Reflections on my First Year as an Attorney

It’s been officially one year since I was sworn in as an attorney here in California! Here are some of my thoughts on the last twelve months 🙂

One thing I was really surprised about is how much responsibility I get as a first year associate! Of course this varies by the job/office but I get to work directly with clients and even go to planning commission and city council meetings for the cities we represent and be the city attorney up on the dais answering legal questions during the meetings. I also got to negotiate a big project for one of our clients this year with some oversight from another associate and it is so cool to see the project in action! Also sometimes, I attend court all by myself on behalf of a city (very infrequently since I am not a litigator) (also thank god because I hate going to court lol) 

Another thing I have been surprised about is how flexible my schedule has been. Of course since I am at a private firm I have a billable hour requirement to meet annually, and certain meetings/office hours I have to attend but other than what is on my calendar I have been pretty free to make my schedule and also encouraged to take time off 🙂 Of course this varies by the job/office too. It has been so so helpful because I can actually have a life outside of work and make an active effort to schedule PTO that is solely for rest/relaxation.! 

Mental health / physical health. So important and I’ve been talking about this since law school! I don’t consider my job to be the most stressful or anxiety inducing like some nightmare stories I have heard about attorneys but it can still be stressful! It is super important to take care of yourself and establish good habits early on (as early as in / before law school ) in order to set yourself up for success in the long run as an attorney. the first year as an associate should be spent laying the foundation for the type of attorney you want to be in the years to come, and that includes prioritizing mental health! Your future you will thank you! So far, I use exercise and little mindfulness exercises to de-stress as well as actively making an effort to take PTO to recharge 🙂 

Next thing: your staff, such as assistants and paralegals, are your best friends! They are SO knowledgeable and especially as a baby attorney starting out they are who can turn to with all your dumb questions or to just learn about everything. My assistant has been so helpful in steering me in the right directions whenever I’m stumped or need help. It is easy to want to be self sufficient and feel like burdensome asking them for help but that is what they are there for so utilize them!! 

Overall I am so happy with my first year and so excited to continue to learn and grow as an attorney! Let me know if you have any questions by leaving them in the comments in my IG or Tiktok, I love to answer them and/or point you to resources that have info 🙂