Incoming first-year litigation associate starting remotely next month. Any general tips and tricks you all have learned during this virtual period?

Also, if there are any 2009 law grads that had their start date delayed, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My brain sort of feels like mush, and I know my legal writing and probably some other skills have declined. In other words, I feel less smart than I felt while in law school and am nervous about starting in Jan after a 5 month break.

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

I wouldn’t worry about it. We don’t know anything coming out of law school anyway, so they expect to have to teach first years everything.

like

Something one of my first years did which I (mid-year) was hella impressed by is she reached out to schedule Zoom coffee with people in the office to try to get to know people despite WFH. Low-staks, shows initiative, made her seem super on point.

Another new hire, after spending a couple of weeks on a new case, also scheduled a casual Friday afternoon Zoom to chat about the expectations of partners on the case. Also was a super top-notch move on their part.

smart

OP I'm a 2020 grad lit associate who started remotely very recently.

From my admittedly very limited perspective:

So far remote has been a blessing in many ways. Reach out to people to get "virtual" coffee. Everyone gets that this is weird and no one can meet anyone otherwise so they will be receptive.

Don't stress so much about how rusty you feel you are. I worried about this a lot, too. Once you're back to doing research and writing regularly you'll remember that you're actually pretty good at this.

Feel free to DM.

uplifting

Just trying to avoid looking like the most incompetent, idiotic associate ever.

You mean 2019*?

No, I mean those who graduated during the recession and had their start date delayed for almost an entire year. Those individuals likely are partners now.

like

Related Posts

Hi Everyone! I’m Alyssa, one of the Community Leaders at Fishbowl this summer. I’ve been in Special Education for almost 10 years and coaching for 7 (mostly pre-k and elementary). Excited to be here!

like

How is the Thoughtworks working model?
1. Full time Work From Office.
2. Hybrid (how many days work from office are needed in a week or month?)
3. Completely Flexible (employees can work remotely as much as they want)

helpful

Thinking of going to Thailand .. any site recommendations .. ?

like

The Entertainment Bowl does not allow posts, so… anybody work at UTA? Looking at an accounting-related job and the Glassdoor reviews are not great.

like

What do you all think about Liberty Hill, TX. I currently live in Frisco TX but looking into buying a home in a Austin area. My realtor found me a new construction in acreage community which looks perfect for my family. But I want to know what you all think about liberty hill.

Look for new opportunities within holding company or outside? Any appreciable differences? Or is the “action” at the agency level? I’ve heard a lot of talk ... but is it valid?

How is paytm fastag team (UI React Js position) ? Can anybody plz share some about this team in terms of wlb, culture

like

Did anyone else interview for LBS recently? I was asked some really weird unexpected questions and I’m wondering if everyone else had a similar experience or my interviewer just went rogue...

likefunny

Are there any legit promo codes or ways to get discounts on away luggage? I know they rarely do sales-just trying to see if I can save a little while upgrading my carry on.

like

Is it just me or is anyone else working from home with their tv turned on, or doing something else like watching youtube on their second monitors screens/devices?

like

Hi Everyone,

I just received an offer to work as an software sales representative (SDR) for
IBMs Z systems. I'm coming as a sales engineer in the cloud security space. Can anyone advise me on whether Z systems are something worth going into? Also what do the growth opportunities look like at IBM? Is there opportunity for lateral movement onto other teams? Not too sure how I feel about working on mainframes (Z systems) but they keep pitching hybrid cloud to me. IBM

like

Any recs on a good office chair for the back? Looking to spend <$350

like
like

Is it possible to work 1-2 years as a junior associate at a super boutique doing a combination of fraud/abuse and transactional work in the healthcare space and then lateral to biglaw to practice securities law? I’m happy doing health law, but it’s not what I want to do long term and I worry the longer I stay in that space, the harder it will be switch to the kind of law I truly want to build a career in.

like

Hi All,

Does anyone working for 2 or more companies..?? Have some doubts..pls DM me your number ASAP..!


Thanks in Advance..!

like

I had technical interview with nagarro yesterday . Is nagarro shared feedback or how much usually they take to respond ? P

like

My dog has decided to stop walking on walks. He will want to just turn around, lay on the ground, sniff aggressively and forgets the word heel or let’s go. I feel bad dragging him!

like

What makes you want to quit residential real estate selling? List your Top 3 reasons that get you frustrated in this industry

likehelpful

LA based strategy directors, or those that would like to be, DM me.

like

Additional Posts in Big Law

Gunderson for tech trans. Thoughts? Referrals? SoCal

like

Any good resume resources? Updating mine just so I have it if needed but not sure if I should put pre-law school work. I worked for 2 years before switching careers

like

Do you plan on living in NY forever? It doesn’t look like it’s easy to raise children or be old in this city.

likesmart

What is the best way to communicate to a senior associate that you can handle something yourself without offending the senior associate?

like

I know that it likely “depends” and varies from firm to firm but does anyone have any insight on (or experience with) whether firms rely on “total billable hours” or “total billable hours credit” to determine whether hours have been met/bonus applies?

like

Can/do M&A lawyers become judges or are judges always former litigators?

like

Can you PM me if you have any recommendations for a decent therapist in Dallas? TIA

like

Any firms discussing alternative plans with incoming SAs?

like

(1) What firm allows mega back door Roth 401k? (2) which firm matches 401k contribution and up to what %?

like

Reasons to use Lexis over Westlaw?

like

How soon after a partner leaves to another firm will associates hear from said partner or the new firm about offers to move to the firm? Is there a typical number of days that partners or firms are required to wait before they can reach out?

like

I've been noticing a new trend in biglaw passive aggressiveness: Adding a question mark to a non-question when you're following up on something. E.g., "Hi X, just wanted to check in on Y as the client would like to see a draft as soon as possible? When can we expect this?"

And to the people who do this... why?

like

Hi I’m new to a firm and haven’t made friends with the other associates to ask. But on average how long do you take to do doc review? I’m worried I’m taking too long and going to be harshly judged by how long I spend.

like

Hey l'm looking at potential firms for OCI. Any insight on Cooley? They seem like a great firm for me since I'm tech focused but I'm concerned about allegations of corruption.

funnylikeuplifting

Any insight on what a 2012 lateral NEP should expect in the package at a v20? Anything specific to ask for?

like

Lateral here probably not making hours. So frustrated but it was a very slow ramp up period and I was so burned out from my previous firm. 😩 worries about how to address in my review if it comes up.

likesmart

I don't know who needs to hear this, but I have a few former classmates and colleagues sweating over lateral interviews. Take a deep breath and relax.

First, doing these interviews does not define you as a person.

Second, take it one day at a time; if they are moving forward, they see something in you.

Third, remember that the people interviewing you are human beings. Connect with them, be personable.

like

Do your firms have a billing code you use if you don’t get enough billable hours in the day? Like say you only billed 6 hours one day. What do I do about the other 2 hours?

like

Anyone know anything about Frankfurt Kurnit Trademark and Branding Group??? Considering a lowball offer but would like to know about office vibes...thanks in advance!!!

like

Sometimes I scroll through here and see posts that easily could have been written by me, and I just hope my seniors aren’t scrolling through thinking the same 😬

likefunny

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