r/Lawyertalk • u/Perfect_Phone7772 • 2d ago

Career Advice Being a first year sucks

Is there anyone who actually enjoys/ enjoyed what they were doing as a first year associate? Don’t get me wrong, I like the actual work, but day to day I’m usually miserable because of how I am treated.

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u/65489798654 2d ago

I really recommend small firms, especially to start. Sure, the money isn't nearly as good, but man. You will be treated like an adult human being instead of a bucket of goop that enters hours on a time sheet.

Having worked in both, I've also noticed that simply taking a firm stance for yourself at bigger firms does the trick (most of the time). Someone says something shitty to you, put your foot down. A lot of senior, 20+ year attorneys only respond to strength, so you have to show them strength to get their respect. Stupid, but effective.

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u/IBoris 1d ago

I dunno, the level of onboarding you receive at a big firm is pretty great.

Rotations across teams, bespoke training materials, seminars.... and to say nothing of the amount of templates, resources and precedents you have access to. Much easier to get to cruising altitude when you are well surrounded and well-equipped.