You are the biggest disappointment in the history of this firm
2007: I board a bus with top law students from across Israel.
They’re taking us to the biggest, most prestigious firms in the country.
We’re in a fancy conference room at one of them, high floor in Tel Aviv. I’m snacking on the spread they laid out for us.
The senior partner hosting us turns to me and knows my name.
It’s flattering beyond belief. He bothered to remember me - a second-year law student.
I could already see myself as a big lawyer, at a big firm, on big cases, with a big salary.
After the interview rounds, firms send a polite rejection letter - or call, if you got in.
A few weeks in, the call came: the second-largest firm in Israel, one of the most prestigious, wanted me as their intern. I was thrilled like a kid.
Fast forward 4 years.
Near the end of my internship, Tzafrir - the partner responsible for me, a real mensch - calls me in for a hard conversation. The gist:
“You are the biggest disappointment in the history of this firm.” They’d never had an intern with a wider gap between potential and actual performance.
It got to the point where they didn’t trust me to photocopy documents.
My head was buried deep in the business I’d built during law school. I couldn’t see any future where I worked as a lawyer.
My only motivation was inertia - I told myself, “you’ve made it this far, finish the track.”
I disappointed everyone at the firm, except my fellow interns, who were happy to have one less competitor for an associate position.
It was embarrassing.
After the internship I tried to pass the bar exam - studied for hours every day for three months - failed, and never tried again.
I promised myself that if I ever made it as an entrepreneur, I’d hire the firm where I interned to represent one of my startups, as compensation for my disgraceful internship.
I owe you guys!