My first day as a new associate in BigLaw

My very first day working as a new associate in New York, I made a “big mistake.”

I didn’t think it warranted the “big” adjective, or how a partner spoke to me, but it was a mistake nonetheless.

The lesson is to carry something with you to take notes: Always be ready to receive information and assignments when you show up to work with a supervising attorney.
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Here’s the story.

I’d just returned to my desk from an initial morning orientation session and headed to the loo, when my phone rang. “Could you stop by as soon as possible?”

It was a partner. I’ll call him MB, and I was genuinely excited.
A partner was important, I wanted to impress, and I rushed to his office.
Late, I would not be.

As it turns out, better I was late.

[I soon learned that this partner was the new head of assigning associates work in our department, but that doesn’t change my punctual/unprepared point.]

**
When I got to his office—

“Hello. Take this down,” he said, gesturing his hand as if writing something in the air.

Me: “Sure.” (Gulp, panic.)

I continued, “Could I just borrow a pen and notepad? I came straight from orientation.” (I donned a calm smile, hoping to save face.)

MB: “No—Go back to your office and do not return unprepared.”

He brushed me out, dismissively in the air, the same hand that had been gesturing writing a second before, and then got up and called out down the hall behind me, “NEVER arrive at a partner’s office without pen-and-paper in hand.”

(The rest is just me doing the obvious retreating and pen/paper-fetching while trying to hold it all together.)
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No earth-shattering moral of the story here:

1: If you’re a new associate, always be prepared to write something down;

and

2: If you’re a supervising attorney, don’t be an MB.

——
Attorneys: What do you remember about your first day of work after law school?

Fondly,

💌 Amanda