Related Posts
Mentor
You all think this will hold >300b?
Additional Posts in Big Law
Subject Expert
Any opinions or insight on Butler Snow?
Enthusiast
Subject Expert
Enthusiast
Kasowitz Benson - what is your opinion of them?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Mentor
I'm constantly amazed at how us senior lawyers expect juniors to know how to do things like this. This practice is only learned by doing. Giving a junior a blank sheet of paper and asking them to draft an outline when they don't yet understand the substance, context, what's customary, etc. is just a recipe for bad work product. I've had much better luck doing the outline myself and then asking them to draft. They should be able to write, but expecting them to understand substance and strategy is unfair IMHO.
Yes, Counsel 1 is expressing exactly what I found frustrating. The questions were literally immediate and indicated to me that the junior had not stopped to do any thinking before basically asking for step-by-step instructions. And, in my view, spoon feeding associates in that way can often be a disservice to them. I’m all for clear instructions, but part of what I’m trying to do is give the associate an opportunity to do some strategic/critical thinking. I don’t expect them to get everything right on the first try, but I do expect them to try. I also think it’s important that this is a third year, not a first year fresh out of law school. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a third year to be able to draft an initial outline for a short memo on a discrete, well-defined question. And this is a case the junior has been on for several months and the motion is one the junior has been actively doing research for. So they should understand the issues and context relatively well.
I’ve dealt with this too and I find that, even tho they should be able to find on their own, the best solution has been to send them an email with details instructions and a few examples of past work.
No, that would drive me nuts.
Enthusiast
…are juniors not supposed to ask those questions?
I should have been clearer. It’s not that the questions were inappropriate at all. It was the fact that the questions were literally immediate. So fast, that I questioned whether the junior had had enough time to finish reading the email. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing how to do something, but in this instance, I had asked the junior to draft an outline and what I got back was basically an immediate “what should I put in the outline and how should I structure it?” By asking you to take a stab at it, I’m asking you to do some of that critical thinking. If you’ve given it some thought and have hit a wall or have questions about preference and style, I’m all ears. But to me, this felt like “I didn’t get step by step instructions so I need you to tell me exactly what to do.” And I found that frustrating. Especially for a third year. I would not have had the same reaction to a first year.
I am having this issue with multiple juniors. Curious if it’s an across the board thing.
Same. If it’s something they really should know, I push back a little and tell them to give it their best shot and we’ll review their first pass together.
Coach
Just tell them no. You’re the boss. They don’t really know expectations and are told to ask questions, but not those questions, and not then. It’s confusing! Help them learn the culture
Yes
3Y is considered a mid level on my team 😭 so yeah you’re not crazy.