New lawyers must be able to manage a law-related workload effectively. That skill includes three distinct components: time management, organization, and collaboration. See Building a Better Bar (pp 58-60).
Time Management
New lawyers find law practice demanding, even compared to law school. They must learn to juggle competing client or supervisor demands, estimate the time needed for projects, and adjust to shifting deadlines. They must also balance speed with quality. New lawyers take longer to complete tasks than more experienced lawyers, but when does "more time" become "too much time"?
Organization
One new lawyer in the Building a Better Bar study declared: "If you aren’t organized, you can’t do this job. You will commit malpractice. You will miss deadlines, and I think it’s the most important part of being an attorney (p 58)” Other lawyers agreed that law practice demands a high degree of organization--and that the organization differs from what is needed in law school or college. New lawyers must learn to organize a large number of client files or other matters, and to move fluidly from one matter to another. In some workplaces, new lawyers serve as the project managers for lawyer teams. Without preparation, new lawyers struggle with these demands.
Workplace Collaboration
Most new lawyers work with supervisors, assistants, and peers. Collaborating effectively with those team members is essential to serve clients. Yet new lawyers in the Building a Better Bar study acknowledged that college and law school did little to teach them teamwork; they were accustomed to completing projects on their own. Some co-curricular or extracurricular activities exposed them to teamwork, but individual effort was the norm before entering the workplace.