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Honestly. Just treating us like humans and being kind will go a LONG way. Try to remember when you were an associate: how would you like to have been treated?
1. Keep us ‘in the loop’: copy us into emails and make attendance notes of client meetings or calls;
2. Be organised. Know when the deadlines are and make amendments with sufficient time for us to implement them.
3. Give feedback. Tell us if directly if we are under-performing or annoy you instead of asking HR to do so in our yearly review. This is especially important for new associates and it’s difficult to judge the quality of our work at the beginning.
4. Remember how little you knew at our age and the benefits of experience. Please don’t presume that we know too much.
5. When it comes to instructions: more detail is always better.
6. We are human too. We need rest, food, and occasional encouragement from our superiors.
#2 is the partner’s job if they aren’t doing #1. If interrogatories are due in 45 days, please assign them when received, not after 35 days have gone by and you lost track of time.
401k matching. I will die on this hill.
I love this.
Just don’t be mean with your words, no yelling or screaming or personal comment/attacks about character or competence. I had a partner who was having a bad day but she was training me (I’m a new attorney, 2017 grad, at my first law job) so I submit all my work to her and she reviews it with me. She is particular with her writing style, I get it. But she commented “I don’t know how you graduated law school”, “are you a bird” and others... I’m always on egg shells as idk what kind of day she’s having. Honestly, just don’t be mean.
Attorney 2 I can’t stop thinking about this. What does it mean?
Mentorship. I don’t mean institute some firm wide policy and assign mentors to associates; that shit doesn’t work. I mean develop good relationships with folks organically and take them under your wing. Take them to lunch. Have drinks together. Just sit in your office 1x per week for 20 minutes at random to “chat.” I’d go to war for that boss.
Couldn’t agree more. Favorite partner to work for is the one who always has an open door. When I drop by (maybe once every other week) we frequently end up chatting for 20-30 minutes on wide ranging topics including career development stuff. I care about producing good work product for her and I know she has my back to give me new opportunities.
A lot of it is to do with what A1 said, treating people with kindness. The best boss I have ever had when I did 6 months in house. She was a phenomenal lawyer yet was also the nicest person ever. She had a habit of pranking the team and would always say yes to team drinks. When it came to work she was leagues ahead of everyone, but no matter how small your issue she’d always help and back you 100%, even though she was horrendously slammed. But one of the best things she did was stick up for us and have our backs. When the business were pushing us to breaking point she was like a lioness protecting her cubs and blew up at them for us. Even though I no longer work there I’m still Facebook friends with her and she asks how I’m getting on. It’s her kindness that makes her the best, as she fostered an amazing culture and working environment, even as everyone around us was stressed and low morale. Technically skilled lawyers are ten a penny, lawyers like her are one in a million.
Allow us to see our families and friends.
Don’t nickel and dime us.
Thanks, I could use all the luck that’s available. Hopefully I’ll have my own cheeky associates to nickel and dime one day. 😂
Email a task before you drop by so I can process it in advance.
Don’t treat us like we are all lazy.
Give feedback on projects so we know how we are doing.
Treat us like adults, don’t just pop in and start talking about a case without any warning, especially if you don’t mention the case within the first couple of words, and learn how to use your computer and phone.
You do know that this is what external clients do, right? Practice the skill of dealing with this and you’ll be better for it long term.
I think a lot of us millennials have really great ideas for integrating technology in the workplace and for use in trials, as well as streamlining processes in the office. We are also really great at thinking outside of the box.
Instead of being brushed off or told “this is how we have always done it” maybe listen and try to see the merit? Everything changes so rapidly and at such a fast pace. Millennials are actually quite the asset if you just give our ideas a chance.
Non-linear thinking is a tremendously valuable asset. I love it, encourage it and ask you to bring it to all discussions
Since everyone else is being so esoteric, I’ll say it. Literally, just pay more money (for anyone not on the Cravath scale or equivalent). It would solve 98% of every complaint on this thread.
Imagine handling all the same pressures you handled as an associate, with the crushing weight of $200k+ in student loans on top.
I’ve yet to meet a Boomer who has watched 10/15/25%+ of their after tax income go straight into loans they needed to get the paycheck in the first place or understands what paying more to student loans than they did to a mortgage feels like.
Good performing associates don’t lose firms money, even babies. 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 is no longer an easy heuristic for pay. Most firms take the bad of big law pay (lock step pay, nondiscretionary bonuses for high performers), and just give it to associates at a far lower rate.
TL you legend, what a response!
As a more senior associate who has gotten good feedback on my work product in my career, I’d say this:
1. Respect time off. If possible, weekends and evenings (cases don’t always allow it), but always vacations and - dear lord - parental leave.
2. If you’re editing work and it’s more substantive, explain why. If it’s not substantive, maybe don’t make the edit. Let the associate have some pride of ownership in their work product even if it isn’t your style.
3. Give some opportunities up to the associate. Let them argue a motion. I’ve been on many panels where judges say their minds are made up before they even go walk in for an argument. If you’re really nervous about it - moot the associate in advance.
4. Allow the associate to have client contact. It makes such a difference to case ownership when you know who you are working for and when you don’t feel like a small piece down the chain.
5. Share credit in successes. When the associate was the one who took the laboring oar, make sure they’re front and center in any internal or external marketing about the success. Nothing is more demeaning than working one’s ass off for months (or years), being thrilled to see your work result in the client’s vindication, and then see the partner take center stage while your name is dropped from the convo.
6. I’ve seen firms where partners only socialize amongst each other and don’t really take time to get to know or hang out w associates. Maybe it’s because of concern over turnover - why bother if they’re just going to leave anyway. But hopefully they’re your future partners. And definitely they are people in your firm. Hang out. Have team outings. Organize departments drinks once a month or once a quarter. Add a human element to the work place.
7. As others have said, remember you aren’t the only partner with the only cases an associate is working on. Check their schedule before setting a call or meeting, and check in with them as much as possible before setting deadlines. Surprisingly, sometimes setting an *earlier* deadline for a draft could work better for your shared schedules. For example, if the associate is managing a summary judgment filing at the same time, they may want to get your smaller assignment to you days before the filing deadline so they can just focus on the bigger thing while you’re reviewing and editing the smaller thing.
I think most of this comes down to mutual respect, and realizing that associates are also adults who are working hard for the client.
You sound like a great leader mate. As a junior, I would love to work for someone with this outlook.
Remember that there are more similarities between the generations. We are more alike than we are different, and we likely want the same things you’d want if you were in our situation. I’ve had bosses who harp on my millennial status without even knowing me. A lot of the stereotypes ascribed to millennials are classist and only apply to a small subset.
Most attorneys want to do a good job or they wouldn’t be there.
- $$Money$$: There are bills to be paid and life to be lived. I don’t come here for free. Is there anyone that would come to do the work we do if they weren’t getting paid?? Respect that this is a business transaction and keep abreast of the market, because I will leave if there are better options. Don’t be shocked. I’ve had bosses that try to tell me that this is a great place to work and not pay me my worth. These same bosses told me my work product was stellar but didn’t want to discuss pay disparities with others on the team.
-Good Work/Career Development: the two biggest things I’m wanting from work are
1) money and 2) good things to work on/career advancement, sense of purpose etc. This is part of the value proposition. Most people leave because one or both of those needs are not being met. I’m not saying I need to have the most glamorous assignments or anything but I do want a chance to learn. Give us a seat at the table. Bring us along. Let us be in the room. A lot can be learned by watching. I’ve been in workplaces where there were a lot of big ticket things happening but it was all behind closed doors. Other senior attorneys would be on the assignment, giving us exposure would be great. This all goes into teaching and mentoring. Bosses should really push other senior attorneys to include younger ones and to help develop everyone. If they don’t, your institutional memory is going out the window.
-Don’t be resistant to change. You can not rely on “this is the way it’s always been done.” I’ll echo a lot of the sentiment about technology needing to be integrated in more ways.
-Remember the golden rule. Treat others as you would want to be treated. We are all human. Would you want your boss to yell at you? It’s pretty simple.
This is great and sort of exactly similar to what I would say in response to OP
Honestly just be approachable and don’t make us feel dumb for not knowing things.
None of us knew anything when we started, because law schools never have and probably never will teach much.
Take ownership of associate development. If there is an associate you see potential in, take it upon yourself to develop that associate. Check in with them. Are they developing the complete set of skills needed in your practice group? Are they kept adequately engaged? I think it’s too easy in a law firm for associates to slip between the cracks because no one partner think it’s his/her job to develop a particular associate.
And development is not a waste of time even if the associate will not become partner at your firm and go on to make you money. They may become a client or otherwise introduce you to clients. Plus associates who are nurtured are the ones who are most likely to go to have fruitful legal careers that could indirectly benefit you.
Please don’t just call or drop by with a very complicated task that you explain in two minutes. It drives me up the wall. An email explicitly outlining exactly what you want, step by step, saves everyone hours of headaches :)
Been there! Amen. Partners do forget what they didn’t know as greenhorns
Please, please, don’t send a message in ALL CAPS in the middle of the night.
Relatedly, do not call me at 5:30 am because I forgot to CC you on a routine email that was, in fact, sent out because I am at least that competent. I guess that goes to trusting our work?
I care more about spending time with my family than my job and I'm refuse to waste the prime of life working 10-12hrs a day to impress you.
10-12 hours is a little much
Treat us with respect, offer proper guidance when we ask for it and remember that we are still learning. I know that’s tough because most partners are so busy, but taking 10-15 minutes to explain an aspect of the law we don’t understand well enough (or at all) will allow us to efficiently complete the task you’ve asked for and become better lawyers along the way...(4th year associate)