No matter how much success you experience in your legal career, inevitably at some point you will encounter a setback and make mistakes. Whether the setback is not passing the bar exam in your law firm’s jurisdiction, missing a key argument in a brief, or blowing a litigation deadline, these mistakes don’t have to define your legal career. A setback is the perfect opportunity to take a moment and reflect on how the setback occurred and what you can do to catapult your career forward. As I said in my previous article “Taking Control of Your Legal Career as a First-Year Associate,” published April 5 in The Legal, failure precedes success and becoming a great lawyer is a marathon, not a sprint. By using the four steps listed below, young attorneys can turn common mistakes and setbacks into opportunities for growth and branding.
Reflect on What Caused the Mistake or Setback
To adequately address any mistake or setback, you should first own up to it. Then determine how the mistake or setback occurred. For example, if you missed a passing score on the bar exam by three points, maybe you struggled with a particular essay, a specific type of multiple choice question or a legal topic. If you missed a key argument in a brief, maybe your eyes and mind were too tired to catch this mistake because you had been staring at the same document for hours. Finally, if you missed a litigation deadline it could be time to reevaluate how you organize your schedule. Once you identify the cause of the mistake or setback, think about what you will do differently in the future when you encounter this same challenge again.
