Advice for a new law graduate miserable in the job

On Mar 16, 5:59 am, "miserable first year associate" <sherene.a...@gmail.com> wrote:
> **posting for a friend**
>
> Hi-- I am a first year associate in a midsize firm's small litigation
> group.  I've been working for about six months now.... and not only do
> I hate the work, I don't think I am good at it

Those 2 points are probably related.   If you were good at it you'd like it better.  No aspersions intended, but not every lawyer is cut out to be a litigator.   There are actually a lot more lawyers who do transactional work of one kind or another in every substantive area of law than there are lawyers who spend most of their time preparing and trying lawsuits.

And even if litigation might be something you could get motivated to succeed at, maybe the _type_ of litigation your firm does just doesn't appeal to you.   What is your pre-law-school background, what are your interests?   Where would you prefer to focus your efforts?   Maybe you're doing labor law when you would rather be doing aviation law, or auto accidents when you would rather be doing antitrust.   Use your non-legal background and experience to enhance your skills and marketability in a subject matter area _you_ like.

> am having a hard time
> meeting my hour requirements, and do not get calls for assignments.

Definitely signs that your superiors do not see you as the "go-to" person in your department for the tough assignments.

> am pretty convinced that the partners in my group are not happy with
> my work

Probably right, if even _you_ think you're no good at the kind of work they've been giving you.

> since they do not give me any feedback on assignments

That's not ideal, and maybe even self-defeating from their POV since it doesn't show you how you can improve so they can get better results from your efforts, but frankly many lawyers are too busy to give much feedback to their associates -- it winds up being "sink or swim" and "survival of the fittest", unfortunately.  

> even when I do finish a project for them -  rarely call me again with
> another assignment.

You are seeing the handwriting on the wall.  Since a radical transformation of your own attitudes, background, and abilities is unlikely (I don't just mean you, but anyone's persona: "be true to yourself" is a good idea), the better option is to find a job (either at a new firm, or in a different role at your present firm) that is a better fit for who you really are.

> If this continues, I'm fairly sure I will not be
> able to meet my billable hours and might get fired.

Probably.   Which is why you should start looking for a better situation _now_, and not wait until your first annual review, when you probably _will_ get feedback, but not the kind you want.

> not want to do this work for the rest of my life anyway, but I don't
> know what else I can do

Maybe you should consult with a legal placement specialist to help you find out where your interests really lie, and then pursue those options, either inside your firm or looking elsewhere.

> if I quit, what chance do I have of finding
> another legal job after working at a firm for only six months?

Hells bells, don't QUIT, at least not until you have ANOTHER job lined up.  Don't cut off the vine you're swinging on until you've grabbed another one, Tarzan.

The MOST marketable time for an associate to try something completely new is within the first couple of years of practice.  Headhunters (legal recruiters) are actively looking for associates with 0-3 years experience at _anything_ and can help you decide what other options you might want to look into.

But if you wait more than a few years before doing that, the potential employers will figure that what you do now is the only thing you're ever likely to be good at, and will only evaluate you on that.   Can't teach old dogs new tricks, and all that.  There's no shame in shifting gears and trying a different practice area, but do it sooner rather than later.   If you wait too long, you may well be stuck with the label you get (e.g. "tax litigator") even if you hate it.   Good luck,

--
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Mike Jacobs
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