I work under two separate partners in two separate groups as a 2nd year on their deals. There are no midlevels or seniors above me on any deals (because of short staffing due to laterals and inability to hire). The partners are overwhelmed with work and are basically relying on me to be like a midlevel or senior. Anyone else dealing with this? Is this normal for other firms? Helpful guidance?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

No, not normal. Do your best to rise the occasion though. It’s incredibly stressful while it’s happening, but can result in you performing way above your class level from here on out.

Suggestions: really try to understand what changes are being made; ask yourself why someone is sharing something with you (does it need to go to someone else, be reviewed, background, etc.); see if there are folks in your group who can answer questions or at the firm more broadly who can give general guidance, etc. ask LOTS of questions, but do your best to never ask the same one 2x

like

Not “normal,” but normal in current climate, ie, post covid

likesmart

Yeah I would second that this is a great opp. A second year who knows how and why deal terms change would be a huge asset (and it gets you out of diligence hell faster).

like

This happened to me recently. At the end of the day make sure you are double thinking of the most menial tasks too - ie checking entity names on sig blocks, etc.

like

This situation seems like a tremendous opportunity for the OP.

like

Do you have any recommendations for how a 2nd year in this situation could leverage this opportunity? Beyond just becoming a better attorney

A similar situation happened to me when the two mid-level associates in my group left at the end of my first year. The first 6 months were very stressful and the learning curve was steep, but now I get to do way more interesting work and add more value to our group than I ever would be able to at this point without that opportunity. But that being said, I had a very supportive partner who I did most of my work for and could go to with my questions. With the right partner mentorship it can be a great opportunity, but don’t be afraid to raise your hand if you have questions.

like

My advice is: Trust no one, review everything, and dedicate enough time to all topics, even if that means extra hours.

You will need @6months to adapt but you will be much better after

like

Same

Related Posts

What is street parking like in Little Italy? Looking at a place but will have to park on the street, specifically near grape street/Columbia street

Anybody wanna grab a drink in Berlin sometime?

Relatively new here and kinda miss having industry acquaintances beyond my immediate teams.

like

What's your take on the value of contract management tools? Is there a breakpoint at which it starts to make sense for in-house departments?

like

Anyone have insights into the culture and WLB at 10x Genomics? Looking at commercial and strategy roles

like

J&J or Google? I’m in final stages and expecting an offer on both ends. TC seems about the same but J&J is based in Skillman, NJ whereas Google is in Austin, TX. Non tech roles in the same domain - Main difference is that J&J seems to be a higher level role (senior manager) whereas Google is a more junior one (lead). Any advice?

like

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to see this bowl grow. I hope you all have a great day today ❤️

Yikes. Looking like another red day. What stocks are you watching and at what PT will you get in?

like

I have got an offer from Accenture for 25l pa on the contrary i have another offer for settling in UK for 50000€. What should I choose?

like

Excited this group is here! Real talk- which firms do you think are good places for women? I'm frustrated at my current firm, looking to lateral. Not sure how to accurately evaluate a firm's culture

like

On June 21, I had an interview with two managers to become an HR Coordinator. Everything went smoothly, and I got good feedback, so I moved on to the management round of interviews. The recruiter initially stated that I would go through two rounds; however, between June 22-June 23, there were really five rounds, and I am still awaiting the scheduling of one more interview, even though it is now July. I'm becoming frustrated at this point. I’m still actively interviewing with other companies.

like

How much is the yearly hike for laterals in ey gds? Senior consultant

like

Hi everyone! Health tech consultant with 2.5+ years of experience … Looking to connect with any one who’s company is hiring implementation or strategic consultants in this field… ready to leave current company after not feeling heard and/or valued for months now. Looking to increase salary and *hopefully* find unlimited PTO wherever I go

like

Does anyone has any insights into revenue goals for manager / senior manager level at Big4, Capgemini? Primarily looking to apply in Germany.

like

Any idea of how Scientific Games Corporation wlb, yearly hike, work culture, learning and opportunity is Location: Bangalore Tech stack- .NET Team- Under Implementation and services

like

Any Boston MBBers? What is the culture in your office? Are you actively still hiring or is the hiring frenzy over? Would you say the people are happy?

like

My interview L2 round in LTI was cancelled because of bad camera I wrote mail to hr but he didn't rescheduled, any idea what to do in this case, already purchased external webcam

like

Anyone hiring lol

Is 9 lpa a good package for a software engineer with 3.5 years of experience ?

like

Recommendations for things to do on New Years?

like

I am on my third IUI and it didn’t work... have been trying for 1.5 years and we are unexplained. I am not sure whether to continue with IUI or go through IVF route... Anyone in a similar situation, can you share what did you do and why you chose one vs another option?

like

Additional Posts in Corporate Transactional Law

This is kind of a personal post but I recently had an encounter with someone who told me I had a "typical lawyer personality" aka found me boring or difficult to talk to, I guess. This was someone totally outside of my social circle. Do you think this is true of lawyers? We do have a very different life than most people, but I'm wondering if it's something I should work on.

like

Senior roles in Contract Lifecycle Management at EY salary, pros, cons? Considering the Boston or NY offices

like

Tips for working on attention to detail when drafting? I find with large agreements I miss small things that the partner catches that I know I need to tighten up. I want to focus hard on improvement but would love advice.

like

Anyone here who started in a general corporate or commercial trans group that later transitioned to a more specialized group (M&A, funds, financing, etc.)? If so, what made you switch and are you happy with the change/what has your experience been like?

like

Scenario for my tech tran folks: a collaboration agreement includes a termination clause providing that either party may terminate the agreement if the other party breaches a "material" term of the agreement + not cured w/in 30 days. The term "material" is not defined therein. The agreement includes mutual warranties.

If a party breaches any warranty in the agreement, is the the other party automatically entitled to terminate the agreement for breach of a material term?

like

When would you say that things really started to “click” for you and you felt like you knew what you were doing? Not necessarily when you could run a deal, but where you really began to understand the basics of getting a deal from start to finish and generally could draft ancillary documents with little to no revision needed? Also, when did you feel more in control of your work flow and have a solid grasp of how long tasks would take you?

like

I’ve recently been staffed on a deal with a partner (& one of the dept. chairs), a 1st year associate & summer associate (I’m class of 2018). I’m being given the opportunity to draft the main transaction documents, run diligence & for all intents and purposes serve as the senior associate. I generally feel as though I understand a transaction timeline & am appreciative of the opportunity/ challenge but any tips/ considerations/ things I may overlook would be appreciated.

likehelpful

Can a JV agreement be used if the ultimate JV is one of the two JV partners? A + B = B (with A owning a portion of B and B contributing daily management etc)? Not sure how to draft that from a form agreement.

like

How is V&E Houston?

like

Lien search help. I work at a regional firm, and only one paralegal is available. This paralegal started yesterday …. I essentially have to coordinate with the lien search rep to order lien searches. When an entity is incorporated in DE but the PPB is in a different state, what searches need to be conducted and where? Would we need bankruptcy and federal judgments and lawsuits in DE?

Any recommendations for a book/podcast/self study materials for a new finance attorney? I have no background in finance and was assigned to a finance group. Help me!!

like

How are you all handling work + the holidays? I just want to take a bunch of time off to spend with my family and unwind but instead, I'm drowning in work.

like

Best resources for a very green corporate transactions junior associate to get up to speed?

I just made a switch from a boutique litigation firm to a mid-sized corporate transactions practice. It’s been about 3 months, and I’m simply not meeting the partner’s (understandably high) standards. I love the work, and want to keep doing this, but need to start delivering better work product faster, I just don’t know what I don’t know.

like

Does anyone have some tips/reminders when reviewing an SPA? Want to be comprehensive in this respect.

like

I'm pretty early in my career and already feeling burnt out. I love what I do, and I'm happy to be here, but I don't honestly know if I can keep up. Does anyone have advice or has been through this?

like

Is January generally a slow month for corporate?

like

Curious to know people’s planning systems. I’m a paper planner at heart, but in this practice, there’s so many tasks and sub tasks for each client matter and each task may be in various points of completion (to do, waiting on, in process, etc.). I’ve toyed with excel sheets, word docs, paper planning, Trello, Notion, etc. and nothing seems to ‘stick.’ Thank you!

like

Anybody know an employee at John Deere?

like

Any of you go on ADHD medication after becoming a corporate associate? Did it improve your performance? I have had ADHD my whole life ans have been able to manage it well enough for most of my life, but the barrage of info and tasks as a transactional attorney makes it hard for me to concentrate for long enough to get anything done well and makes me think i need help if i am going to survive in this job.

likehelpful

I’m a junior associate in a corporate group with partners that work in several different industries. I’ve gotten work from every partner in the group. Any advice on how to approach specializing or should I not be concerned with that so early?

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal