After years of study, exams, and hard work you’ve succeeded in landing your first job. Congratulations! But suddenly, everything is new again – the people, the systems, the expectations. It’s likely that you’ll feel you’ve been dropped in the deep end. Now is the time to reset, refocus, and build your career one step at a time.

In my experience, both having recently navigated this pathway and now supervising others, your mindset is going to be a key contributor to help you find your feet and thrive in your new job. My comments in this article are just one mindset, it’s not the only mindset or the “correct” mindset, it just offers a different perspective that might help some of you find your feet.

My point is this, you’re not expected to know everything. In fact, success in your early years is measured by how you learn, not how much you already know. If you’re showing up with the right mindset, your legal knowledge will grow, often without you even realising it.

You’re here to learn, that’s the job

Most likely, you were hired for your potential to learn, grow and contribute to the team. Your job is to keep learning – with this, the expert legal knowledge and practical application of the law will come.

If you’re asking thoughtful questions, taking feedback on board, staying curious, and becoming more efficient week by week, then you’re on the right path. When you do this consistently, the learning snowballs. Things start to click, and you grow in confidence without even noticing. You may not even realise it’s “clicking”, because what once felt hard now feels familiar, and you’re already onto the next challenge.

Be the kind of Junior who adds value

What makes a junior lawyer stand out isn’t about having all the legal answers, but being someone the team wants to work with.

• Be engaged: Show you’re present, paying attention, responsive and interested.
• Be proactive: Offer to help. Anticipate next steps. Take ownership without being gung-ho.
• Be thoughtful: Think ahead. Could I organise this better? Have I saved this where it’s easy to find?
• Be solution-minded: Don’t be afraid to ask questions – just make sure you give some thought to them before you do.

Small things matter

You may not feel like you’re contributing much but the following small things are a big deal to the people around you and an easy way to add value:

• Name and save documents properly.
• Put files in the right place.
• Complete checklists and file notes.
• Have a proper first go at tasks, even when unsure.

Law firms are often all about small efficiencies, so every small detail helps your firm! These might not seem like a big deal, and aren’t everything you’ve studied for, but they are important. They save time, reduce confusion, and build trust. They show you’re switched on, practical, and helpful – these are all traits that will make you stand out beyond simply knowing legal theory.

Here’s a tip: whenever you're unsure, ask yourself, "Can I leave this in a better place than I found it?" That mindset will set you apart.

Mistakes happen, that’s normal

You will get things wrong – everyone does. It’s how you respond that is important. Own up early, learn from it, and move forward. Mistakes are part of the process, and most are fixable especially when caught early.

Don’t let fear of making an error paralyse you. Having a go is better than not trying. It gives your supervisor something to work with and will speed up your learning. Remember, you shouldn’t be the one carrying the ultimate responsibility for the file. Your supervisor is.

This is a two-way relationship

You're learning how the firm works and the firm is learning how you work. Every team has its own preferences, rhythms, and unspoken systems. Pay attention to how others communicate, format documents, and manage time. At the same time, supervisors should set expectations and be alive to how you learn and operate best.

Six habits to kickstart success

In my view if you’re doing these things, you will be more likely to succeed:

1. Have a go at tasks, even when you’re unsure.
2. Be thoughtful and organised.
3. Take feedback and apply it.
4. Anticipate next steps and offer to help.
5. Ask considered questions.
6. Build good habits and relationships.

These are the things that make you indispensable. The legal knowledge will come and usually, it builds quietly while you're focused on doing these things well. One day, without even noticing it, you’ll just know what to do. That’s the snowball effect.

If you take nothing else from this, remember this: your early success is not measured by how much you know it's about how you show up, how you engage, and how you learn.

This is the perspective of the author and does not represent Law Society guidance. Read about your obligations as a lawyer.