own. Every attorney has their own idea about what being a “zealous advocate” looks like. For some attorneys, zealous advocacy looks like a nasty letter or email. Usually, it’s not a personal insult to the other attorney; it’s part of the game. The better you get to know the other attorneys you are working with, the easier it is to understand their intentions.
Mentorship Is a Must
New attorneys come from a variety of different backgrounds and walks of life. Some come from a family of attorneys and judges. Others are the first in their family to graduate from college. No matter your background, everyone can benefit from mentorship. Advice we wish we had been given sooner is that mentorship is a must.
Mentorship does not have to look the same for everyone, and you can have more than one mentor. Sometimes as a new attorney, it can feel like you’re on an island by yourself. Every new issue feels like a catastrophe, and it’s scary to figure out what to do next. A mentor is the life raft. Your mentor isn’t always going to have the answer or the solution to the problem, but the support of another, more experienced attorney can be a relief and help make any problem seem manageable.
Your mentor doesn’t have to be someone you work with or someone assigned to you through a formal mentoring program. Some of the best mentor-mentee relationships are those that happen organically through shared interests. Mentorship does not only benefit the mentee. For the mentor, having a mentee can be invigorating and help bridge the generational gap.
Don’t Let the Fear of Going Somewhere Alone Stop You From Showing Up
For many new attorneys, it’s exciting to be an official part of the legal community. It can also be very intimidating. It seems like everyone else knows each other and feels like they belong. Advice we wish we had been given is that you have a seat at the table. This is just as much your community as someone with decades of experience. The beauty of the practice of law is that it spans generations but we all come together as a bar association. Not every profession has the deep-rooted history and traditions that come with practicing law.
Advice we give to young lawyers is to embrace the tradition. Remember, this is our community. So, attend the parties, make the connections, and one day accept the call to leadership to carry those traditions forward.
Megan E. Shupe, Esquire, is an associate with Reagan Melton & Delaney LLP in Bellevue, Nebraska, and Isabella C. Hunt, Esquire, is an associate with Gross Welch Marks Clare PC LLO in Omaha, Nebraska. They are both members of the Robert M. Spire American Inn of Court and serving currently as co-chairs of Membership and Mentorship.