Always look on the bright side of life

I was whistling this all morning after seeing a certain musical last night, although it's a bit cheerier that I feel.

My problem with being too slow at work has just resolved. My co-worker was fired yesterday. He was the only other full-time regular associate, so much of his work will likely be shifted to me until a replacement is found (which, if history holds true, could be a while).

My bosses took great care to explain to me that it was not a lay off and that my job is absolutely secure and that they could not anticipate a reason that they would ever need let me go because I am such a valuable asset to the firm. But while it was nice to hear high praise for my work, I felt terrible for my coworker. It wasn't really a shock, though, since I had been tasked with re-checking his work on several occasions.

He asked to talk to me after he found out, and the bosses agreed to this. And he asked what he could have done differently (I think he was truly shocked). I told him that if he wasn't getting feedback he needed to ask for it. You can only improve your work product if you know what the problem is. And sometimes you have to detect subtleties to know that there is a problem. (He knew I was re-doing one of his motions which should have been a bright red flag.)

He also complained that he didn't get enough input when he didn't know how to do something. We didn't talk much about this, but one thing I learned early in my career is that "I don't know, but I can figure it out" is a great answer. The key is that you have to be able to figure it out. He wasn't able to do that, and no senior partner wants to baby-step an associate through drafting a simple motion or discovery. You have to take the initiative to find a form or a book or someone a couple of years ahead of you who can point you in the right direction.

So, those are my bits of advice for young lawyers: be someone who can figure things out and be proactive in discovering your weaknesses.