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Even if I pass the bar, I don’t feel ready or capable to handle clients’ legal issues. It’s like law school and the bar didn’t prepare me for much of anything. Is there anything you’d recommend to feel better/more confident going into practice?

Law school and the bar don’t prepare anyone, and there are plenty of successful practicing lawyers, so you can learn on the job just as well as everyone else. Besides, unless you’re striking out on your own as a solo, you’re going to have plenty of oversight, so you’re not going to be in a position to do much damage.

Just show up to work every day, put one foot in front of the other, hope for the best, and eventually you figure it out. That's all anyone can do starting out, really.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 24, 2024 5:12 pm

Even if I pass the bar, I don’t feel ready or capable to handle clients’ legal issues. It’s like law school and the bar didn’t prepare me for much of anything. Is there anything you’d recommend to feel better/more confident going into practice?

You’ll learn on the job. And on any competent team, your work won’t reach the client until it’s been reviewed by someone more experienced.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 24, 2024 5:12 pm

Even if I pass the bar, I don’t feel ready or capable to handle clients’ legal issues. It’s like law school and the bar didn’t prepare me for much of anything. Is there anything you’d recommend to feel better/more confident going into practice?

Do you have a strong interest in any particular practice area ?

Do you envision yourself in a transactional or in a litigation based role ?

Almost nobody is truly ready to practice right out of law school (with maybe a few limited exceptions like patent agents prior to law school who continue doing patent prosecution work after). This is why you don't see fresh grads first-chairing trials or running deals. It's also why many employers don't hire fresh grads (especially ones that don't have the scale to train people).

As a first year, you will most likely be given small discrete tasks to assist more senior attorneys (in a law firm) and/or be given smaller/simpler matters to get your feet wet (like prosecuting misdemeanors at the prosecutor's office). As you get experience, your capacity to handle more complex tasks and matters of more significance will increase.