Courtney
Brown
Graduate
Fellow
Law
Career Development
Law
school is not just another step in your education; it is where your legal
career begins. It is important to use this time to create relationships within
the legal community, build a strong reputation, and hone skills that will be
useful throughout your career.
1.
Relationships
There
are many different groups of people that you will create relationships with
while you are in law school: classmates, professors, lawyers, and school staff
members. Although as law students we are told regularly how important
networking is, many of us forget that relationships are built in many different
settings, not just networking events. In fact, relationships with fellow
classmates, professors, and law school staff are just as important as the
relationships you create with attorneys at networking events, but are often
overlooked.
It
is easy to get lost in the craziness that is law school, and to focus entirely
on classes and grades. It is also easy to treat classmates differently based on
the grades they receive or the SORG positions they hold. However, like you
would not be rude or dismissive to a co-worker you do not like, you should do
the same with your classmates as they are professional relationships. You never
know when and under what circumstances you will meet these people again; they
could be a future client, judge, colleague or boss. “Classmates…can help open
and just as quickly help close doors in your career.”
Equally
important to relationships with classmates, are relationships with deans,
professors, and other law school staff. At GGU we are fortunate to have a dean,
professors, and staff that are invested in the success of their students, and
are almost always willing and able to sit down and talk to their students. As
law students, you should make sure you are taking advantage of these
opportunities, because the relationships you build could be useful in the
future if you are looking to work in academia or need information about a
certain area of law that a former professor has expertise in.
2.
Reputation
Just
as you want to build relationships in law school, you also want to make sure
that people know you for good reasons. Our reputation is one of the
most fragile things we possess. Your reputation will follow you, especially
“with classmate[s] who will become colleagues, partners, and the judges before
whom we will stand.”
Law
school is the time when you start showing classmates, professors, staff, and
lawyers that you have a strong work ethic. Although good grades and rank will
help boost you in the eyes of your classmates, there are a lot of other things
to consider that are just as important or more important when building your
reputation. Some easy ways to start building a strong reputation is by being on
time to classes and meetings, as well as, being prepared for these.
On
the same note as being on time for meetings, it is even more important that you
show up for meetings and events that you schedule or commit to. I hear far too
often about students not showing up for appointments or events they have
committed to, and even worse is when they do not give any advance warning of
their non-attendance. Not showing up or being late to meetings, events, or
interviews is not acceptable when you are in law school, and especially not
when you become a lawyer. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are
calendaring your meetings and events, and getting into this habit now will help
you when you graduate and need to calendar hearing, trial and deposition dates.
Other
things that impact your reputation are the way you communicate with others and
what you are wearing to school, networking events, and interviews. Both of
these topics will be discussed separately in more detail below.
3.
Professional
Attire
The
way you dress and present yourself sends strong messages to those that see you.
It can communicate to them your attitude and even your commitment to becoming a
lawyer. It is always important to dress properly for the occasion.
Although
law school observes casual dress codes for its students, you should still keep
in mind that law school is designed to prepare you for being an attorney.
Especially when you are tired from studying the night before, it is easy to
wake up with just enough time to wash your face and put on some workout
clothes. However, it is important that you put time into how you look. You want
to make a good impression with those you come in contact with at the school,
and looking sloppy will not do that.
Instead of wearing sweatpants or yoga pants, try to wear a nice pair of
jeans and a shirt that fits well.
Even
more important than what you wear to school, is what you wear to work,
interviews, and networking events. When you go to a job interview, an
informational interview, or a networking event, you should always wear a suit. The
atmosphere of the legal community is slow changing, and it is always better to
be overdressed in an interview or at an event because you are wearing a suit,
then to be underdressed.
4.
Social Media
Social Media is expanding in
scope and size, and firms are becoming more involved in blogging and using
LinkedIn and Facebook. With the increased use of Facebook, Twitter, and
LinkedIn by potential employers, it is important that students use social media
as a networking source and present themselves professionally to that network.
One
of the most important things to do is to clean up your Facebook and Twitter
profiles so that they present a professional persona to the outside world.
Although Facebook and Twitter are more personal, you should keep in mind that
what you post on Facebook or Twitter could be seen by a potential employer if
they search your name.
If
you have not already created a LinkedIn page with a professional headshot and
the experiences and awards you have received, now is the time to do it. Use
LinkedIn as a way to connect with people that others in your network know,
because these connections could lead to potential job opportunities. Also make
sure you are keeping your profile updated so that potential employers can see
your experience and accomplishments if they access it.
5.
Communication
Effective
communication is very important skill for an attorney to have, especially since
being an attorney requires that you be able to communicate with many different
groups of people. Unfortunately, many lawyers are not good at it, especially
when it comes to communicating with their clients. In fact, failure to
adequately communicate with a client is one of top complaints made by clients
against their attorneys. One of the best parts of GGU is that they provide
students with many opportunities to learn and practice how to effectively
communicate in the many different situations you will be in as an attorney. You
should take advantage of these opportunities so that you are better prepared
when you graduate and get your first attorney position.
There
are many ways to communicate with people, but it is important to keep in mind
that “in-person communication is better than
telephone communication and telephone communication is better than electronic
communication,” when deciding how to communicate with someone. Although
face-to-face communication may be the best way to build a relationship, most of
the interactions you will have with other attorneys, professors, and colleagues
will be through email, so learning how to send a proper and professional email
is something you should start working on now.
