When did you start feeling confident in your legal judgement? I’m a 4th year and I’ve always received good reviews. My partners want me to start running deals and I’m just terrified. I triple check literally everything I do. I’m always so scared to hit send on documents or substantive emails that a partner didn’t sign off on. When does this start to go away? (Assuming it does...)

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4th year feeling the same way, now that I’ve hit this point I don’t want to play the game anymore haha.

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YES. Exactly. Haha

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I’m at 7 years and it’s slowly starting to go away. I really try before I ask my boss how I should handle something to come up with my own answer instead and just ask them if that’s ok. It’s been a mentality switch.

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Agreed. That is what I did as well. Same with emails. Be proactive and prepare an answer and if the senior lawyer can just say „thanks“, they will be happy too.

It changed for me when I started running my own cases and getting good results. Wins will give you confidence. Until then, fake it till you make it!

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I’m in lit but I felt this way with filings and emailing opposing counsel. I think there were a few things that changed - one is the more you do it the more normal and comfortable it feels. Another is that you see the typo or whatever go out and nothing bad happens. A third is that you just run out of time so it gets to “good enough” and you turn it so that you can do the next thing in your mountain of tasks.

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I agree on realizing that a typo doesn’t matter. I’ve seen opposing counsel do such sloppy work. It makes me much less self conscious about mine.

Fwiw - I agree that triple checking on certain issues before pressing send is a great practice and the day it goes away is maybe the day you realize this isn’t for you anymore - not everything, to be clear- but there are some things we do that should be triple checked, left for a day, re-reviewed and then read whilst standing on your head whilst juggling (joking but you get the idea)
I’ve been practicing for 20 years, I lead a team of ~120, many of whom are senior to me, at a F500. I still triple check some of my stuff and have major anxiety after I press send... it’s just I’m pressing send on different things to what they were 15 years ago :-)
I agree with the comment above about mindset changes and everything being your problem; and that undoubtedly you got this! Be concerned, take the time to care that it’s right, but don’t let it cripple you- push through it and know it’s part of what makes you great.

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7 years out. Still waiting...

But seriously, for some things I feel super confident. For others, I feel like a moron.

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agree, but then i look around and realize that I'm comparing myself to people with 15+ years of experience, so I'm not doing too bad.

4th year too and absolutely feel the same way!!

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