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Keeping Your Legal Career on Track January 21, 2010 NYC Bar Association

Joseph Brazil. Keeping Your Legal Career on Track January 21, 2010 NYC Bar Association. Partner in Bank Finance group of White & Case’s NY office Section representative to Career Development and Recruiting Committee. Background. Topics for Discussion.

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Keeping Your Legal Career on Track January 21, 2010 NYC Bar Association

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  1. Joseph Brazil Keeping Your Legal Career on TrackJanuary 21, 2010NYC Bar Association

  2. Partner in Bank Finance group of White & Case’s NY office Section representative to Career Development and Recruiting Committee Background

  3. Topics for Discussion • Adjusting to New Economy – NY Times Article • Taking Control of Your Career • Why do it • How to do it • Resources • Identifying and utilizing resources available to you

  4. Taking Stock • Why did you decide to become a lawyer? • Has practicing been what you thought it would be? • Where did you think your career would be at this stage in your life? • What obstacles have you encountered? What opportunities have you been presented with? • Do you have career goals? What are they and what are you doing regularly to pursue these goals? • How much time do you spend on a monthly basis doing something to further your career?

  5. New Economy/New Times • Legal community experiencing significant change • Need to change with the times and be strategic and smart about what you are doing • Following along blindly no longer works • Two key things: • Educate and prepare yourself • Develop a strategy and goals and hold yourself accountable • Remember: It is not reasonable to expect others to spend time on your career development if you will not do it for yourself.

  6. Developing a Career Strategy and Goals What you CAN’T control: * Economy * Your employer’s business decisions * To a certain degree, whether or not you are let go What you CAN control: * Setting, evaluating and modifying your professional goals * Educating yourself and gaining substantive knowledge * Playing to your strengths and managing your weaknesses * Quality of your work * Situational awareness and professionalism * Degree to which you identify and seize opportunities

  7. Getting Started – The “College” Approach • Internal Resources • Colleagues at firm/employer • Professional development staff/human resources • Library – access to written materials • Evaluations and self-assessments (more later) • Training programs • Intranet • Knowledge banks • Announcements regarding new deals/cases and resolved and closed matters • Alumni website

  8. Getting Started • External Resources • Family, friends and neighbors • Bar associations • Alumni networks (both academic and former employers) • Career coaches/counselors • CLE events • Trade events • Clients

  9. Identify and Seize Opportunities • Do not always expect something in return – money, billable hours etc. Take advantage of an opportunity because you may meet someone new, gain visibility, learn something and somehow further your career. • Be objective and take advantage of opportunities regardless of what others may think. • Be open and whenever possible take a chance. You never know where it may lead.

  10. Maximizing Law Firm Experience • Be a good “firm citizen” • Do good work and treat people with respect • Be responsive • Have a good attitude • Volunteer to help out and demonstrate willingness to learn • Do not bad mouth firm and/or colleagues • Take your role seriously and do what you are asked to do when you are asked to do it. Meet and respect deadlines. • Teach and mentor

  11. Maximizing Law Firm Experience – Evaluations and Feedback • Sole purpose of evaluation meeting is to talk about you and your career development. This is a conversation about YOU so be prepared to talk the majority of the time. • Get a copy of the evaluation form and understand your firm’s evaluation process • Prepare, prepare, prepare • Review deals/cases worked on • Note achievements and classes attended • Complete self-evaluations • Meet deadlines and review junior attorneys if asked to do so • Come prepared like it is a job interview • Ask questions. Get specific. Identify your developmental needs and ask reviewers what resources are available to help you. Hold them accountable in a professional manner.

  12. Maximizing Law Firm Experience – Evaluations and Feedback • Handling Feedback • All Good – Be happy and proud but you always have something you could be better at so probe deeper and get evaluators to discuss with you. • Mixed/Neutral – Figure out what you need to improve on and discuss next steps. • Negative – Do not get defensive or angry. Appropriate to ask for time to think about the comments and come back to them within a week. Take time to reflect on comments and figure out what happened – could be a matter of perception, miscommunication etc. Own your mistakes and discuss ways to move forward. Follow-up if you say you are going to do so.

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