Life Story of a New Admin Lawyer
JC Law has been operating since 1962, so we have a few years of experience behind us when it comes to recruiting and teaching new lawyers how to grow into great ones!
In today’s complicated world, many job application processes have drastically changed. That includes many law firms. But one thing remains static. That is, fundamentally talent is shown or demonstrated by reading, writing, articulation, and willingness to put the time and energy into something that matters. Basic elbow grease!
That is why we feel so strongly about the qualifications of our new lawyer prospects. There are exceptions of students not performing well in school and still becoming extraordinary lawyers, but all in all, the basic metrics usually tell the tale.
In the Beginning
As a law student trying to graduate, you are soon faced with the realization that very soon you will need to land a job with a firm or governmental agency. Some will put that off and complete a judicial clerkship or other clerkship. All that is important, but the really competitive candidates are usually focused on landing a good job as an associate lawyer. And after all, who can blame you? Many years of hard work, no sleep, putting yourself last, and determination have finally put you in a position where you can reap some reward and get on with your profession, right? Yes, true, but you have to realize that there are many factors that come into play, and the game is not always as transparent as you may think.
It really important that you think about several things before you jump right into accepting an offer from a firm. I know because I went through it. The impulse to accept a great offer is so strong because it may seem like you are checking off a major box in fulfilling your career metrics. Don’t let the fear of “just getting it done” or “I won’t get an offer like this anywhere else” be the determinative factor.
Here are the facts. Most students don’t really know what type of law they want to get into. One of my great criticisms of our legal system is we don’t behave enough like the medical profession. Yes, we have internships, and we do a little of this and that, but for the most part, newly graduating lawyers don’t have a majority of the basic skills it takes to survive in a very competitive market where firms are competing for clients.
I recommend doing the following:
First, as if you have time, but please find it, read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It’s a well-known book written almost 100 years ago and one of the most basic fundamental “learn how to think” books about what you want out of your career. It will basically show you how to organize and think abut where you not only want to be next year but years down the road. What are your salary goals, partnership goals, etc. The key is writing down and visualizing the process and end result.
Second, and this is my recommendation, do your research not just on the firm you may receive an offer from but also meet with local lawyers who practice different areas of the law. These guys and gals will give you a totally different perspective than school professors. Most lawyers, I can pretty much guarantee it, will take a few minutes to meet with you to give you some advice and talk about what they do every day of their working lives. Do they like the area of practice? How many hours a week do they work? How much do they make? So on and so on.
Third, after you have written down your life schedule and implementation according to Hill, take the time to really think about what your personality is and what you want to receive from the practice of law. A long time ago, a chief judge told me, “The law is a jealous mistress”, and he was completely correct. Are you ambitious? Are you goal orientated? Do you like to follow rules? What matters most? It’s hard to slow down when you are on full throttle in school, but you need to do some deep thinking.
Fourth, are you an entrepreneur? Intrapreneur? This could play a major part in how you enjoy working at a firm and your thought process as far as partnership. There are more intrapreneur success stories in this country than entrepreneur. An intrapreneur is someone who acts like an entrepreneur in a scenario where she has the ability and chance to grow or make a part of a firm or company successful. For example, a VP running a portion of a law firm. She reorganized and makes it more productive than it ever has been. That person is usually rewarded heavily but she did it within the confines of an existing organization. You need to know yourself and understand if this is the path for you or would you rather simply focus on a good salary and slowly work your way up the ladder? These are things you must consider before you take any job. Are opportunities available at this job? Are they growing? Will there be a spot for you?
Of course, there are many more things to consider but the point is please don’t just take the first opportunity….Think carefully!
The Path
JC Law believes that talent should be cultivated. That is why we have developed a process that gives new lawyers an opportunity to learn and grow much in their first year. Instead of simply asking new admin lawyers to grind away many hours a week, we have created a program that gives our talented new lawyers the ability to grow and thrive at their own pace.
When you begin working as an admin lawyer, you will be put on a team of other lawyers. Generally, that team will consist of a supervisor, senior lawyer and other associate lawyers. Many times, a legal assistant is also part of the equation.
The primary task of an admin lawyer is to first help the other lawyers with simple administrative tasks and very quickly transfer into more complicated legal tasks. Required billable hours are reduced to give the admin lawyer an opportunity to get quickly into court with several of the lawyers on their team on many occasions. It is a combination of new lawyer skills, clerking, and admin work. Our goal is to teach from the “bottom up” so a great foundation is built for the lawyers to take the next steps. There is no substitute from actual observation and involvement in the case itself.

- Teaching is a primary focus
- Moot Court competition (we have our own built-in court room at the office)
- Client management skill teaching
- Fundamental law teaching on the practice area
- Entry into the “Circle of Excellence” teaching pipeline where graduation is required
- At least two teaching group calendar sessions on substantive law a week
- One-on-one supervision meeting sessions each week with your supervisor
- Gradual selection of one of the three pathways JC Law offers
- Discuss and focus on JC Law’s lawyer ladder
- Guidance mentorship from all lawyers on your team
As you develop a basic understanding of the substantive law, as well as the tools and methods used, you will begin to work on your own cases under supervision.
Obviously, there are many more steps, and the process is a busy one. But it works and puts our new lawyers in a position of achievement!
Your First Year as an Admin Lawyer
The JC Law Blueprint, or sometimes called the “Circle of Excellence”, is a strategic teaching method in order to ensure administrative lawyers are able to digest the necessary legal knowledge to grow and practice as thriving lawyers.
The “COE” is a specialized year-long curriculum designed and presented to the new admin lawyers in order to launch a successful law career. This very serious curriculum focuses on creating a solid foundation for an admin lawyer to progress into litigation and managing client files.
Below are a few of the basic foundational aspects you will receive as an admin lawyer:
- Overall legal knowledge
- Evidence
- Courtroom presence
- Cross-examination skills
- Client management
- Writing and file management skills
The JC Law Blueprint begins with a week-long orientation of learning and understanding the administrative and technical onboarding skills they will need to acquire.

Moot Court
This training aspect is an important part of the admin lawyer’s growth and understanding about litigation. Admin lawyers will learn how to:

- Try cases in a successful manner
- Breaking down factual and legal issues to argue and present
- Direct and cross-examination
- Courtroom presence
- Life cycle of a case
- Dealing with objections and motions
- Openings and closing
- Much more
Perks
Hip Quick Legal Tips
Every admin lawyer will experience at least biweekly in-person and online training sessions. These 30-60 minute sessions are designed to give the admin lawyer a practical understanding of many issues that arise in litigation and the prosecution of a matter.
Supervision One-on-One Meetings
Admin lawyers will live, eat, and breath the ability to gain knowledge from their supervisor and the legal team they are assigned to. The idea is that teams benefit each other by being self-supportive. Multiple senior lawyers will serve as a backdrop and mentor to all admin lawyers. The traditional method of learning the law is by experiencing and learning from other lawyers. JC Law builds this into the learning curve of each admin lawyer!
How to Thrive as a First Year Associate
Onboarding is essential for a roadmap of what to expect! It is important that you receive guidance not just from the firm itself but also your peers who are experiencing the same thing and have done so already!
Once a month or so, past admin lawyers and existing admin lawyers get together for a lunch or discussion about how they are doing, what they see as important, and how improvements can be made. It’s an important process because it gives the admin associate the ability to understand what others have felt and experienced in their shoes!
Connecting with a Mentor
Mentors are a big deal at JC Law. We facilitate and encourage mentors within and outside the firm! Weekly meetings are encouraged!
All new admin lawyers are given the ability and opportunity to build relationships and network with lawyers, mentors, and senior leadership.
Monthly One-on-One Meetings with HR & Our Baseball Card System
It’s a pretty cool system. JC Law creates a “baseball scorecard” for you when you become as admin associate. The card is electronic and a physical card. Basic statistics and notable wins are part of the package! The details are available to all team members. Transparency is a big deal at JC Law, and we encourage you to network and connect with others to help you grow in your career.
1st Year Admin Associate Lawyer
Peer Group Meetings
Over a five-month period, Associates will meet in small peer groups to engage in guided, hour-long conversations. During these conversations, Associates can identify areas for improvement, exchange ideas, discuss challenges, develop action plans and hold each other accountable for meeting goals.
A Typical Day
60 days into program
6:30 AM – Wake up. Morning routine. Exercise, meditate (everyone is different!)
7:45 AM – Breakfast. Out the door.
8:00 AM – Listen to audio or make a couple phone calls during the drive
8:30 AM – Arrive in office. First cup of coffee! Fire up the computer. Look at emails, Teams, and other important metrics. Look at calendar, to-do list, grab files you will need for the day, and review notes from the previous day. Check client schedule and see if anything occurred overnight.
9:00 AM – First meeting of the day with supervisor. Go over billables, cases, and work for the day.
9:30 AM – Second meeting of the day with lawyers you are supporting. Outline admin work for lawyers and produce legal work for lawyers. Billables.
10:00 AM – Work on and produce legal and admin work for lawyers on your team. Discuss strategy and plan for various cases. Discovery work on several files due.
11:00 AM – Meet with team lawyers’ client under supervision. Plan client’s Perfect Client Life Cycle. Chalk board argument for client and case strategy.
12:00 PM – Lunch with other lawyers
1:00 PM – Back to the grind. Travel to District Court with team lawyer to watch and assist in a protective order for a client. Participate in case prep.
2:00 PM – Case is tried. Observe.
2:45 PM – Travel back to office. Check and send emails. Teams online check. Work on various assignments. Billable.
4:30 PM – Perform various admin work on files and subpoenas lawyer team members need. Break down discovery for team lawyers.
5:00 PM – Quick end of day team meeting.
5:20 PM – Focus on lawyer admin task and research. Billable.
6:30 PM – You’re in a groove but have a legal question on procedure. Walk into supervisor’s office. Discuss. Back out to work on matter.
7:00 PM – Wrap up emails. Prepare schedule for tomorrow. Pull diaries for team lawyers.
7:20 PM – Leave
What We Are Looking For
Must Have a Very Strong
Work Ethic
Most firms, including us, will look at your history to make a determination as to how you will perform in the future. We realize that is not always the case, especially as lawyers grow and mature into the profession. A strong GPA, Law Review or something equivalent, top class ranking, all are indicators of future success in a career and practice.
Have a Winning Attitude
A winning attitude and functioning under pressure are extremely important. Law school and the practice of law tend to show how you will handle the same. Working with others, and putting elbow grease into the equation, is a sign that you want to help your client succeed.
Effort Over & Beyond
We are looking for future senior lawyers and partners. How you handle yourself at an early stage will set the tone and possibilities for advancement!
Know How to Organize & Communicate
These are traits that cannot be overstated. In our profession this is what we do! Everything we touch, try to fix and work on utilizes these skill sets!
Writing Ability
This is one of the foundations for growing a career. There is no substitute for developing this ability. Not all of us are fantastic writers, but the important thing is that we make major efforts to improve and reach a proficient level!
Culture & Success Driven
Finding a way to help others and being a team player will set you apart from other lawyers in our industry. At the same time, having a winning drive and a non-stop attitude of creating success will also help create a practicing habit that is unstoppable!