- March 19, 2018
- Posted by: Priscilla Bowman
- Category: Lawyers, Legal Law, Legal Procedure
If you just passed all the necessary examinations and you are now a lawyer, be sure that you know exactly what to do in order to become a competent legal professional. However, new lawyers often times make a lot of mistakes especially in the first five years of their professional career. If you are still new in your profession, here are some mistakes that you want to avoid at all cost.
Not checking his or her work
One of the most common mistakes that new lawyers make is the fact that they don’t check the work that they do. Sometimes, because of the amount of work that has to be done, there are grammatical errors that can be found on paper. Though this might not be a big deal in law school, keep in mind that your work is tied to your name. And if you do this often, often times, you will develop a bad reputation among clients and even your supervising attorney. And the worse part is that if it is the judge who sees your work.
How can you avoid this scenario? You want to hire someone who will be proofreading your work. Though it is an additional cost on your part, this can be helpful especially if you are looking to establish a good reputation. In addition to this, there are also tools that can help catch the most common mistakes. Running your work on Grammarly, for instance, can make a significance in the way you do your work.
Not knowing how to market your self
It is important that if you are going to establish your private practice as a lawyer, it is crucial that you know exactly how to market yourself. If you are not marketing yourself correctly, keep in mind that it is easy for a potential client to choose another lawyer. You have to rely online in order to broaden your reach.
Not working for a law firm first
What you want to make sure is to learn from other lawyers who know a thing or two about the profession. If you are still new, you might want to work for a firm first. This way, you can absorb a lot of things from older lawyers. You also have supervisors who can tell you what you can improve on. And by having supervisors, you can choose whether this is the best career path for you or you prefer to work alone.
Not taking care of clients
If you prefer to practice the legal profession alone, it is a good idea that you take care of clients. You have to understand that clients are often times looking for the best service from lawyers. You have to make sure that you avoid giving promises. You also have to make sure that you are going to avoid providing them with haphazard work. Instead, it is better to tell them exactly how it is. This way, you can easily have a good relationship with your client and you can even expect them to recommend you to their friends or to their relatives.