A family friend will be graduating from law school this spring and starting his career at a large law firm next fall. Asked to provide some advice, I started compiling tips and recommendations — things to do and not to do. As I considered my own experiences as both a new and senior lawyer, I quickly formulated a list that required a scroll rather than a Post-it and subsequently decided to write an article on the things I wish I knew as a first year associate.

Attorney at Work, a website that focuses on legal marketing, business development and practice management tips for lawyers and legal marketing professionals, recently published the article. The full text can be read below:

A family friend will be graduating from law school this spring and starting his career at a large law firm next fall. Asked to provide some advice, I started compiling tips and recommendations — things to do and not to do. As I considered my own experiences as a first-year associate at a big firm, and subsequent experiences as a more senior attorney, I quickly formulated a list that required a scroll rather than a Post-it.

There are so many things not taught in law school that are only learned by young lawyers through the hard-knocks school. These tips are intended to help young lawyers develop the attribute that is the single-most important building block for future marketing and business development efforts — namely, becoming an excellent attorney.