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Mentor
BeCiAL sPoNuSeS this year??
Mentor
Mentor
Any news from DPW? 🤔🤔
Mentor
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Need you to clarify what you mean by elements.
My goal when staffing a deal is to ensure that I have the right team to meet the needs of the deal. Sometimes fees don’t matter, the client expects to be treated like they’re the only client on earth and there is a ton to do in a very short period—in this case I staff my best senior associate (sometimes two), multiple mid-levels of varying ability and a small army of junior associates. Sometimes it’s fee sensitive and a small relatively simple deal—in this case I staff no senior associate, a mid-level that I think is among the best in their class and can work up a level and one very good junior that is eager for opportunity (and then I am more involved in the nitty stuff than normal).
Subject Expert
My first choice is the people who will be the most proactive - e.g., email comes in and they promptly make a proposal of how to handle or handle directly, following up on open items without needing prompting, forwarding on items to the person that needs to review if they weren’t on the chain, saving everything to file without prompting, offering to take first pass at easy drafting etc etc. As a first year you don’t have a lot of substantive experience to bring to the table but you can be a huge value add on the process management side.
Mentor
Seconded.
Subject Expert
2021 - Warm bodies.
2022 - HYS grads with a clerkship and business experience that specifically relates to the deal.
P1 above hit the nail on the head. One other thing I’ll add is sometimes associates express interest in certain client industries. To the extent possible, I’ll help them get experience in those spaces.
Someone who is responsive, takes initiative to learn things they don’t yet know and is OK being uncomfortable. Being a corporate midlevel is extremely challenging if you want to excel at it, since it requires being able to take the reins when the senior disappears, managing juniors, managing the deal team and also being responsive to partner and client requests all at the same time when it’s very possible this is the first time you’re encountering a particular issue. All of that adds up to a shit ton of hours and stress at times. But at the end of the day it makes you a better corporate lawyer and it makes people above you seek you out on matters.
Responsiveness, takes initiative, has confidence to try and fail
Coach
👀
Coach
Thank you! Just curious what kind of associates are more likely to be thought about when there’s work.
Mentor
The only caveat I’d note is don’t go run up 300 hrs of time without checking to make sure the budget can support it. Otherwise take ownership all you want.