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Hi all,

I will be starting at a BigLaw firm, which I was lucky to receive an offer from, despite not having an SA. I don't know what I missed practice-wise by not having had a chance to practice in a firm. What are some of the most important things for new associates to know?

Anonymous User wrote:Hi all,

I will be starting at a BigLaw firm, which I was lucky to receive an offer from, despite not having an SA. I don't know what I missed practice-wise by not having had a chance to practice in a firm. What are some of the most important things for new associates to know?

That you don't know anything and that's okay. Be polite, friendly, work hard, no typos, and you'll likely pick up the rest. Also, there's a really great book called surving your first two years in big law if you want more practical help. It's very well written and a short easy read.

Anonymous User wrote:Hi all,

I will be starting at a BigLaw firm, which I was lucky to receive an offer from, despite not having an SA. I don't know what I missed practice-wise by not having had a chance to practice in a firm.

You likely missed lots of drinking, baseball games, fancy dinners, parties, and a misleadingly light workload.

Anonymous User wrote:Hi all,

I will be starting at a BigLaw firm, which I was lucky to receive an offer from, despite not having an SA. I don't know what I missed practice-wise by not having had a chance to practice in a firm. What are some of the most important things for new associates to know?

Try and quickly learn all the tricks for the firm to pay for your stuff, like lunches, coffee, bar tabs, etc.

I also started at a big firm after law school and was not a summer associate. I was anxious that I had missed something. I hadn't, or if I had, I learned it pretty quickly. Congratulations!

Try to make an effort to meet people in your class or the class above, particularly outside of your practice group. That's something that just happens as an SA and it's helpful to be on friendly terms with people.