According to T.S. Elliot in his landmark modernist poem The Wasteland, April is the cruellest month. So I am very glad to have it behind us. I much prefer May. And May is a big month for law students.
3Ls will graduate with the expectation of starting at a law firm or other legal venues in the Fall. First and second year students will go off to internships or summer associate positions. It will be a whole new world for all of them. They will be entering new territory with new rules and expectations. It will be very exciting for sure, with new possibilities to explore. It also will take some preparation to enter those new environments and succeed from Day One.
According to my readers, that preparation is all included in my book New Lawyer Launch: The Handbook for Young Lawyers (Full Court Press, 2023). I hope you will get a copy and prepare yourself. From chapters on “Getting Off to a Strong Start”, “Establishing Work Priorities,” “Being Sensitive to Office Politics” “Protecting Your Work Product” to “Being a Valuable Team Member” and so much more, it is all there, waiting for you. You can read a few chapters for free on Amazon, so give it a try.
Of course, you could do it yourself without a mentor or guide. However, on the job training can be painful. Why put yourself through that? Especially when you can get the lay of the land and advice from those who have done it and succeeded, from the respected group of contributors that I have assembled for you in The Handbook. They are practicing lawyers, and their advice is invaluable.
The truth is that law firms and other law practice venues can be scary places without adequate preparation. I think we all can agree that law school and bar prep courses cannot provide the practical skills that will become critical to your success or lack of success in unfamiliar territory. And that is not a criticism of law schools. They can barely squeeze all the new developments in the law into three years as it is.
So, for what it is worth, let The Handbook for Young Lawyers be your guide. It is a good place to start, but it is not the complete story. Stay tuned for what comes next. The profession has gone through important changes and transitions since the handbook was published, and so much has happened in the interim. I am working on an update to The Handbook so I will have you covered. Keep an eye out for it later this year.
You can read excerpts from The Handbook on Amazon. Give it a try!
