False. Three of my NQ were fired within 6 months for various reasons.

Paul Hastings, prestigious?

Messing up won’t lose you your qualification.

Lying about it will.

Making tea, lad!

(ii) show an interest in long-term strategy of team / clients – you’re not a trainee who will be off in 6 months, you will now see projects / cases through the cycle;

(iii) ask questions – but learn best person to ask / best time;

(iv) it’s one thing to eff up internally and it happens to us all – but as ever fess up and own the problem, and do your best not to eff up in a way that exposes the partner to the client / embarrasses them.

(v) be a good and pro-active communicator and keep team abreast of smaller parts of the project you’re working on

(vi) as others have said, contribute to BD and developing expertise but you’re hardly expected to be snagging big new clients – as an in-houser my view is the best BD is doing good reliable work for existing clients, that will lead to referrals / recommendations from others they know in the industry. Also build good relationships with your peers as you don’t know where that will lead and where their careers will take them – in my last role in private practice we got a mandate as lenders’ counsel because a friend from a previous role was acting on sponsor side recommended our firm to his client.

Join a prestigious US firm.

I’m not suggesting the NQ should be pulling in a £10m book of work, just doing stuff to help.

Helping with research for articles, going for lunch with your junior peers at clients, just getting access to the firm’s prepped LinkedIn materials so you can post whatever marketing dross has been produced that week etc.

Obviously BD shouldn’t be the focus of your work as a NQ but you should still be showing willing.

Way too overambitious advice for an NQ! They are basically a 5th seat trainee. If they can run a CP checklist without help people will be content. They are not expected to be winning work or doing BD – that is remit of equity partners. Even senior associates struggle on that front.

Must say – suitable advice.

Partners run the business – you are now one of the individuals in the modern ‘sweatshop’ that is a law firm. You’re not employed to be clever, or intuitive, you are employed to bill as many hours as possible for the benefit and profit of the partners.

Get. Every. Second. Down.

Also make sure you understand billing. Worth speaking to a friendly finance bod about this, they’re usually happy one of the lawyers asks in a calmer moment when there’s time to explain rather than screaming it down the phone at 4.55 on the last day of the month.

Ask one of the main partners you work with if they can talk you through the BD strategy for the team and how you can help. Different teans have different preferences (some teams like doing mainly webinars, articles etc. whilst some are all about lunch and pub with clients, most fall somewhere in between) and industry focuses.

Alternatively, ignore all the above, enter into a physical relationship with a major rainmaker and enjoy leisurely days of untouchable dossing.