Читать книгу How to Be a Lawyer - Jason Mendelson - Страница 16

Okay, you've mastered empathy. And you've listened correctly. The client, boss, or whomever is thinking, “Wow, this person is really mature and put together for a junior lawyer!” Now what? It's time to talk. You have a choice: Do you start with recommendations and analysis, or do you ask questions? Our advice is the latter.

It is rare that someone gives you all the data you need to solve a problem. Very rare, in fact. Our experience suggests that if you think you have all the data you need, it's because you aren't thinking broadly enough about the issue at hand or are missing something. If questions initially don't come to mind, we suggest you look inward and ask yourself, “What am I missing here?” Remember, if it is that simple, they wouldn't be asking you.

The question could be as easy as asking the senior law firm partner, “When do you want this done and how many hours do you want me to allocate to this?” It's amazing to us how few junior attorneys ask this question. The question seems basic, but the response is super important. If you are late on the project, the partner and client are angry. If you bill an unexpectedly high number of hours, then it's even worse.

We've said this before and we'll say it again: don't fall into the trap of feeling like you have to prove your intelligence by jumping too quickly to conclusions and advice. No one expects you to be like that from day one out of law school so don't fall for the false assumption. Do a quality job in the time allowed and get it right. Nothing is worse than screwing up a project and having to do it again. Remember, you're unlikely to outsmart the senior lawyer the vast majority of times.

There is one more way to look at our point. Remember the most famous Hollywood lawyers and detectives? The ones who are famous for “always winning?” Think about how much time the dialogue is them asking questions, versus them stating conclusions.