Example Achievement Log for a Lawyer

A year in the life of a Lawyer's log

• Jan - achievement: Settled Westbrook Construction dispute for $2.1M after 18 months of discovery. Client recovered 85% of damages claimed and avoided trial costs. Negotiated with opposing counsel over three days.
• Mar - task: Took over Meridian Insurance file after departing associate. File was mid-motion practice with hearing in 6 weeks. Reviewed 9,000-document discovery set and brought myself up on contract interpretation issue.
• Mar - feedback: Sarah Chen (partner, Commercial) said in April meeting: "Your brief on the indemnity clause was the clearest I've read from this team. Made my life much easier at oral argument."
• Apr - task: Led first multi-party deposition as primary examiner. Questioned three defendants over two days on knowledge of defect. Strategy to pin down timeline before expert report was successful.
• Jun - achievement: Meridian Insurance motion to dismiss was granted. Defeated summary judgment counterclaim. Judge's order cited our statute-of-limitations argument as dispositive. Client's exposure reduced from $3.8M to zero.
• Jun - feedback: John Voss (Meridian GC, client) emailed: "The work you've done here is exceptional. Would like to discuss retaining you for three pending matters." New engagements signed in August.
• Aug - task: Drafted and revised Meridian's three new engagement letters with expanded scope. Scoped discovery budgets. Coordinated with tax counsel on transfer-pricing clauses in one contract dispute.
• Sep - achievement: Mediated MacLeod employment matter. Reached agreement on severance and non-compete waiver in single session. Client saved two years of litigation cost and reputational exposure in competitive sector.
• Sep - task: Responded to FDA subpoena for Tucker Pharma. Compiled 5,400 documents from clinical trial records in three weeks. Working with outside medical consultants to flag privilege issues.
• Nov - achievement: Tucker Pharma FDA response met deadline. No follow-up requests. Regulatory team confirmed our privilege assertions were correct. File closed with positive agency feedback.
• Dec - feedback: Tom Pritchard (partner, Litigation) told me in December review: "You handle volume well and you make good judgment calls under time pressure. That's what I'm looking for in a senior associate."

What makes a strong entry

How this becomes your review in November

This year I've managed complex commercial disputes from discovery through settlement and judgment, with particular success in high-stakes matters. The Westbrook and Meridian cases demonstrate my ability to deliver results under deadline: I recovered $2.1M for one client and eliminated a $3.8M exposure for another through decisive motion practice and negotiation. Client feedback has been direct, John Voss has already expanded his engagements with the firm based on the work, and partner feedback confirms I'm handling volume and judgment well enough to take on senior-level responsibility.

Starting your own log

Don't try to reconstruct a year you have already had. Start from today, one line whenever something happens, and let it build. The Perform Review Achievement Log does this for you and can capture wins straight from Slack, and how to start an achievement log covers the wider playbook.

Example Logs for Related Roles

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