No idea what I'm doing in my BigLaw job. Please advise. Thx. Forum

[Anonymous User]

Just started at the typical NYC big corporate firm. I love the subject matter and deals and whatnot, but in terms of the daily work flow, I've quickly realized over the course of a couple of busy deals that I feel like I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. No major mistakes yet, just some omissions and things that seem pretty obvious once someone explains them to me.
TLS: Someone please tell me that it gets better, and that I won't feel like an idiot all day long every day, and that what I'm going through is normal.
Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.
Sorry for the complain-y post. TLS has long been good to me, and it is better than bitching to co-workers IRL.

[valen]

I've not been in your position, but I think with all jobs (and really anything new in general), it definitely does get better. You will adjust.

[Emma.]

I'd imagine folks will be somewhat patient with the fact that you don't yet know the stuff that they now find obvious. But I think they'll be less patient if you keep screwing up the attention-to-detail stuff. So you need to figure out some way of drilling into your head that you need to check commas, bolding, justification etc in every document. Maybe making a list of all the finicky stuff you need to watch out for would help?

[AGoingConcern]

Print things out and read them. This advice has saved me so many times.

[rickgrimes69]

Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.

If you haven't already, turn on punctuation symbols in Word. Extra spaces will pop right out.

[BeenDidThat]

Print things out and read them. This advice has saved me so many times.

This. It's way more obvious when something is formatted weirdly.

[ft8fc]

In MS Word, you can search for two consecutive spaces and replace them with just one space. Of course, if there are places where you want two consecutive spaces for formatting reasons, the above solution may not help. But you can pre-flag those legitimate two-space positions with a symbol like "%&$", then search-and-replace unwanted two-space; then search-and-replace "%&$."

[AVBucks4239]

Print things out and read them. This advice has saved me so many times.

This is great advice and something I adhere to religiously.

(1) Proofread on your computer.
(2) Print it out.
(3) Proofread by hand.
(4) Make changes in word.
(5) Wait an hour or so, then proofread it one more time.

On top of that, start making checklists for particular assignments, and keep a log of things you've drafted. You'll eventually get a similar assignment and your own bank of work can prove to be really helpful in a later assignment, even if they're not 100% the same.

[fats provolone]

In MS Word, you can search for two consecutive spaces and replace them with just one space. Of course, if there are places where you want two consecutive spaces for formatting reasons, the above solution may not help. But you can pre-flag those legitimate two-space positions with a symbol like "%&$", then search-and-replace unwanted two-space; then search-and-replace "%&$."

^ $400/hr work

[Cogburn87]

In MS Word, you can search for two consecutive spaces and replace them with just one space. Of course, if there are places where you want two consecutive spaces for formatting reasons, the above solution may not help. But you can pre-flag those legitimate two-space positions with a symbol like "%&$", then search-and-replace unwanted two-space; then search-and-replace "%&$."

^ $400/hr work

So much value being added though!

[shock259]

I am in constant fear that I will be discovered as an impostor. Because I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. 1 month in and my colleagues seem unaware. Haven't screwed up anything too major yet. But it's only a matter of time.

[alicrimson]

Print things out and read them. This advice has saved me so many times.

Backwards! Not each sentence, but read the last sentence to the first sentence. It sounds really stupid, but it's a life saver for me.

[Bronte]

I made about a mistake a day in my first few months. Felt like I was constantly shitting the bed. Later I started making a lot fewer mistakes. And as I got more responsibility, I began to realize the mistakes I thought I was making were profoundly unimportant.

What you want to avoid is a real mistake. You're probably not even in a position to make one yet. But, for example, in the hours leading up to filing something with the court, I focus less on typos and a lot more on not filing something with a serious misstatement.

Ultimately you'll make some real mistakes too. Part of the job.

[Nat Sherman]

Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.

If you haven't already, turn on punctuation symbols in Word. Extra spaces will pop right out.

Why not just hit control+f and search for two spaces?

[Bronte]

Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.

If you haven't already, turn on punctuation symbols in Word. Extra spaces will pop right out.

Why not just hit control+f and search for two spaces?

Or send it to your secretary. Wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about spaces.

[fats provolone]

are you people billing while you hunt down extraneous spaces? jw

[mmelittlechicken]

Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.

If you haven't already, turn on punctuation symbols in Word. Extra spaces will pop right out.

[Desert Fox]

Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.

If you haven't already, turn on punctuation symbols in Word. Extra spaces will pop right out.

Why not just hit control+f and search for two spaces?

Or send it to your secretary. Wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about spaces.

*sends it back with more typos than before*

[Desert Fox]

are you people billing while you hunt down extraneous spaces? jw

lol if you aren't. Clients are the reason we do this shit. They hate typos.

[fats provolone]

are you people billing while you hunt down extraneous spaces? jw

lol if you aren't. Clients are the reason we do this shit. They hate typos.

i mean i just don't make them. i'm not combing through docs without billing. i was just curious.

[Bronte]

Or send it to your secretary. Wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about spaces.

*sends it back with more typos than before*

Depends on the secretary I guess. Have them do it in track changes and see if they spot anything.

In any event, I lose no sleep over spaces. Have lost some sleep over, say, getting caught between two partners with conflicting instructions, but not spaces.

[mmelittlechicken]

Also, I apparently suck at attention-to-minute-detail stuff, like spotting extra spaces. I enjoyed writing notes on law review, but cite-checking = kill me please. So my only solution is to go painfully SLOW.

If you haven't already, turn on punctuation symbols in Word. Extra spaces will pop right out.

[fats provolone]

i just leave punctuation symbols on all the time. makes me feel like a typing pro

[hdunlop]

You can set word to give you grammar error squiggles if you don't double space after a period.

[Desert Fox]

You can set word to give you grammar error squiggles if you don't double space after a period.

Why would you want Word to highlight doing it the right way.