Friday, May 9, 2008

"How to Commit Career Suicide"

In a recent article on lawjobs.com entitled How to Commit Career Suicide, Steven Bennett, Esq., of the Jones Day law firm, writes about the fear new lawyers have about committing a serious career-ending mistake.

"Most newly minted lawyers (and, probably, quite a few new professionals in other fields) have a touch of the "imposter syndrome," the sense that they really are not competent to serve as professionals and the persistent fear that they will make a serious mistake, which will somehow end their careers.

The truth, as one of my colleagues likes to say, is that junior lawyers are not likely to commit any mistakes so large, and so serious, that the "republic will fail," and their careers will lie in ruins. Most junior mistakes are relatively minor, and most can be corrected.

But a healthy sense of caution is appropriate, even at the most junior levels in the profession. It is possible to commit errors that can get you fired or worse. Here's a quick guide to some of the worst mistakes and some suggestions for how to avoid these potential pitfalls of practice."

Go here to read the rest of this very interesting article that is applicable to both students and new grads.

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