Bubbles Bursting

I love to watch different things in my coworkers.  One thing I like to see is that moment of clarity when they finally connect the dots as to what they are doing and WHY.  Then in a couple of years, I get to see the moment when they realize that the job is far more complex than earlier imagined.  Then I get to watch as they finally GET intrapolicy stacking.

Another thing I get to watch is that bubble bursting.  It happened to me, too.  I came right out of college with the idea that I was a HIGH-falutin' paralegal now, so move out of my way.  Then on my first day, I found out that I still had to make coffee and I wasn't getting a secretary.  It's a necessary humbling experience, and one I treasure.  I still laugh at myself when I realized that I was really just the same old ME, just with a new set of skills.

Another way to burst and/or shatter that ego bubble is to be in a case that is co-counselled...and YOU DON'T work for lead counsel.  You still have a metric ass load of work to do, but your boss AIN'T calling the shots, and you're taking orders from another paralegal.

My first time through this, I was nervous, and insulted.  After that, it was a breeze.  WHY? 

The secret is this.  Your worth is not measured on who is calling the shots or not, or who has to do what work.  To your client, your worth is measured by the care you show, the answers you give, and the extra steps you take to make sure that they feel like a person.  Often attorneys do talk down to their clients.  One reason is that clients don't really trust lawyers they can understand.  (Sad but true) and the other reason is that some just can't find another way to say it.  Sometimes attorneys are focused on getting their message to the client, and they just don't see those eyes glazing over. 

Just do the work.  Simply put.  Don't get bent out of shape when you're asked to be a hostess.  Always be ready to get the work done correctly, and don't be shitty about the mistakes of others.