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How to TOOT Your Own Horn: Exceptional Self Evaluations

By Sharon Meit Abrahams
November 01, 2019

It's that time again. As the year comes to a close many firms are beginning the associate review process. Even if your firm does not have a formal review process I recommend that you write a self-evaluation that outlines your achievements and specifies your goals for the coming year.  Because I have worked in law firms for over 25 years I have seen a variety of review processes, and whether or not a self-evaluation is part of your firm's process I want to share a few tips I have learned through the years.

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First Things First

You should be familiar of your firm's performance management system. Ask your supervising attorney(s), the professional development department or someone in human resources about the process. There are probably written materials, a slide presentation or a video that explains the steps. Of course, you can ask your colleagues, but they may or may not be fully versed in the details and will share their own opinion of the process. For example, they may think no one reads a self-review so they opt to not complete one. From my experience, not completing a self-review is detrimental when the reviewers begin to formulate their comments.

A self-evaluation is not a recap of the hours you billed or the client matters you worked on. It is an activity in which you look at your progress and development as an attorney. It gives you a chance to comment on the improvements you have made and the skills you have acquired over the past 12 months. You should approach a self-evaluation with the same planning, determination and effort you would put into a client project. There are three goals of the written self-evaluation: 1) to explain your achievements with detail; 2) to comment on the skills you have acquired and those needed to progress; and 3) to clearly articulate your career expectations. Your firm might provide a form to complete, but in case you are doing this on your own the following are the categories and content to include.

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