Handling Criticism
During the summer you will receive criticism. Most firms
give periodic evaluations. It is also possible that an assigning attorney will
take time to offer you feedback on your work. The coin of feedback has two
sides — praise and criticism. You learn more from the latter than from the
former. If you are a solid citizen who is committed and enthusiastic you can
learn great deal from constructive criticism. You must understand why it is given
and what it means.
Criticism
is usually well-intended. Firms want you to succeed — if you are bright,
well-liked, and energetic — the natural human instinct takes over. The partners
running the summer program want to run a successful program. Experienced
lawyers love to find new lawyers who they can bring into their groups or teams.
That, in one respect, is what the summer
program is all about. Criticism is not delivered in the abstract. It is
delivered on the spot when you have made a mistake at a quieter moment during
the project when the assigning attorney has a moment to breathe or during the
regular review process.
Some
lawyers are just unpleasant or angry people. Usually, however, the lawyer is
angry about because your mistake disrupted his schedule, confused his client,
screwed up an issue in a brief, or otherwise made his professional life
unpleasant.
Depersonalize
your reaction and learn from it. Contain your own hostility, rage, anger, and
other emotional reactions. Do not head to your office in tears, vent your
emotions to other summer associates or storm off into professional oblivion. At
the end of the day run five miles or bike around the lake. (For those of you in
cities without a waterfront or bike paths, I’ll await your call in 2010 about
your next job.)
Regain
your focus and knock the next pitch out of the ballpark. Nothing distinguishes
you faster than overcoming adversity — a trait common to all exceptional
lawyers.