Tips on how to succeed as a civil litigation associate at a law firm after lateraling from a prosecutor/public defender background?

I'm confident in my core litigation skills, but recognize there's going to be a steep learning curve as I adjust to new procedures and substantive areas of law. I'm also anticipating potential cultural/work-flow differences between government work and private practice. Any suggestions you may have would be appreciated.

Thanks!

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Do not underestimate the importance of building a client base of your own. Ultimately you are going to need to be a rainmaker and now is the perfect time to start.

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You’re going to be in Court a lot less. Plus fewer things go to trial. You’re mostly doing discovery, mediations, and some motion work.

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Thanks for your insights! Thoughts on whether it would be too early for me to spend time trying to build a book of business from the start?

I've been feeling I might want to hold off on trying to become a rainmaker for a couple of years until I'm more familiar with this new practice (i.e. by working as many billable hours as possible to maximize gaining experience quickly).

I'm thinking that focusing on working billable hours would accelerate the development of my skill set and expertise in this new area, and could set a good tone for myself at the new firm. I'm concerned that if I divide my time between billing hours and building a book of business at the beginning, then I won't be able to do my best at either. But I'm open to different perspectives.

Billables are a thing you need to do. But they’re only very loosely related to practicing law, learning, or developing skills. You can simultaneously be a top biller and an incompetent nincompoop…

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