I’m the youngest attorney at my firm but I have seniority over all the rest of the associates. Am I expected to step up as a leader?
I’m 29 and the next youngest associate at my firm is 45. There are 14 other associates but I have seniority over them all, which was never a thought that crossed my mind till the other day. Anyone else who has been at my firm longer has become a partner—we had a rough time during covid but have since bounced back, hence the hellish turnover that leaves me being here the longest. I have been here since May 2022–was admitted to practice law in April 2023. Landlord tenant in NYC is a meat grinder.
Anyways, am I really supposed to be telling these old geezers who’ve been doing this forever what to do just because they’re new to our firm? One of them literally asked me what I want him to do the other day, because I allegedly have seniority over him. His words, not mine, but it got me thinking if I’m expected to step up now. Or if I’m being judged for humbly NOT bossing around these guys who are old enough to be my dad.
I’m still told by the partners not to give these guys certain files because they want me to handle them. Also, when we show up to court, I’m the one in charge of distributing the files to all the other associates who come with me to court that day, which essentially gives me discretion to mediate who gets to do what; I think this leaves a bad taste in some of the new associates’ mouths.
This post is spiraling, and I feel like I’m answering my own questions a little as I write it out.
TL;DR should I be enforcing my seniority over these guys even if it means they don’t like me? I basically know nothing and still consider myself a new attorney. For some reason this is all making me want to acquaint them with my unresolved anger issues.