Medley: How to become a go-to associate

Being a go-to employee is needed for the various roles within the workplace, particularly within a law firm. All leadership roles require such qualities, from firm partners to newly minted associates.

The go-to quality is essential because employees within these roles need to be leaders, even when there is no “authority.” Even when there is some authority, law firms should want to create a situation where leaders work together with their cohorts, rather than just telling them what to do.

Becoming a go-to associate is relevant and can be achieved by most. It is important to understand that this quality is searched for when considering firm promotions or which associate is the right person to take the lead on the next big case.

Instead of just focusing on your legal talents, there are behaviors that you can cultivate to become a go-to associate.

1. Be opinionated

You should not be timid in allowing your supervising partner or other leaders to hear your opinions; therefore, you must share them. Be mindful that emotions often emerge when participating in this process — especially in the middle of a jury trial, for example. Nevertheless, giving your opinion as to how you see a client’s ongoing legal issue or the strategy for a summary judgment motion will give you a voice.

In order to put this into practice, come to conversations prepared with ideas and be ready to discuss. Often you may find that you share the same outlook as your supervising attorney. Other times you will simply agree to disagree. The important part is that you share your opinions.

2. Listen

Listening might sound obvious. You must remember, though, that your colleagues and supervisors are people with feelings that need to be heard and validated. So it’s critical, even as an associate, to become a better listener.

Your colleagues need to be comfortable consulting you and will do so if you’re open-minded and approachable. This especially true when you begin practicing as a new associate or at a new law firm. If you are not listening, it can lead to giving your colleagues a bad impression. Such bad impressions can be negative to your professional development and integration socially within the law firm.

So in order to become that better listener, try doing these things:

• Talk last and allow others to speak first.

• Respond first with questions, not opinions.

• Place your ego aside. Be mindful of who is talking; your brain or ego?

3. Get into the details

Your supervising attorney should feel that you are bringing value to their clients. The easiest way to do so is to bring something insightful to the conversation. You need to be up to date on the facts of your case, where the case is procedurally and what needs to be done for the client before you are asked to do it.

This is the easiest item to address to become the go-to associate. It’s a matter of rolling up your sleeves and getting into the file details. The best practices for this include keeping detailed notes throughout your meetings with your supervising attorneys and clients. Then, aside from those notes, include notes of your own thoughts as you review discovery, claim file contents or medical records. This gives you space to consider for yourself what the direction of the case is and allows you to have insightful opinions to share with your supervisors.

4. Be visible

Your supervising attorneys need to know you exist. In order to contact you, they need to know who you are. This is especially true in the post-COVID workplace revolution, where we find ourselves more often working remotely away from the office. Therefore, it is important to stay in the awareness of your supervising attorney. For that, you need to make yourself visible.

To become visible, try the following:

• Ask to join meetings. Seeing you there can be impactful even if you are there remotely.

• Ask question when in meetings or working on an assignment.

• Make small talk with your colleagues. Part of being visible is as simple as being friendly to those around you.

5. Actually care

As an associate, you need to care about the clients, your work product and your law firm. Your supervising attorneys will be able to sense that you are trying to prove yourself and be the best, or have alternative motives. Therefore, as a go-to associate, you need to be mindful of what drives you.

It can be difficult to always have passion for a job, regardless of industry. So it is important to do your best to maintain a high level of care. Caring means that you look at how you win with your colleagues and not only that you win. Every law firm has top-level objectives to achieve, and caring allows you to stay connected to those objectives.

So to practice and maintain that high level of care, you can:

• Take an interest in others and be there when they need help.

• Assume good faith in others — believe the people around you are doing their best, too.

• Speak up when you see something is wrong. Every attorney has blind spots, including your supervisor, so find a way to speak up and address the problem.

As a go-to associate, a large part of your job is doing the heavy lifting to ensure cases are progressing for your clients and the supervising attorneys. An important part of that responsibility is to shape the direction of the case, not only by deciding independently what to do, but also by affecting others. To do that effectively, you will need colleagues to listen to you and appreciate your opinions. Though influencing others is a job description for different firm leadership roles, it can help everyone improve professionally and assist in achieving the best results for the clients.

There are different behaviors and actions you can try to become and improve your go-to associate status, but keep in mind that the practice of law is a journey. No one starts out as new attorney and immediately becomes a go-to associate. Integrating these behaviors into your everyday work life is a slow process. So start small and build your reputation within your firm, and watch where the practice of law can take you.•

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Aaron C. Medley is an attorney in Kightlinger & Gray LLP’s Indianapolis office. Opinions expressed are those of the author.