{"id":2487,"date":"2020-05-28T10:10:10","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T14:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.law.temple.edu\/10q\/?p=2487"},"modified":"2020-05-28T10:10:10","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T14:10:10","slug":"10-q-summer-new-job-advice-summer-2020-update-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/10q\/10-q-summer-new-job-advice-summer-2020-update-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"10-Q Summer\/New Job Advice \u2013 Summer 2020 Update [PART 1]"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the last several years, at the end of the school year, the editors of The 10-Q have offered a variety of tips for those starting new jobs (<\/em>here<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>), chiefly for rising 3Ls taking summer jobs but, we believe, good for anyone embarking on a new career as a lawyer. Times have changed\u2014you\u2019ve heard of COVID-19, yes?\u2014although the need for sage advice has not. Thus, we present an updated version of our random advice for those who are about to be employed, in two parts. This week, we talk about the work; next week, we will talk about socializing.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Before you start your new job, know something about the history, mission, and culture of the place. Where did they come from, where do they think they are going\u2014and how do you think you can be part of that? In some cases, the answers will be obvious (and readily available on the employer\u2019s website). Sometimes, the best sources of information will be mid-level-ish folks (e.g.<\/em>, junior partners, at firms) who have just made what passes for a long-term (possibly informed) commitment to the place (i.e.<\/em>, becoming partner at the firm).<\/li>\n
  2. The availability of work in the current economic environment is uncertain. Be as flexible as you can be and offer to help with any type of assignment – even more so than you would usually. The program may not have the luxury of having a bunch of assignments in your area of particular interest. There will be mergers and acquisitions and IPOs in the future, but probably not many this summer. Corporate restructuring or tax may be a more sensible choice in the near term.<\/li>\n
  3. Many employers have COVID-19 task forces and resource groups. Since COVID will be<\/em> the economy for the near term (and we hope not a minute longer), you should consider volunteering for those opportunities.<\/li>\n
  4. Employers are likely to have very particular guidelines on issues relating to safety – remote work, social distancing, use of masks, etc. – which you should follow assiduously. Do not fall into the trap of many impatient people. The last thing you need is social media or other observations of you out in the nice weather acting in an unsafe, unprofessional manner.<\/li>\n
  5. Same goes for security. Take seriously each and every thing the employer tells you about cyber-security and if you have questions or concerns, ask. Some employers use Zoom and Dropbox; some don\u2019t. Do not cut corners, and do not be the person who accidentally lets the Zoom-bomber into the meeting. Remember to always read the \u201cto\u201d and \u201ccc\u201d lines in your email one last time before you hit \u201csend.\u201d Calling an email back only calls attention to the fact that you shouldn\u2019t have sent it in the first place.<\/li>\n
  6. Your first assignment: Understand it to the best of your ability. Listen as effectively as you possibly can. Senior lawyers (and, if you are lucky, clients) will dump complex projects on you with sometimes less-than-adequate explanations. You will probably need to take lots of notes on the fly. Never log on to a meeting (or enter anyone\u2019s office) without a pad of paper and a pen (and don\u2019t type on a laptop in someone\u2019s face). Minimize distractions in your environment and close other windows and apps.<\/li>\n
  7. Review your notes immediately after getting the assignment. If you are like most of us, they will be incomplete chicken scratchings garnished with random arrows and doodles. Now is the time to make that stuff make sense. Not after lunch or later in the afternoon, when you\u2019ve forgotten what it all means.<\/li>\n
  8. If you have questions, ask. But remember: contrary to popular belief, there is <\/em>such a thing as a stupid question\u2014and you may have to ask one. That\u2019s not necessarily a problem, if you have a good reason for asking it, because you won\u2019t know that the question is stupid until<\/em> you ask it. Always have what you think is the most plausible answer (and potential alternative answers), to show that you are at least trying to understand what is going on.<\/li>\n
  9. Key questions to which you should always<\/em> know the answer: (i) What\u2019s the deadline? (ii) What\u2019s the deliverable? (iii) Who is the ultimate audience? (iv) Who should I ask if I have questions? (v) Is this billable (and if so, to whom) (relevant mostly if you are at a firm)? and (vi) How much time should I spend on it (don\u2019t dedicate 6 hours to something that is expected to take 1)?<\/li>\n
  10. Get to know and gain the respect of the support staff. They are often far more knowledgeable about the realities of practice\u2014how to get things done\u2014than junior (and sometimes senior) attorneys. They are professionals. Treat them with respect and there is a good chance they will respond in kind.<\/li>\n
  11. Sometimes you may be asked to produce a \u201cdraft.\u201d Do not be fooled. Even if it purports to be a \u201cdraft,\u201d do not treat it as anything less than a final version. Come as close to perfection as time\/resources\/your judgment allow. Is it consistent with the office\u2019s form\/style? If they always use Calibri, don\u2019t be \u201cdifferent\u201d and use\u00a0Copperplate Gothic Bold. Is it grammatically correct? Have you proofed it (twice) and run spell-check (remembering that even this won\u2019t save you, if you\u2019ve written brilliantly about a \u201cproof of clam\u201d)?<\/li>\n
  12. For many purposes, your \u201cclient\u201d will be the senior attorney for whom you work. That attorney will have the relationship with the real client, and that attorney does (and should) control your relationship to that client and the work you do for them. Do not get ahead of (or, worse, contradict) that attorney.<\/li>\n
  13. Most important:<\/strong> Have you solved the problem you were asked to solve as effectively as possible under the circumstances? At the end of the day, you are in a service profession, and the service is problem-solving. You are entering a very competitive environment\u2014one that will only become more so as the effects of COVID ripple through the economy\u2014and there are many other, highly qualified people who would love to show that they can solve problems better than you\u2014which they will, if they\u2019ve followed these tips, and you haven\u2019t . . . .<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    There is doubtless more we could say. And so we will, next week, when we offer a random list of tips on social matters. If you like this list\u2014or don\u2019t\u2014<\/em>let us know<\/em><\/a>. If you have other, better suggestions, please let us know what they are. We\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Advice\/Careers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,8],"tags":[306,1768,293,1335,1477],"coauthors":[104],"class_list":["post-2487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-authored","category-business-law-practice","category-faculty-authored","tag-careers","tag-economy","tag-employment","tag-jobs","tag-professionalism","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"yoast_head":"\n10-Q Summer\/New Job Advice \u2013 Summer 2020 Update [PART 1] - The Temple 10-Q<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/law.temple.edu\/10q\/10-q-summer-new-job-advice-summer-2020-update-part-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"10-Q Summer\/New Job Advice \u2013 Summer 2020 Update [PART 1] - 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