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Wait, are we supposed to feel like we know what we’re doing?
First trial. Doesn’t matter if it’s 6 months into practicing or 6 years, once you’ve got that first trial under your belt, you feel completely different.
Mentor
And just to go through the whole process, including all the work up to trial like MIL’s, jury instructions, drafting direct/cross questions, witness prep, etc. Do that once and you have all that work product and a road map for the next one.
When you talk back to OC on your own without the partner telling you what to say or rescuing you. You feel like an adult when you give OC case law and law in support of why you’re right.
Mentor
When I just didn’t care about how I looked anymore. Stopped being nervous at depos, on conference calls, oral arguments, etc and just chilled out. Took like 4-5 years lol. Now those things are actually boring to me.
You've become a peak litigator when you've won a trial you should have lost and lost a trial you should have won.
Still waiting.
Thank god this question was asked in this bowl. In the law and big law bowls, this would be cluttered with transaction garbage 🙌
Coach
For me it was when I was able to give advice and make strategic decisions and not question myself whether it was the right decision. It was about 5-6 years after practicing.
I’ll let you one when I get there.
Between years 3 and 4. It’s not so much that I knew everything, but I realized that I knew quite a bit. Part of this realization was not just being comfortable around other attorneys (which was also a big part), but being able to explain, in detail, what you do/how you do things to lay people in a way that they understand.
Completing my first solo trial. Totally different experience from anything I’d ever done before. OC was a 15 year attorney to my 9 months. Second trial ever, still had no clue what to do. I lost but I felt great afterwards. Later came up against OC (with an experienced second chair) in my first solo felony trial and won. The first trial actually felt better, even though I lost!
I still don’t know what I’m doing. 12 years out.
Great question! Around year 6 is when I started feeling like I didn't completely suck as a lawyer. I'm on year 11 now and still don't feel very experienced but definitely feel more competent than many lawyers out there.
When other competent lawyers started coming to me for advice. I always felt I was good at my job and doing well, but I surrounded myself with people who'd been doing it for much longer and constantly felt dwarfed by them. Then other lawyers I respected came to me for advice and it felt surreal! LOL
Probably about 9 months after my clerkship and I had a few bench trials, a 2nd chair at a jury trial, and some successful dispositive motions under my belt.
I still feel like a baby attorney, 7 years in and after making partner.
When a client fucks up against your advice and comes back and says, “I should have listened to you”