Make Your First-Years Second-Years

The 'Magic Johnson' Effect

All too often, legal employers make the mistake of assigning their “Magic Johnsons” to train new attorneys. What do I mean by this? Well, Magic Johnson is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. After his playing career ended, he eventually became the coach of his old team. But he didn't last long, and after ending his coaching stint, he admitted that it was tremendously frustrating because he would demand that players perform at the same level he did when he was a player, but they simply were unable to do so. The same phenomenon occurs in the legal profession. Extremely busy equity partners who, in addition to their practice, are heavily involved in networking, client development, and cultural and political affairs, are often assigned to be mentors. This is problematic for two reasons. First, they often simply don't have the time to answer the numerous questions a young lawyer has. Second, they usually don't have a teaching mentality. They are so experienced and adept at their work, it is difficult for them to envision what it was like to be completely new to the law, and accordingly have unreasonable expectations for the performance of new associates, leaving them floundering.