New attorney here -
Passed the Feb bar exam and started working at a small firm in March. Boss is great, staff is great, I just feel like I know literally nothing about how to actually practice law. The paralegals know more than I do. I can barely write a complaint, and I don’t even know how to file. Any advice on gaining confidence when just starting out?

P.S. My boss (the only other attorney) isn’t available to answer my dumb questions 8-5. I can only catch him after hours.

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Everyone knows you're new. Don't sweat it. Ask questions. It gets better.

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Agree with A1. By the way, the paralegals will always know more than you about certain things. It’s a learning curve so don’t be too hard on yourself!

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Be nice to the paralegals. They know you’re clueless. They’ll help if you give them a reason to like you. Especially if they think you’ll be taking over the firm some day.

Try and get projects done early. Identify critical questions you have to completing that project or that phase. Find your boss after five and jump on them to ask the critical questions. And be as concise and narrow with your questions as possible. Get in 2-5 short questions every time if you can. If a question isn’t critical, maybe put it on a list somewhere you can ask later if you haven’t figured it out in the meantime.

For bigger picture questions: “how do I bill when I’m really inefficient; how do I deal with annoying opposing counsel; why am I here...?” tell your boss you would like to have regular mentor meetings. Once a week. Every two weeks. Whatever makes sense. Ask the more general questions then when you, hopefully, have more time.

Solo attorneys (well, attorneys generally) are notoriously bad mentors and supervisors. Hopefully yours is an exception. But recognize that you might be stuck with a certain amount of having to just learn on your own as you go. Develop the ability to find answers wherever you can. And keep in mind that perfect can be the enemy of good enough. Which is tricky when you’re trying to not commit malpractice.

Finally, your boss isn’t the only attorney from whom you can learn. Watch hearings at the courthouse and befriend some of the regulars there. (Suck up to the court staff while you’re at it.) Find other attorneys nearby you can have coffee/lunch with. Get on your state bar’s website and participate in discussion groups or list serves.

Practicing law is difficult and takes years to become good at. A key skill to your success will be learning to know where to go to ask questions. Equally important is knowing which questions are essential to taking the next step in a file versus those questions that aren’t essential but are just matters of comfort for you. If it’s not essential, learn to make a decision, go forward, learn from your mistakes, and constantly adjust..

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^^^Yes, all of what A1 said. Even after practicing 15 years, I have a group of colleagues who I can call and bounce ideas off of because there will always be issues you haven’t encountered before.
Additionally, my law partner and I have divided up our knowledge of assistant tasks. I know how to mail and schedule delivery of documents, she knows how to run credit cards, and we both know how to file documents with the court, all of which is important to at least understand the process. In a small firm, you never know when your assistant will unexpectedly be out of the office and you need something done at the last minute.

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I remember those days. Thank all that is good and holy that I had an experienced assistant. She literally knew more about procedure than I did. I would look at similar documents that we had on the system. If I had to prepare a MSJ, I tried to find MSJ previously filed by my partner or others in my group. Look at prior depo transcripts. Regularly consult the rules, especially local rules. Also, if you are in court and completely lost, don’t be afraid to ask others there how the judge usually runs the case management conferences, motion dockets, etc. If possible, ask your partner or other experienced associates to tag along at depos, court appearances, inspections, etc. We were all new once.

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Open up the firm’s past client matters whether in a digital or a file folder. Look through the documents. Start with 5 complaints. Write your questions down and get them answered. Doesn’t matter who you ask. Then look at answers and motions. Look at a variety of motions. When you get to the motions follow up on legal research. Also look through the discovery folders.

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You’re fine. Just ask questions and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Everyone has to start somewhere.

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Very similar situation when I started out. My paralegal taught me so much it was crazy. Still learn something new from my assistant every other day. Treat them well, let them know you appreciate their help, and do not forget them during the holidays and their birthdays!

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I’ve sent one flowers already and have the other’s birthday present in the mail! 😉

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We all went through this. Just keep going. Keep asking questions and remain humble. You will gain confidence before you know it!

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Welcome fellow newbie! I passed the bar last July, and I still ask questions daily. Law school taught us theory, but there is a ton of the actual practice of law you have to learn just by... actually practicing. Don’t be afraid to ask your boss questions, he can relate to you more than you know. You’re an asset to him that he will continue to invest in. Working on a new type of case? Use some of your boss’s recent complaints on the same type of case, and read 👏🏻 those 👏🏻 statutes 👏🏻! After 6 or 7 months you’ll start to build a small client base. This takes time, but you’re not alone. I’m hanging on right there with you!

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Welcome to the practice of law! The time when you realize how little law school taught you....

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I have the same problems. I ask attorneys and paralegals for examples of petitions/responses they've filed in these past. I've also befriended court clerk staff and ask them to send me copies of filings from cases if they're not sealed. Make friends and ask lots of questions.

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This is normal. It may not be what you want to hear but the more you do something the better you get at it. My advice is to pay attention to what you’re doing compared with the final product and learn from your own mistakes.

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