In Your First Months, Watch, Listen and Learn.

By Kate Thompson

The first 90 days are especially critical for new associates. Here's a partner's advice on how to ensure that your first steps are good ones.

While all law firms are busy places and all lawyers are busy, each firm, regardless of its size, has its own unwritten culture. It's up to each new associate to figure out that culture's rules of success and seriously study how the firm works. Remember, nobody is as invested in your success as you are. The first 90 days are especially critical. Here are guideposts to help ensure that your first steps are good ones.

· Think of the partners as your clients. Treat them like clients, and worry less about outside marketing. Do excellent work and do it on time. Doing it early is even better. Go the extra step and make sure that partners know you are getting things done. For example, if a partner asks you to send a letter to a client, make sure that she or he is informed you did it, what the response was, and (if appropriate) that you will handle any follow-up. Always ask if you can do anything more.

· Be proactive about defining expectations. What does that mean? When you get those first few assignments, put your best foot forward and ask the assigning lawyers questions—what do they expect and when? When you know what the expectations are, you are better able to exceed them. Also, everyone saves time if questions are asked up front. Remember that other associates, paralegals and staff can be valuable resources, too.

· Be scrupulous in your work product. Your finished product should be technically perfect and include copies of any materials referred to in the product. Spell-check, cite-check and edit—and then do it again. Seriously. Lawyers are big on first impressions and it's very difficult to change a bad one, like the one caused by an early memo full of typos or grammatical errors.

· Prove your willingness to commit the needed time. Get to work early and work at least as late as most others. This is not the time for vacations, sick days or leaving early. If necessary, rearrange your life so that work can be your focus in these early months.

· Dress professionally and conservatively. Even if the other lawyers dress casually, it's far better to start out more formally and relax later. Women, get a nice haircut and manicure (or keep nails short and plain), and keep the jewelry tasteful. Men, go for short hair, nice suits and ties, and no cologne. Any tattoos should be covered. It should come as no surprise that clients expect lawyers to look the part.

· Improve your skills by seeking feedback. Ask the people you work for to provide feedback on your work. You can learn a lot from a question as simple as, "Did my memo adequately answer your questions?" or, "Could I have done anything differently to be more helpful?" Again, everyone is busy. While most lawyers are happy to provide guidance, associates need to ask. The same is true for client development. Ask partners how they have been successful at building their client base.
· Take the social seriously. If the firm holds social events, go and be friendly. Seek to learn more about the people in the firm, their personalities, their likes and interests. If there are professional social events, such as local bar meetings, go to those. One hopes it goes without saying, but strictly limit drinking at any firm social or professional event. Again, it's far easier to relax later, but almost impossible to undo damage once it's done.

· Start making connections. Much (maybe too much) is written about the need to market and to develop clients. Again, early on, associates should focus more on impressing the other lawyers within their own firm. Once you are somewhat established (at least more comfortable), start thinking about how to build connections in your community. Carry business cards with you, talk to people, and say thank you. Be generous with your time. Become involved with something that interests you—not just something that may lead to clients.

· It all matters, so do a good job no matter what you undertake. Remember that you don't know much when you start, but that it does get better. Go slowly, watch and learn.