How to tell if you are the superstar associate

One of the hardest things about being a lawyer is that nobody tells you where you stand. So here are five signs the partner (or your team) actually rates you: 1. You get the real work. Not just proofreading and bundling. They put you on the drafting, the CP checklist, the SPA schedules. the stuff you’ll be judged on later. People give the good work to the people they trust. 2. Feedback with a “why”. They don’t just mark it up in track changes and send it back. They tell you why the clause was wrong, and what the client actually cares about. 3. They cover you. If something goes wrong on a deal, the partner takes it to the client. They don’t name you on the call. Responsibility rolls uphill, and a partner who protects you in front of a client is one who’s invested in you. 4. You’re in the room. Client calls, negotiations, the all-hands with the other side and they prep you before you speak. Being brought into rooms you’re not senior enough for is the clearest signal there is. 5. They talk about you when you’re not there. You start getting requests from other partners who’ve never worked with you. Work finds you. That only happens if someone’s been saying your name in appraisals and staffing conversations. #lawyer #law #biglaw #lawyersoftiktok