Career Strategy

Your Career

Advancing your legal career is always challenging, even in a booming economy. The economic landscape has changed since you first set out to become a lawyer.

But take it from those of us who were around for the recession of the early 1990's: economic down cycles are natural and do eventually pass. Things improve and the cycle swings upward once again. Every downturn has an upside: navigating choppy economic waters early can make you a stronger, better, and more focused legal professional.

So, no matter where you are in your career planning, job search, or current employment, keep in mind some lessons we learned from the early 1990's.

1. Know your audience: Understand the "Bottom Line" for employers.

   Whether in private practice or public service, all employers face serious economic pressures daily that may impact your role in the organization. Learn how your desired employer "pays the rent"-and your paycheck. You will be better equipped to anticipate your employer's mindset and decision framework. This is especially important for students working part-time in the hopes of securing full-time employment after graduation. It will also help you "sell yourself" persuasively to employers.

   For example, all law offices rely on funding from some source to finance their operations. Funding can come from client fees, charitable grants, taxes, or elsewhere. When funds come in more slowly or are in shorter supply, there is little room for attorneys who do not produce their fair share of high-quality work. The salary increases for large private firms have had some (though not major) ripple effect on other employers. Salaries have, in many instances, contributed to employer belt-tightening and increased scrutiny of new lawyer performance. Every law office must operate efficiently to survive and prosper. Therefore, a new attorney must convince the employer early on that she's a good investment.

   Whether you're working over the school year, during the summer, or full-time after graduation, learn how your position fits into your employer's business model. By learning how you impact your employer's "bottom line," you will be more likely to impact it in a positive way.
    

2. Show you can do excellent legal work in a timely and efficient fashion.

   Whether you're a part-time law clerk, a summer intern, or a new attorney, everyone expects you to climb a steep learning curve. That said, always do your best on each and every project. Make sure you understand what the assigning attorney needs, when it's needed, and in what format. Be efficient and focused (i.e., don't write a law review article where one hasn't been requested). However, do not cut corners, even if it means spending more time than you've been told you should take on the project.

   As the old saying goes, "you never get a second chance to make a good first impression." Ensure your work is thorough and polished. The assigning attorney must feel confident she can count on you to produce good work that she can use quickly, without spending her valuable time repairing it. If the assigning attorney loses confidence, you may see your workload start to dwindle. The less work you're given, the less you're contributing to the mission of the office.

   Toward that end, whenever possible, try not to take on more projects than you can do well and complete on time. Certainly, it's tough to strike this balance. But if you find yourself in a real jam, tell the assigning attorney(s) about your conflicts and that you want to do your best work on each project. Your colleagues may be able to help you work out the conflict. If they cannot budge on deadlines, at least you've communicated that you are trying your hardest and want to do you best.
    

3. Be a team player.

   Prima donnas don't fare well in any economy-much less a down economy. An economic downturn is no time to demand better office furniture, cool sabbaticals, fancy electronic equipment, bonuses, or other nifty perks. It's also no time to be abrupt with support staff, administrators, or others in the employer's organization who you may erroneously believe have no impact on your candidacy.

   Be flexible. This is no time to say "I don't do windows," or any other sort of legal work you believe is "beneath you" or not exactly what you'd carefully planned. Virtually every new assignment can teach you valuable lessons that will benefit your professional development. Work on each and every matter with great care and vigor. Be open minded about practice area opportunities. Your team player attitude will be rewarded in the future with good recommendations, more enhanced responsibilities, and great "real world" education.
    

4. Take charge of your own professional development.

   During leaner times, training and development may slip somewhat in importance as you and your employer are tempted to focus exclusively on priorities having more immediate impact on the "bottom line."

   You must, however, take personal responsibility for advancing your legal skills. Whether you're an extern, part-time clerk, or summer associate, pay attention to the work you are doing and how it impacts your professional development. If you feel that your work isn't challenging enough, do not complain! Rather, volunteer for a project or attorney who can stimulate your development. Ask to accompany the senior lawyer to the deal closing or to court --at no cost to the client. You are responsible for your professional development and you cannot delegate this responsibility to someone else.
    

5. Build a strong professional network.

   Your ability to develop positive professional relationships is at least as important -at times more important--than your technical legal skills.

   To be sure, the cornerstone of your budding reputation in the legal community is your ability to do excellent work in a timely manner. However, you must also have mentors and other supporters who care about your success.

   How do you form this network? You've already built the foundation: law school friends, former employers and colleagues, professors, and others in your personal circles. Meaningful involvement in law school activities can further solidify these bonds.

   Develop positive relationships within your employer's organization. Get to know other attorneys-senior and junior. Develop good rapport with support personnel. Your co-workers can help you steer clear of potential minefields and advise you on how to improve your performance.

   Be sure to network outside your workplace and outside the law school! Get involved in local bar associations. Stay in touch with college friends. Participate in alumni activities at your law school or college wherever possible. Any affinity group that connects you with professionals outside your workplace can provide rewarding networking opportunities and relationships.

   Networking can be crucial to your survival in an uncertain economy. You may face serious professional crossroads earlier in your career during a tight economy. Without a network, where will you turn for support, advice, or potential job leads?

   Networking is an important investment in your professional future. Build it into your routine, even when competing demands may tempt you to stay chained to your desk.
    

6. Be patient and see the big picture.

   Many new lawyers become very concerned that their first legal jobs are not proceeding according to their "master plan." They fear that one wrong move will forever thwart their future success.

   Veteran lawyers, however, will tell you that successful career development rarely occurs according to a detailed master plan. Your first legal job will not be your last legal job. Today, experts estimate that the average lawyer changes jobs every 3 ½ years or so. Successful career development usually entails parlaying fortuitous (sometimes disappointing) events into terrific-practice building opportunities. Making lemonade from lemons, as they say, and then zig-zagging to the next opportunity.

   If (and when) you feel tempted to say, "take this job and shove it" because you fear things aren't going according to carefully laid plans, BE PATIENT! Remember that a semester, a summer, or even a year is a nano-second compared to the duration of your entire career. More seasoned lawyers may question the wisdom and rationality of a new attorney who quits his job at the first sign of dissatisfaction and without other prospects lined up in advance. Employers need to know you'll handle professional decisions calmly, methodically, and logically. Quitting prematurely hurts your case. Indeed, most lawyers suffered through disappointments during their career. Yet, most stuck with a job long enough to learn skills and to show they can make the best of any situation.

   If after a meaningful period of time you still conclude the fit with your employer is truly terrible, develop a rational job search plan. Execute your plan in a disciplined way-while continuing to do good work for your current employer. Unless an employer is abusing you verbally, physically, ethically, or in some other way, you will almost always be better off searching for your next job while employed, than quitting without alternatives lined up in advance.

   A wise person once said, "The race is long." New lawyers must take this long-term view-regardless of current economic conditions. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. Coach yourself accordingly!

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