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Beth Person

1. Starting Off Strong in Your First Year

Organization Demo

Introduction 00

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WELCOME!

This report is based on the Attorney Assessment discovery process you just completed and is the first in a series of reports set up to help you learn more about yourself. For much of the material, there will be sense of familiarity and affirmation as you look over the descriptions of your likely strengths and challenges and how these might play out in working as an attorney.

Expect there to be some surprises as well. No single assessment offers all the answers and ideally you should look over your results with a critical eye. Indeed, the app’s Polish functions allow you to highlight those statements that seem to capture who you truly are and strikethrough those that do not seem like a good fit. In addition, you can add commentary via the Comment function as well as use the Task function to help you not only tailor your report, but easily act on that information.

 

The goal of the reports in the series is to heighten your self-awareness and give you a constructive new language that facilitates your continued self-development. After reading and digesting your reports, you should have a more accurate sense of what makes you tick – from what you enjoy to what can derail you, from your likely path to success in a career in law to how you learn best – and the desire to share this knowledge with others to enhance your relationships, your law school experience, and your work life.

The self-discovery process functions best when you examine the data and advice you are given and actively make sense of how to put it to work for you. This first report has three chapters which contain information about your personal style, your work style, and suggestions for making study time count — there is at least one activity associated with each of these chapters to help you apply this information.

Let’s get started!

Who Am I? - Expanded 01

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A quick snapshot view into who a person is.

  • I am Independent
  • I am Theoretical
  • I am Logical
  • I am Curious

Top 6 Things I Enjoy

I enjoy...

  1. ...being a problem solver
  2. ...giving advice when it is asked for
  3. ...thinking creatively
  4. ...working on complex projects
  5. ...being in control of my plan for the day
  6. ...receiving recognition for competence

9 Things I Am Good At

I am good at...

  1. ...playing with ideas in my head
  2. ...thinking about possible solutions from every angle
  3. ...working independently
  4. ...weighing up the pros and cons
  5. ...respecting others' need for privacy
  6. ...thinking “outside the square”
  7. ...keeping calm in a crisis
  8. ...challenging myself
  9. ...analyzing and theorizing

6 Things That May Cause Me To Get Upset

I may get upset when...

  1. ...I'm being hurried for a solution
  2. ...my confidence is under-valued
  3. ...nothing is interesting
  4. ...I’m forced into social situations that are uninteresting or too long
  5. ...people are sweating the small stuff
  6. ...I have to listen to trivial detail

The Top 7 Things I May Need Help With

I may need help with...

  1. ...communicating my thoughts simply and coherently
  2. ...being tactful
  3. ...accepting traditions that seem senseless
  4. ...being patient
  5. ...expressing empathy and concern
  6. ...working out my feelings and sharing them
  7. ...overcoming failures

My #1 Focus Is Mostly

Exploring and analyzing possibilities to solve problems

Who Am I? - Expanded Authors
Original work by: Sue Blair © Step Research Corporation

Four Styles of Working as a Lawyer 02

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This section takes a look at your Thinking, Working, Motivational, and Business Development Styles to highlight your natural abilities, core values, preferred work environments, and how these fit within the practice of law.

This section details a person's natural abilities, core values and preferred work environments, including the cultural factors and management styles that will lead to a good fit.

A list of the natural talents and abilities common to individuals with this person's personality type is listed below; any new job, career, or work setting that they are considering will hopefully leverage many of these natural talents and abilities.

Thinking Style

  • Comfortable in the abstract and concrete: Beth is comfortable working through complex, multidimensional issues as well as simple, more concrete problems.
  • Straight-forward: She prefers to work on matters that follow a straight-forward path or fall within a pre-defined, predictable scope.
  • Habitual, routine: Beth exhibits comfort in following a predictable or routine pattern over seeking new experiences.
  • Logical: Beth defaults to logic and critical thinking when analyzing an issue. She is adept at pattern recognition and reasoning.
  • Optimistic: Beth tends to have a positive outlook towards life and events and she focuses in on the good in people or situations. This disposition is helpful for getting along with others and often leads to general happiness with one's career and life. Caution: Beth must remember to consider what might go wrong (play devil's advocate) when advocating legal issues or working on business transactions to ensure she is properly representing the client fully. Focusing only on the positive outcome will negatively affect one's representation of the client's best interest.
  • Risk averse: Beth tends to prefer conventional or well-established methods that will produce an expected outcome to a matter or transaction as opposed to methods that may potentially lead to failure.
  • Skeptical but not jaded: She tends to be somewhat skeptical, particularly when considering the motives of opposing parties/counsel. This is an important trait for making informed judgments in client situations.

Working Style

  • Can perform with or without direction: Beth is able to get the job done with minimal input but will not resist direction or guidance.
  • Respectful debater: Beth often enjoys the challenge of convincing others but will tolerate others maintaining their point of view. She does not necessarily need to believe in their arguments, but it helps.
  • More sympathetic than empathetic: Beth is capable of intellectually appreciating another person's experience, but is less adept at genuinely connecting with another's experience emotionally. She may not recognize more subtle aspects of communication.
  • Can solve problems in group or alone: Beth is comfortable solving problems in either a group setting or alone, depending upon the situation and availability of others.
  • Collegial: Beth performs well as a teammate but can also step away from the group and continue to perform well on her own.
  • Prefers closure on tasks before changing gears: Beth is capable of multitasking but her preferred work style is one or two important initiatives at a time. Beth can demonstrate urgency, but prefers to work at a steady pace.
motivation

Motivational Style

  • Strong facade: Beth is capable of handling criticism or rejection but may question her convictions and experience some feelings of insecurity.
  • Goal-setter: Beth frequently sets goals for planning purposes or for measuring personal or organizational success. For her, goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about the future, and for motivating herself to turn this vision of the future into reality. Multiple studies have shown that goal-setting has been found to be common among highly successful people.
  • Diligent: She tends to persevere through difficult circumstances in life and career. This is an important trait in the practice of law and especially for working in the large law firm environment.
  • Confident: She is confident in her abilities but occasionally will seek validation from others.
  • Proactive: Beth frequently takes initiative on tasks without requiring instruction or supervision of others. A lawyer with strengths in this area will typically recognize the need to complete a task, develop a plan for completing the task, and begin executing towards completion of the task all on one's own.

Business Development Style

  • Client sympathetic when focused: Beth is capable of recognizing and understanding another's experience but does not always leave them with a genuine sense of having been understood. She can adjust her behavior based on the interpersonal situation, but this tends to require a conscious effort.
  • Can listen well when focused: Although Beth listens to others and may pick up the facts in a conversation, she may miss the subtleties and may be inclined to fill in any gaps with her own assumptions.
  • Poised, commanding: Beth exhibits a sense of ease, poise, and self-assurance. She can "turn it on" to command a room or conversation with a compelling energy and attitude. When used purposefully this can be a highly effective tool for professional interactions.
  • Sociable when needed: Beth is comfortable in social situations and she appreciates the benefit of networking, but both require effort.
Four Styles of Working as a Lawyer Authors
Original work by: Sterling Bates Mark Levin Karl Schmitt © Step Research Corporation

Making the Most of Study Time 03

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Quick tips and advice for studying more effectively

Making the Most of Study Time: Time and Energy Overview

Students can get stressed out over how to manage their study time. While time management approaches do help some students, it can help to suggest that Beth pay attention to managing her energy levels as well. To get into this mindset Beth should try to:
  • Understand her personal time clock and attempt to study when she is most alert and creative.
  • Learn about her stress triggers and explore different activities to see which help to reduce stress.
  • Honor her physical needs while studying by moving, stretching, eating, sleeping, and taking breaks when needed.

Making the Most of Study Time: Maintaining Energy

To remain energized when studying, as an ongoing practice Beth should:
  • Make an extra effort to find a quiet spot on her own, or with one or two fellow students.
  • Write out her ideas, sometimes just having to organize her thoughts in writing can help her to understand the material.
  • Take breaks to be alone to reflect and recharge especially when she has had a lot of interaction time with others.

Making the Most of Study Time: Improving Understanding

To increase her understanding when studying, Beth should:
  • Ask herself what are the interesting themes related to the material, and when stuck, circle back to those patterns to re-focus her efforts.
  • Look for or ask for theories to explain why this material is important in order to help her to better understand it.
  • Draw on her imagination to explore if and how what is being taught corresponds with future trends.
Making the Most of Study Time Authors
Original work by: Elizabeth Hirsh Katherine Hirsh © Step Research Corporation