6 Career Development Tips for Law Firm Associates

I know how confusing it is to steer those first few years of your law career. It is important to get clarity early on so you can navigate a path that works for you, and your career can skyrocket. The critical thing is to be intentional about the development of your career path and have a plan. Today we will provide some tips to get you thinking about your career development plan.

Set goals and build a plan.

So, when should you start thinking about your long term professional goals and crafting a career development plan? At the very beginning of your career! Of course, this plan won’t be set in stone and will change with time, but it’s essential to have an idea of what your endgame is from the get go. By jotting down your professional goals and crafting a strategy to achieve them, you are setting your future self up for success.

What are your long term career goals? How will you improve your skills within the next year? How about the next five years? Asking yourself these questions and taking them down serves as a guide for you. When choosing whether to join professional organizations, attend conferences or trainings, or engage in work-related activities, you can refer back to your answers to these questions, and determine if these activities are aligned with your long-term goals. Choose the activities that are in alignment.

If you are grinding away without having any goals in mind, you will never know if all the effort you are putting in will lead to the place you want to be. Setting goals and having a plan helps you navigate your career in an intentional manner that will increase the chances that your career will develop in the way you want it to progress.

Begin networking.

If you’re not already, dive deep into networking. Networking is your best friend. It can happen anywhere. It can occur in work settings, and outside of work as well. Anywhere!

That person you’re comfortable chatting with at the coffee shop every morning? Link her up with a business card or connect with her on LinkedIn! You can thank me when she calls you a few months later with a referral.

That dad that sits next to you at your son’s baseball game could be the in-house counsel at a company, or the owner of a business that could need your legal help in the future. Keep your eyes open. Potential clients or sources of referrals are everywhere!

The people you meet every day in business and personal settings could become valuable contacts later. Your network should include peers at other law firms, supporters within your firm, and clients.

Build client relationships.

Building relationships with clients is essential. As lawyers, we all get busy and crunched for time. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is quickly speak or meet with a client, take in the information you need or answer the question they have, and then quickly move on to the next task or client.

But the easiest thing to do is not always the best for success. If the opportunity opens up, take a few minutes to ask about their family, their interests and hobbies. Build that relationship. A few minutes to deepen your relationship with your client will create bonding and loyalty. This will help you get their future work. Bringing in more work from existing clients is often the first rainmaking step for associates. You’ll be amazed how bringing in more work will boost the progression of your career.

Let your client know where and how to contact you when they need to reach you. Your client will develop a stronger connection with you if they feel you are accessible.

Find an advisor or mentor.

Find someone you trust and admire within or outside your firm and build a relationship with them.  When deciding who to seek as a mentor, consider what do you admire about them? What do you notice about what they do that you like? What would you like to learn from them? 

Take them out to lunch or invite them to have coffee. Let them know you could use their advice. Ask them how to avoid problems you may be facing. Don’t be shy to establish a mentorship relationship. People are flattered when they are identified for their problem-solving skills or when they are seen as advisors.  

If possible, find a mentor who can also advocate for you inside your firm. Having strong advocates and supporters can be crucial to your career development. Learn more about building your own personal board of directors here.

Ask for feedback.

By asking for feedback, you are demonstrating your willingness to listen. Any feedback is positive, even if it’s negative. It’s true. If you get negative feedback, pursue it! Question what you could have done better or differently. This allows you to grow into the best possible lawyer version of yourself. Also, there’s nothing more impressive than people who learn, grow, and change from their mistakes. Demonstrate this.

Asking for feedback also gives you the opportunity to identify and work on correcting any area of your performance that needs improvement. It is better to learn early on about a skill or area where you need to improve, instead of learning about it on the day of your evaluation. By asking for feedback and working on and resolving the issues that were raised, you can avoid negative comments in your formal evaluation, which will stay in your permanent record.

Take time for yourself.

And last, but not least, take time for yourself! This career is demanding, and it’s so important not to get burnt out. If you begin to feel stressed out or overwhelmed, stop and consider where you can cut back, seek help or delegate. Make sure you pencil in time to do things you enjoy, and give your brain time to reenergize. By inviting in time for yourself, you are giving yourself room to grow in your career.

Learning to navigate your path is the key to your career development. By reading this article and taking these steps into account, you are already navigating your course. Find out what flows well for you and what doesn’t work for you. Remember, you are the creator of your career path.