It’s
September,
and
the
signs
of
autumn
are
here.
Kids
are
back
in
school,
pumpkin
spice
is
back
on
the
menu
at
Starbucks,
and
the
latest
crop
of
first-year
associates
are
showing
up
for
work
at
law
firms
across
the
country.
And
it’s
to
those
new
attorneys
that
this
column
is
most
directed.
If
you
can
name
an
emotion,
you’re
probably
going
to
be
feeling
it
sometime
in
the
next
few
months.
Joy,
confusion,
anxiety,
fear,
stress,
triumph.
These
first
steps
on
the
journey
of
your
practice
will
be
rich
with
experiences,
many
of
which
you’ll
carry
for
the
rest
of
your
career.
With
that
in
mind,
here
are
some
thoughts
from
a
former
first-year
associate
on
how
to
make
this
next
year
everything
you
want
it
to
be.
Hold
On
To
What
You’ve
Accomplished
Last
summer
was
all
about
landing
a
job,
and
guess
what?
You
did
it.
A
law
firm
composed
of
experienced,
successful
attorneys
has
given
you
its
vote
of
confidence
and
is
willing
to
pay
for
your
work.
They’re
going
to
train
you
to
become
a
better
lawyer,
and,
if
everything
goes
well,
they
may
one
day
offer
you
a
share
of
the
partnership.
You’re
through
the
first
major
challenge
of
any
lawyer’s
career
—
you’re
getting
paid.
These
first
few
months
are
going
to
be
filled
with
challenges,
and
you’re
probably
not
going
to
crush
it
on
every
one
of
them.
You’re
going
to
be
given
a
lot
of
opportunity
to
doubt
yourself,
and
if
you’re
prone
to
imposter
syndrome,
the
transition
out
of
school
and
into
the
actual
practice
of
law
can
be
deeply
difficult.
Self-reflection
is
a
useful
tool,
but
self-doubt
isn’t.
Don’t
let
anyone
tell
you
that
you
can’t
do
this,
especially
yourself.
You’ve
got
a
long
way
to
go,
but
you’ve
come
a
long
way,
too.
Remember
that,
and
trust
yourself
that
you’re
going
to
grow,
get
better,
and
make
it
through.
Become
Someone’s
Go-To
Success
in
the
world
of
private
law
boils
down
to
one
essential
question:
when
people
have
problems,
which
of
those
people
calls
you
first?
If
enough
of
the
right
people
think
of
you
as
their
go-to
solution
for
the
challenges
they’ll
pay
someone
else
to
fix,
then
baby,
you’ve
got
a
book
of
business.
Chances
are
you’re
not
there
quite
yet,
but
the
goal
of
becoming
someone’s
go-to
person
is
still
what
you
should
be
aiming
for.
Instead
of
paying
clients,
what
you’re
trying
to
develop
now
are
relationships
with
the
partners
and
senior
associates
within
your
firm.
When
they
need
research,
briefing,
or
other
work
that’s
in
the
first-year’s
wheelhouse,
you
want
them
thinking
of
you
as
their
first
option.
Even
if
you’re
not
charging
them
by
the
hour,
your
colleagues
are
your
first
clients.
Be
responsive,
respectful,
and
attentive
to
their
needs.
Once
you’ve
got
those
relationships
established,
you’ll
naturally
start
moving
on
to
the
next
phase
of
developing
your
go-to
reputation:
becoming
a
subject
matter
guru.
As
senior
attorneys
learn
to
trust
you
more,
you
can
gain
the
experience
necessary
to
take
on
more
complex
tasks.
If
you
do
that,
then
chances
are
you’re
going
to
start
developing
expertise
on
topics
that
few
in
your
firm,
or
potentially
your
entire
bar,
have
experience
with.
Find
those
niches,
develop
your
expertise,
and
then
let
the
market
know
that
anyone
with
questions
in
that
area
just
needs
to
give
you
a
call.
Once
the
attorneys
know
you’re
the
person
to
handle
a
certain
kind
of
problem,
they’ll
send
their
clients
who
need
help
with
those
problems
over.
And
once
the
clients
start
calling
you,
you’re
in
control
of
your
own
destiny.
All
of
that
starts
today.
Be
the
one
who
people
keep
top
of
mind
and
rely
on
to
solve
their
problems.
Be
Deliberate
About
Your
Work-Life
Balance
The
first
years
of
private
practice
in
law
are
notoriously
demanding
of
young
attorneys’
time,
and
discussions
about
the
proper
balance
of
work
and
home
life
have
been
part
and
parcel
of
Biglaw
life
for
decades.
Most
of
the
financial
and
career
incentives
of
law
(and
basically
all
of
the
business
world)
push
attorneys
to
work
extraordinarily
hard,
while
few
things
besides
ourselves
are
pushing
us
to
take
appropriate
care
of
our
outside
lives
or
our
mental
and
physical
well-being.
Burnout
is
real,
but
so
are
the
benefits
that
come
from
getting
off
to
a
strong
start.
There
are
no
one-size-fits-all
answers
when
it
comes
to
work-life
balance.
The
best
you
can
do
for
yourself
at
this
stage
is
to
be
deliberate
and
have
a
plan.
Some
people
want
to
work
all
hours
of
the
day,
generate
huge
bonuses,
and
live
the
life
of
the
hard-charging
Biglaw
attorney,
and
that’s
OK
if
that’s
their
choice
to
do
so.
Some
people
want
to
work
hard
for
a
few
years
while
they’re
young,
then
transition
to
a
more
balanced
lifestyle
as
their
skill
and
experience
have
hopefully
increased
enough
to
compensate
for
those
lower
billables.
Some
people
choose
to
prioritize
their
home
lives
out
of
the
gate,
even
if
it
means
their
career
development
may
be
on
a
slower
track,
because
that’s
what
matters
the
most
to
them.
Any
of
those
choices
can
be
the
right
one
for
you,
and
they’re
all
approaches
that
I
would
hope
your
firms
would
be
willing
to
support
within
reason.
Don’t
drift
along
in
your
career
wherever
happenstance
takes
you.
The
key
for
you
is
to
figure
out
your
priorities,
self-assess
on
whether
you’re
where
you
want
to
be,
and
communicate
with
your
colleagues
about
where
you
want
to
go.
If
your
home
life
or
mental
health
are
suffering
and
you
need
to
step
back,
talk
to
the
people
who
can
make
that
happen.
If
you’re
feeling
fresh
and
want
to
dive
in
harder,
let
people
know.
You’ve
worked
hard
to
get
this
job,
so
keep
working
at
making
sure
it’s
the
job
you
want.
Every
Impression
Matters
The
opportunity
to
make
a
first
impression
is
a
gift,
and
you’re
about
to
be
flooded
with
those
opportunities.
Now
is
when
you
start
building
your
reputation
as
a
professional,
as
an
attorney,
as
a
colleague,
as
opposing
counsel,
and
it
is
entirely
within
your
control
to
ensure
the
reputation
you’re
building
is
a
good
one.
Treat
people
kindly
and
courteously.
Do
your
homework.
Treat
everyone
you
meet
like
they
might
one
day
become
one
of
the
most
important
people
in
your
lives
because
life
is
unpredictable
and
they
very
well
might
be.
We’re
only
clean
slates
at
so
many
times
in
our
lives.
Now
is
when
you
get
to
build
the
story
of
who
you
are.
It’s
about
to
be
one
of
the
most
exciting
times
in
your
career,
and
I
hope
you
look
back
on
it
one
day
fondly.
Until
then,
take
care
of
yourself.
The
rest
will
follow.
James
Goodnow is the
CEO
and
managing
partner
of NLJ
250
firm Fennemore
Craig. At
age
36,
he
became
the
youngest
known
chief
executive
of
a
large
law
firm
in
the
U.S.
He
holds
his
JD
from
Harvard
Law
School
and
dual
business
management
certificates
from
MIT.
He’s
currently
attending
the
Cambridge
University
Judge
Business
School
(U.K.),
where
he’s
working
toward
a
master’s
degree
in
entrepreneurship.
James
is
the
co-author
of Motivating
Millennials,
which
hit
number
one
on
Amazon
in
the
business
management
new
release
category.
As
a
practitioner,
he
and
his
colleagues
created
and
run
a
tech-based plaintiffs’
practice and
business
model.
You
can
connect
with
James
on
Twitter
(@JamesGoodnow)
or
by
emailing
him
at James@JamesGoodnow.com.