You have just graduated from law school and now, with J.D. in hand, you have landed at the firm as a first-year associate. You're bright, eager and (hopefully) confident that you possess all the tools necessary to succeed at the firm. Orientation is over. Computer training is done. Sitting at your desk, you realize that the "recruitment honeymoon" is over. It's lonely in your office and people are no longer knocking on your door everyday volunteering to take you to lunch like when you were a summer associate. It's time to work and earn that salary! What will you do now? How will you succeed at the firm? The answers are neither formulaic nor simplistic. Nevertheless, one of the first things you have to do on the road to success at the firm is find an "angel."

They Don't Wear White and Have Wings
        Now, what do we mean by an "angel"? We mean that you need to find a partner (or sometimes, a senior associate) who is going to look out for you and help guide not only your initial acclimation to the firm, but your career as well. Many people often confuse an "angel" with a "mentor." They, however, do not necessarily serve the same function. We are all familiar with mentors. They have guided many of us through high school, college, law school, etc. These same "life mentors" may continue to serve us by performing their counselor function. We do recognize that you may have gotten this far without a mentor. In the law firm context, however, we do not recommend the "going it alone" approach.
        When we speak of an "angel" in the law firm context, we mean someone within the firm who will serve to guide you in addition to any outside mentors that you may already have. An angel may serve as your legal mentor, but serve you in ways other than mentoring. An angel is someone who knows the "ins and outs" of the firm and can teach you how things work. An angel is someone who is in the position to speak on your behalf and champion your cause during performance and salary reviews, and in practice group or partner meetings. An angel is someone who, when they say good things about you, others will not only listen, but will be influenced as well. An angel is someone who is an "insider" in the position to tell the partnership how talented and bright you are, and about the good work you produce. An angel is someone who can tell you that the senior partner for whom you're currently writing a memorandum hates footnotes. Now you get the picture!

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