Every now and then old dogs and even newer old dogs can learn a few tricks. We all are in the practice of law, meaning no one knows it all. 

Carolyn Elefant posted an article titled “Solos Know Strategies Associates Need To Learn,” which contains 5 great tips all associates, even big law associates, can use to succeed at their firms.

I had a couple of solo practitioners as mentors when I first joined the Bar and realized early on that solos had the same skills all lawyers learn and possess, but they implement them differently and have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Tip 1: Own it! “The first secret of solos’ success is that we recognize that we don’t merely work at our firm; we own it.”

Totally just like the old piece of advice, dress for the job you want, not the job you have. I know every associate wishes they were instantly the rainmaker and brought in oodles of cash to their firm, but the reality is most lower-level associates are not going to be bringing in their own clients. That doesn’t matter. Act like a solo and work as if the cases delegated to you are your own and that the partner is your client. Taking ownership of the work product gets noticed.

Tip 2: Get What You Need No Matter What. “That may mean … standing firm before an insulting, nasty judge to make sure that we properly preserve an objection for appeal.”

As associates, we may have a tendency to hide behind our firm’s resources and a supervising attorney. Solos don’t have anyone to pass the blame to or to depend on to ask a follow-up question. Standing firm, whether to a nasty judge who repeatedly misstates the rule of law or a client you know is not telling you the whole story, is an important skill associates need. Now I’m not saying get rude or aggressive, but there are ways to be resolute without being demeaning. Saying “with all due respect” is not one of them. Nothing respectful ever follows that phrase.

Tip 3: Build Relationships, Not Contact Lists. “They’re the people who will go to bat for you and will continue to root for you even if you eventually leave the firm.”

I never knew that there was such a thing as “contact envy” until I overheard two people battling over their crackberry contact lists and trying to one up each other over who had the most connections and personal cell numbers for alleged celebrities. I have no idea what industry those two were in but I am sure that neither of them has formed actual relationships of bonds with very many of the people in their contact lists. We are constantly fed the network, network, network mantra. Well, what is networking really? It cannot be a simple race to get the most business cards because those cards are useless and bulky if you cannot make a connection with some of the people they belong to.

Tip 4: Find Different Ways To Skin A Cat. “By taking the lead, you become the go-to person instead of remaining the low man on the totem pole.”

Many associates are content to be the hamster on the wheel, spinning away. We should want to be the hamsters in the commercial that pull up in the tricked-out car that have taken a new path instead of following the old trail. Just because we are practicing now does not mean we have to lose our creativity. There are times when you may feel stifled by the culture of your firm, particularly if you still work in a good ol’ boys conservative atmosphere, but that is when you have to find your outlet.

Tip 5: Learn In The Most Unusual Places. “Most solos are sponges, soaking up lessons on client service and marketing wherever we can.”

Even the bum on the corner may have good advice. OK, that is a bit extreme, but as the tip says, you can learn in the most unusual places or from unusual people. As young lawyers, our role is to learn, practice and learn some more. I particularly agree with the advice of observing people to help you learn mannerisms of successful and charismatic partners. As the article points out, look at how a waiter deals with obnoxious patrons and use that with pompous opposing counsel, or, most instructive of all, watch how a child convinces their parent to get them the ice cream and the toy the parent initially said they were not buying. Priceless!!

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