The legal marketplace has undergone many changes in the past several years, and it continues to do so even today. Corporations have been merging, law firms expanding to become full-service, partners leaving the very law firms they established, clients hopping from firm to firm without regard to long term established relationships, and beginning associates earning unprecedented salaries. Change is happening all around us, and all predictions are for this pace to continue.
Managing Your Career
As a result of the fast pace of change in the legal environment, people and organizations are moving at breakneck speed in an effort to keep up. Given the pace and the never-ending time constraints attorneys struggle with, law firm partners are cautious about putting time and effort into an associate who is here today, but may be gone tomorrow. Those young lawyers who have developed a mentoring, or other type of collegial association, with a more seasoned attorney, are fortunate. There are simply fewer opportunities for close affiliations and loyalties to develop.
With everyone's plate overflowing, with more to do than time permits, there is unlikely to be anyone at the firm who oversees your career progress, who makes certain that you develop the required skills and have opportunities to advance. You can not expect the firm, your department head, or anyone else, to come seeking you out for career-making assignments. It is not going to happen as it may have several years ago.
As a consequence -- you must be the managing attorney when it comes to your career. If you are serious about jump starting your career, about getting recognition for your hard work, and having greater opportunities than you've previously been afforded, you must make it happen. You must determine what direction you want to head toward, what it takes to get there, and how you can make yourself more valuable. Today most of us recognize that we can not leave our health management in the hands of our doctors; we must be involved and proactive. The same principle holds for career management. You must take charge! You must be the one who makes things happen!
Making Time for Career Management
This means making affirmative choices about where it is you want to go, what it takes to get there, and whether the efforts required to achieve those goals are worth the required time commitment. Time, one of our most precious commodities, is already is in short supply. Yet, moving your career ahead will require an additional commitment of time. Where will this career management time come from? While the answer will differ from person to person, there has to be a plan, there has to be a commitment -- or the perfect time to get started will never occur. Many people begin the process, put it on the back burner during a major trial or similarly large M & A deal; many months later they may start all over, another large matter comes along -- and you know what happens. They never get beyond that initial start. "Wanna be" job changers are like dieters. They get very enthused about making changes, get started with the process and make some preliminary progress, but then, long before their goal is achieved, they get side tracked. Similarly, many alumni come into the Office of Career Services for an annual "kick in the pants," and while we frequently light their fire, the motivation to keep it going has to reside in the individual. There is no way around it, if you want to achieve a higher level of career satisfaction, if you want to move ahead, if
you want to be all that you are capable of being, you must commit the time -- and for most lawyers, that is the greatest challenge. "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try."
Keeping Up with What's Happening
What's new in your area of expertise? Do you read, stay current in the field? Finding time (This issue never goes away.) to stay current, also is difficult. However, for those on the move, those looking to put themselves in the right place at the right time, there is no choice.
Moreover, today it is necessary not only to stay current in your own specialty area, but it is important to monitor business fluctuations and economic and political trends. Make it your business to watch the trends; there is no other way to be ahead of the curve. Keep up with the new and the news -- read the Wall Street Journal everyday; read local newspapers and read trade publications and newsletters. You will develop an understanding of business cycles, and will recognize how these cycles impact your specialty area. As you observe these trends and business cycles, you will have greater perspective of the interaction between law and business -- and, thus, will be more realistic about the most logical way to redirect your career. Additionally, your increased awareness of what is happening in the business world will make you a much more valuable advisor to clients -- as you counsel them about business alternatives. Clearly, to succeed today one must be a "Renaissance man" -- with knowledge of far more than your chosen legal specialty. It's important to keep learning and not limit yourself to your specialty area. The days of the pure technician are limited and perhaps over.
Teaming with Other Professionals:
As the distinctions between law and business blur, more and more lawyers, regardless of practice area, will be working with other professionals. Previously this meant calling on an expert and then deferring to his/her experience and expertise. Today working with other professionals is much more of a collaborative effort. Again, your value to clients will be greater if you can work well with the business professionals, "talk their talk," understand the related issues, and then bring all of this to the table to assist your clients in developing a winning strategy. It appears contradictory -- however, to be an effective career manager it is necessary to be both a generalist and a specialist.
Developing Oral Communications Skills
First impressions, which are difficult to change, result in large measure from an individual's presentation of self, a significant portion of which is tied directly to the strength of your oral communication skills. How do you rate your oral presentation skills? Whether it's a job interview, an informal meeting or a presentation to a potential client, oral communications skills directly influence perceptions of competence and ability! This fact can be frustrating for those who are naturally reserved, or those who have difficulty expressing themselves, but like it or not, nothing is quite as important to success. Your presentation skills influence other people's impression of your ability. Your impact on others, your ability to influence and persuade, are also a function of your writing skills. As you take charge of your career, as you seek to move ahead, be aware of the impression you are making. Think through what you are about to say; and be very vigilant of what goes out with your name on it -- and that includes the e-mail messages you send.
Your Most Important Document
Conversations with career changers often begin with a request to look at their resume - - so as to have a frame of reference about who they are and what they've done in their career. Not infrequently I learn that they have not updated their resumes in years. Your resume should be a document "in progress," and annual "check ups" make good sense. In becoming an effective career manager you will need an updated resume on hand -- just in case. Take a critical look at your resume -- Is it a good marketing tool? Too many resumes are filled with broad generalities rather than specifics of the writer's accomplishments. Those who will be evaluating your resume already know the generalities involved in your field. They are looking for something that distinguishes you. The purpose of the resume is to get you in the door; it is a marketing tool. Does your resume do a good job of selling you?
Acknowledging Others in Your Climb
As you go about the process of seeking additional responsibilities and visibility, as you move yourself along toward a more challenging and successful career, remember to acknowledge others -- advisors, mentors, colleagues, other professionals with whom you interact, co-workers, etc. Not because they have helped to advance your career, (Remember you are the one in charge), but simply because creating positive working relationships will serve you well. When appropriate, send thank you letters, congratulatory notes, and messages praising others for their good work. It doesn't take much effort to let people know that it was nice to make their acquaintance. Treat all levels of persons (from messenger to corporate President) with courtesy. Show respect for clients by acknowledging their concerns and certainly by letting them know when their project can not be completed by the date expected. Developing positive relationships with others will add to your career success!
Devising an Organizational Scheme
Staying involved in your career and family life while simultaneously preparing yourself to move ahead requires good time management and organizational skills. Some of us are compulsive organizers and others have no interest in the subject. Where ever you fall on that continuum, find a system that works for you. The important part is not the organizational system, but the commitment to take charge and move your career forward. There are too many details, resumes, people, conversations, etc. along the way that must be remembered. You will need some tracking capability. With such a system, with commitment and with unparallel persistence, you can move forward. Good luck on the journey, and let us know if we can be of assistance.
Marilyn Tucker, Director of Alumni Career Services
