You'll probably have a checklist for a deal that has all the documents needed, who has to sign them, closing actions needed, etc. Try to keep the checklist up to date as much as possible, even when no one is telling you to, so anyone can take a look and see where things are/you'll have ready answers to questions anyone on the team asks you. If you're sending around an updated checklist to the internal team every day or two, unprompted, you'll look like you've got things under control and will look good.

Respond to every email requesting you do a task, even if you aren't getting to it for a bit. Even a simple "will do" eases the mind of the person making the request, annoying as it may seem to send those pointless emails. When I had a junior who wouldn't respond until the task was done, I would freak out that maybe he was out of the office or slammed on other deals and wasn't processing what was going on for my deal. Wasn't good for anyone. And this goes doubly so for responding to clients.

You'll probably have a lot more client contact than your litigation colleagues early on. You'll probably get plenty of questions you don't know the answer to. Just answer what you can, defer on the stuff you don't know and say you're checking internally, and let the team know if there's anything worth discussing.

Unless you're told otherwise, try to dial-in to every conference call you can for the deal. Sometimes a client may be cost conscious so don't do this if you're told not to, but they can be great ways to learn about deal flow, hear the reasoning behind business points, and learn how partners/senior associates deal with clients and opposing counsel, which are skills that you'll pick up on.

Clients and partners believe in something called "deal momentum," which means if the deal isn't moving and documents aren't progressing fast enough, they start getting antsy. Just be ready for it and even if it seems like there's no reason they are pressuring you to get some ancillary document out, that's probably the reason.

Watch out for any version control issues. Specialists will send comments on an earlier version, there might be multiple opposing counsels who don't aggregate comments, partners will make their changes in the system version without versioning up, etc. Make sure your redlines are really showing the changes between the versions you say they are, there's no way to lose credibility faster than sending redlines that don't show all the changes since the last version.

Speaking about specialists (e.g., tax, IP, ERISA, etc.), if you're the one tasked with coordinating with them, make sure they see every new version of the docs that come in from the other side, even if just as an FYI, since the other side may not be copying them all from your side. Having a good tax specialist who can eyeball docs for you quickly can be a life saver, so try to make their jobs easy whenever you can so that when you're really jammed and need them to jump on something, they're amenable to it. Generally, they are always working fewer hours then the corporate team and are thankful for getting on deals/being forwarded emails they aren't copied on, so they appreciate updates and new versions for them to eyeball.

You're responsible for the signature pages. If you have a substantive question about who should sign something, feel free to run it up the flagpole, but don't expect the mid-level or senior to eyeball the signature packets to make sure you didn't miss something or you have the right entity name. Some will, if they're nice, but it really is on you.

You may be tempted to ease into things from a workload perspective your first year, but you'll really learn a lot if you're busy as a junior. Obviously you don't want to take on more than you can handle and it will be hard to figure out where the line is, but the best way to progress as an associate is to do more deals early on.

If you have any interest in capital markets and there's a chance to do some offerings as a junior, jump on them. Things like IPOs are very cyclical and can largely dry up for a couple years, and by the time they come back if you're the guy without experience, you won't get staffed on them.

Always ask for a preferred precedent when someone asks you to draft a document or a section of a document. Ideally you'll have a precedent deal you can look at for anything that pops up for your current deal, but if not (or even if just confirming) ask the mid-level/senior if there's an old document you can steal language from. It'll make your life easier to have a good starting place.

That said, don't just blindly follow the precedent since it will invariably require customization to work for the current deal. Read it critically to see what should stay and what should go, and ask questions if needed.

Diligence sucks, especially if it's for some M&A deal and they need it done over the weekend. There's not much to say other than you have to suck it up. But, make sure you know what you're looking for. Ask if there are any documents or types of documents you should prioritize. Ask if they're looking for anything in particular or just red flags. Ask if/how they want your findings summarized (and if they want a formal memo, ask for a precedent). If possible, get your document services to print off the contents of the data room so you can read it in hard copy instead of on the screen (or spending your time printing everything off yourself, which neither you nor the client wants).

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34241642)

Decent enough advice, I guess.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34241796)

Also, doing a bunch of questions at once is way better than bugging the fuck out of your supervisor all the time. I used to write all my shit down on a sheet of paper and then when my legit family law shitlaw boss would be in the office same time as me in the latter part of the day i'd get direction from him all at once. He appreciated it as he could keep moving and not be interrupted.

Also, interesting point on conference calls for noobies. I suppose that really is the way to look at it. shut up and listen, and ask questions of your mentor later for stuff you don't understand. They wont mind if you are tyring to understand why one point is more significant than another point, or why they are doing this instead of that. That wil be pleasurable for any supervising atty to respond to, so lonmg as you do it intelligently and signal that you are getting something out of the conference calls.

But yeah, the email thing is important. It drives people wild not knowing if the handoff is successful or not.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34241849)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34241991)

the other thing i'd add is that, in my experience at least, board members can be very difficult to track down on short notice. so get your sig pages in order.

also, make friends with the person at your firm who does the DE filings. i once had a junior forget to get bring down certificates and we were able to get it sorted in very short order because we were very friendly with the woman who handled it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34242528)

Don't say your name when prompted by a dial in service, just press #.

Keep mute on for conference calls.

Widow, label and hide doc number for signature pages. Try to avoid follow-up requests for additional signatures.

Fight every point on opinions. It's easy to think they don't matter much but you run into the same firms over and over and any concession will come back to haunt you in future deals.

Try to clear ancillary docs quickly but hold comments for strategic use, either offensively to jam opposing counsel or defensively when they try to jam you. You don't want the other side to be able to say that they are ready to close and are waiting on you.

Understand who has ownership of a document. If another firm does, don't waste time updating drafts on your DMS or sending formal blacklines. Just send handmarked or track change comments.

Copy and paste dollar amounts, wire instructions etc. directly from client correspondence. If you do a calculation, get client signoff.

If you contest a point, offer a solution and proposed language at the same time. Do not ask the other side to propose language.

Understand deal flow. There will be a crux, usually on a business term, and once that gets resolved there will be great pressure to sweep aside any remaining legal points and close immediately. Clients must be educated and disciplined to not start giving up legal points at this stage. You often see a high level type businessperson making ridiculous legal concessions at this stage in the belief they are some big shot making the tough calls to get stuff done. This can be dangerous, but can also be used to your client's advantage.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34242649)

But the guy that determines whether you're going to get more business from that client is the in-house attorney, usually.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34244564)

I'm really sensitive to the unnecessary emails. I hate them. They're so distracting. Would love to have one of those jobs where I could check email twice/day and not be constantly bombarded with the little popup.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=3736277&forum_id=2#34246605)