How a Well-Trained Junior Staff Can Make a Difference in Your Firm

What makes an employee stand out?  What makes that individual so indispensable that the thought of them taking a much deserved vacation sends their employer into a panic?  Is it their knowledge of the requirements of their job?  Is it their professionalism and ability to multi-task?  Is it their ability to deal with stress and stressful individuals without breaking into a sweat?  Yes, yes, and yes!

When new hires are recruited the human resources managers and placement agencies are looking for that well rounded individual, the candidate that has it all.  Some of these skills simply come from having lived a long and rewarding life.  Call it the wisdom of your elders.  Unlike some more traditional cultures, North Americans do not rank the wisdom of our elders very high in the development of our youth's life skills.  So how does a young ambitious person obtain those much needed and often unlearned skills that make them shine?  Observation, time, and the right opportunities to learn and experience life.

Stellar employees know how to read the situation.  Are they working in an “old boys” conservative law firm?  Are they working in a progressive new age contemporary firm?  Each of these types of environments serves a different client base and while providing legal services to their respective clients, the style in which those services are delivered can be vastly different from one office to the other. 

Some situations warrant addressing clients, and perhaps even the lawyers the staff report to, in a formal manner such as addressing them as Mr, Ms  or Mrs.  Some situations are more relaxed and less formal, and it is far more appropriate to address those individuals by their given names.  Or take the extra step by asking clients how they want to be addressed. Who makes these rules? Who establishes the environment at the law firm?  The partners of course.  Having the ability to draw the line between your personal life and your work life may mean having more than just two very different wardrobes.  It may go as far as having an alter ego.

Particularly in the practice of litigation, the clients do not want to be there.  They do not want to need lawyers and their support staff, they particularly do not want to be embroiled in the litigation process, and foremost, they do not want to pay legal fees.  So it is imperative that when they have any form of contact with the law firm they leave that experience feeling that their money is buying the best, the most professional and the most successful litigation team.  This means not only the lawyers that they deal with but the support staff as well.  

Having an excellent understanding of the Rules of Court and superb computer skills is just the start.  Having the ability to ensure that everything is done in a professional manner, in a timely fashion and that nothing is missed or forgotten is what makes one individual shine over another.  We have all seen those desks or workstations that are pilled high with paper, files, unopened mail sitting in the in-basket, pink message slips, left over uneaten lunches, used coffee cups, spare shoes flowing out from under the desk and boxes pilled up as if to build a wall, with the harried looking assistant sitting in the mess with their phone tucked under their chin and a pencil tucked behind their ear.  Does this instill confidence?  Is they satisfied with their job?  Do they feel rewarded?  Perhaps.  But do they instill confidence in others?  What you present to the world as a first impression is a lasting one.  Some times those old clichés actually mean something.

If you are organized, professional, deal with the clients so that they are always thanking you and passing on their praise to your employers, if you have a good understanding of your role, are timely and prompt, and have the innate ability to roll with the punches and juggle several balls at one time without breaking into a sweat (or having an emotional melt down), you will endear yourself to your employer, you will succeed, and you will undoubtedly survive the current economic hardship that will in all likelihood make itself felt even in law firms in the not too distant future.

Gaining a comprehensive grounding in ethics, communication, professionalism, and yes even morals, will give you those hidden tools that go beyond your typing speed and the grades you obtained in any courses you may have completed.  These additional “soft skills” will allow you to shine and become indispensable.

These may sound like the ramblings and sage advice of an old conservative assistant, and perhaps they are.  But remember having the skills to evaluate a situation, see a need, and find the most workable solution to solve that need in a professional manner, will always serve you well not only in a law firm environment, but any situation you find yourself in which you wish to succeed.

Words of advice from one old well seasoned sage. !