Significant Career Lesson From an Associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP
Michael, an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP, learned early in his career that "pretty much anything can be fixed," a valuable lesson from a partner who focused on solutions rather than blame. This approach helped mitigate the intense pressure of the job and fostered a more productive environment for addressing mistakes.
Problem-Solving, Resilience, Stress Management, Teamwork, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michael Santos
Associate
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Santa Clara University
Georgetown University - JD
Business Management & Admin
Law
Legal
Took Out Loans, Transfer Student, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Even seemingly significant mistakes can usually be fixed.
2. A supportive work environment that focuses on fixing mistakes rather than assigning blame is crucial.
3. Maintaining a calm and solution-oriented approach to challenges is essential in a high-pressure environment like corporate law.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
The one thing I learned when I was a junior associate is that on the corporate side, there's pretty much nothing that can't be fixed. There are some outliers, but for the most part, mistakes can almost always be fixed.
I found that as a junior, working with people who treated mistakes not as an opportunity to blame somebody or derail a process, but as a chance to ask, "How do we fix it?" really helped. Knowing that pretty much anything can be fixed doesn't add more pressure to an already intense job.
That's something I learned from a partner and how he treated mistakes or issues that came up on a deal, and it has stuck with me over the years.