HInt: it’s not how many hours they bill; in fact, we’ve studiously avoided setting a target number of billable hours.

Another Hint: it’s not following the sage advice (for associate survival in BigLaw) given to me by one of my hardened BigFirm associate cronies: "Don’t Panic and Assume Nothing"

Instead, to quote from the memo we gave our new attorney on our expectations (and then sat down with them to discuss):

Your success, like that of every other person at Confluence, is judged on your contribution to increasing the firm’s net profits over the cost of producing high quality legal services.

Check out the memo in its entirety after the jump:
Continue Reading What Makes Associate Successful in a Flat Fee Firm?