Build Relationships with Partners and Clients
Cultivate strong relationships with your assigning attorneys and clients. As a new associate, it might take some time before you are communicating directly with clients. You can expedite that process by gaining the trust of assigning attorneys by: (1) being responsive to project requests; (2) completing tasks in a timely manner; (3) taking ownership over projects; (4) anticipating assigning attorney needs; (5) thinking creatively; and (6) becoming invested in finding solutions for clients. I also recommend keeping track of assigning attorney preferences, such as communication preferences (calls vs. emails) and writing style preferences. Also, let your assigning attorney know that you want to understand your clients’ business objectives, company culture, and unique challenges by offering to sit in on client calls and making site visits, if and when possible.
Build Relationships with Business Professionals
Building relationships with your professional staff will serve you well for several reasons. I am fortunate to work for a full-service firm, with numerous business professionals that assist us with dayto-day operations, including paralegals, legal assistants, office services personnel, scientists, data analysts, client development specialists, and more. Without these professionals, the firm would not operate, and there will inevitably be an occasion where you will need help in a pinch and these individuals will keep you above water. Many of these professionals have been doing this work for a long time and will be able to teach you critical skills, including, for example, how to e-file a document on a Friday after business hours.
Seek Mentorship and Sponsorship
Mentorship and sponsorship play a critical role in the professional development of new attorneys. If your firm does not offer a formal mentorship program, seek out advice from attorneys who have taken a career path you would like to emulate. Even if you are formally paired with a mentor, remember there is no limit on the number of people you can learn from throughout your career. Foster those relationships that feel most authentic for you. Sponsorship remains elusive and difficult for many individuals to find. The difference between mentors and sponsors is that sponsors hold positions of power and influence and can directly provide job opportunities or lobby on others’ behalf. Hopefully, a sponsorship relationship will form naturally, but if it does not, there are ways that new attorneys can increase the likelihood of such a relationship forming. For example, you can seek advice from a senior leader within your organization and cultivate a relationship with that person. You could also become involved in firm citizenship initiatives, such as firm committees, where firm leaders are often present.
Continue Hobbies
One mistake that many new attorneys make is giving their all to this demanding profession without carving out any time to continue their pre-legal life hobbies, such as exercising, reading for pleasure, crafting, or music. Carving time out of your schedule to partake in activities that are entirely unrelated to your practice will make you a better legal professional in that it will help you avoid burnout and force you to use your brain in a totally different way than you would drafting a brief or reviewing legal documents. On more than one occasion, my most creative legal theories popped into my brain during or after a good workout or a walk outside. Also, no one wants to talk about the law all the time, including your colleagues and clients. By making time for your hobbies, you will also be a more interesting and well-rounded person—making you much more fun to be around!
Stay Authentic
Stay authentic by embracing your unique background and experiences. Just because you are an attorney does not mean you must sacrifice parts of yourself that do not fit into the traditional mold of what an attorney is “supposed” to look or act like. This can be challenging for new attorneys who want to make a good impression. Fortunately, I have never been treated any differently because of my personal style or tattoos, my outspoken personality, or for showing glimpses of my Latina culture through my office décor. If you feel like you must hide parts of your identity to be accepted by your employer or colleagues, it is quite possible you just haven’t found the right fit yet.
Conclusion
Embarking on this career path requires grit, a multifaceted skill set, patience, navigating challenges with grace and, at times, a good sense of humor. Work hard, master the basics, build relationships, and continue to foster other crucial skills such as legal research and writing and time management. In navigating this new world, do not lose sight of who you are outside of this profession, and make time for doing those things that you love.