Don't Let Mistakes Define You: Advice for New Lawyers

Description

• Harrison advises new lawyers not to feel bad about making mistakes.
• Law firms should catch mistakes before they happen.
• Making mistakes due to unclear instructions is a learning opportunity.
• Dishonest mistakes are a problem for the individual.
• Harrison suggests aggressively looking for a job, as law firms will hire new lawyers.
• A mistake could lead to a better fit or more work opportunities.

Transcript

Transcript:

Of course you make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes at a new job, and especially you don't know anything about practicing law. You should not be expected not to make mistakes.

If you were making mistakes, it's a law firm's responsibility to catch those mistakes before you make them. You made mistakes and you should learn from them. So do not feel badly about making mistakes. Now, if you make mistakes that are dishonest, meaning you did something that shows bad character, then that's your problem.

But if you made mistakes because instructions weren't clear, you have to learn as an attorney to be detail oriented and all these sort of things. Once you get through this, you're fine. What I would suggest is you are not permanently damaged goods, you need to get out there and aggressively look for a job.

Law firms will hire you. There are people out there that have a lot of work that are desperate for work, and most of the time when something like this happens, it's actually a blessing that you have the ability to find something new or go to a place that has more work or there might be a better fit.