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New lawyer/ when do I start feeling like one?
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Hello all, I’m a new lawyer, sworn in last fall. The firm I’m currently at, I don’t feel much like a lawyer. I worked here in law school but feel that I’m still just a clerk. I don’t get many new opportunities or responsibilities and I feel like my fellow lawyer friends who graduated with me have done way more than I have (defended depos, taken depos, got to speak in court, handle their own cases, etc.). It’s hard not to compare because I feel kind of miserable here and feel almost like a child. Sometime I mess up and I take responsibility, but I also don’t have the same support (legal assistants, paralegals) as all the other attorneys at my firm. For the cases I do help with, I’m not included in any meetings or calls with the other lawyers on the case, so I feel like I’m also only getting small bits of information. I’m usually assigned tasks along with the clerks and/or paralegals. Nevertheless, I’m actually leaving this job and moving onto a PI firm where I hope to be given more of a chance, treated more like a lawyer? Maybe this is normal? They make me feel like I’m not cut out or smart enough, but I’ve gotten this far? :/
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