Assistant Director for Professional Development
Dean Van Cleave wrote an interesting article published recently in the Daily Journal in which she talks about our role as lawyers. New lawyers like you are entrepreneurs in creating opportunities in an ever-changing legal environment. Utilizing the skills learned in law school – critical reading and thinking, legal analysis, effective research skills, oral and written communication, fact investigation and collaboration – combined with confidence and resilience provides a foundation for this entrepreneurial spirit.
This idea of a flexible entrepreneurial spirit got me
thinking about how many of you have looked at the glass half full and embraced
opportunities. You’ve been open to considering different areas of practice, different
locales, and working independently (often with several firms) to get that
needed legal experience to move onto the next opportunity. You are scrappy, and
I mean that in the most complimentary way.
It is hard for me to believe that I’ve been working in the legal field for more than 30 years – starting as a paralegal in a large law firm, as an associate attorney in a small firm, as in-house counsel at several Fortune 500 companies, and as an independent contract attorney, all before working here in LCS. (And yes, I graduated from law school when I was 10 years old!)
What I have observed over this time and in all these varied settings,
is that the attorneys who are scrappy end up with amazing opportunities and are
often happy in their careers. Don’t lose that resilience, flexibility and
openness to change. When you have a choice, work with others who you enjoy
being around and inspire you in your work. You are more amazing than you give
yourself credit for.
