Five Success Tips Every Summer Associate Should Know

If you’ve landed a summer associate position in this job market, you should be proud.  These positions are few and far between, reserved for the best and brightest.  Still, your work doesn’t end here. This is just the beginning.

Consider that your summer is one long, extended interview, where your goal is to leave meaningful impressions on all of your law firm colleagues. While this may sound like a tall order, the good news is that it is completely doable. You have all of the tools at your disposal to be a constructive, productive member of your firm over the summer. You have all of the tools you need to succeed. 

To take a step back, success as a summer associate generally does not mean that you’ve written a winning appellate brief or single-handedly closed a complex deal (you’re not licensed, so chances of doing substantive work independently at this level are remote, at best).  Instead, your success will center in large part on those soft skills we don’t learn in law school but that, as it turns out, are among the most meaningful in the course of a successful legal career.

Here are five success tips every summer associate should know going into a law firm.

Personal Branding Corner: Make A Difference Instead of Make Money

In recent years, we've seen a shift in how successful business is conducted.  Because of the recession and the jaded nature of society, people are looking to work with businesses that are about making a difference instead of focused exclusively on making money.

Every business exists to make a profit, or at least enough money to pay the overhead costs they incur.  That's just smart business.  However, the truly successful businesses have figured out that success is way more than turning a profit.

In order to be outstanding and have a business brand that exudes leadership in your industry, you have to shift your company focus.  The focus must become one of how to make it about others.  In other words, what is your fundamental business mission and how does it make a difference for others? 

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Best Friends at the Bar: Kudos to the DC Women's Bar Association for a Great Program

Last week I wrote a blog that reflected my pride in my law alma mater, Georgetown Law.  Today, I am equally as proud of the DC Women's Bar Association, where I have been a member for over 30 years, for the work that they do for women lawyers.  I attend DCWBA-sponsored programs as often as possible, and I also have presented programs on their behalf. Those programs are always very helpful and valuable for women in the profession.

The DCWBA event that I attended last week was right at the top of my list of outstanding programs.  The program, which was hosted by the DC office of Sutherland Asbill & Brennen and addressed "Gender Equity in Partner Compensation:  Why It Matters & How To Do It," was moderated by DCWBA President Laura Possesky and featured a special appearance by ABA President Lauren Fellows.  Ms. Bellows' remarks were inspiring and also included challenges to the women in the audience to be a part of the solutions to what sometimes feel like age-old problems for women in the law.  The panel was comprised of representatives from of DLA Piper, Crowell & Moring, Arnold & Porter and the University of Maryland Law School.

Personal Branding Corner: What Makes Up A Good First Impression?

In my line of work, we are always studying perception value: that of clients', their target market, the public's, etc.  We do this in an effort to be able to accurately gauge, and thus control that almighty first impression. You know the moment, even if you want to try and forget some of the not-s0-good ones you've had.  It's all about when you first notice someone- from across the crowded networking room or at a meeting.  Do they "sit" well with you or not?  Do you "like" them or not?  Do they look smart and credible or not?

So what exactly equals a good first impression?   Is it something we can quantify somehow so we can recreate the success formula over and over again- or at least know when we don't see it?

A litigator was recently lamenting to me about a jury trial she was involved with.

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Best Friends at the Bar: The Future of Law Practice and a Proud Day for Georgetown Law

My law alma mater hit it over the fence last Friday with a program on The Shrinking Pyramid:  Implications for Law Practice and the Legal Profession.  This is serious stuff, so get yourself a fresh cup of coffee---no decaf!---and listen to what some of the best and the brightest minds in our profession think about your future in law.  You may see an irony----as I did----that some of the issues that women have faced in our profession for years are finally getting greater attention because of the lifestyle concerns of the new generation of male lawyers.  Some things never change!  However, progress is progress.

This day-long program, sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at GT Law, was attended by over 100 law practitioners, business professionals and academics.  It was a thought-provoking day and included discussion of the state of legal practice, the changing roles for lawyers in a global economy, changing law firm models, the quality of legal education to prepare students for today's practice, and the affordability of legal education.

Press Release: Yale Law Women Announces 2013 Top Ten Family Friendly Firms

Yale Law Women (YLW) is pleased to announce its eighth annual Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List. Yale Law Women produces its annual Top Ten Family Friendly Firms List to monitor trends in family friendliness in the Vault 100, raise awareness of gender disparities within the legal profession, highlight progress and innovative solutions, and identify areas for improvement. We believe that the legal profession should allow all attorneys to cultivate their best selves in their work and balance a challenging and engaging career with personal interests and obligations.

The 2013 Top Ten Firms, in alphabetical order, are:

Arnold & Jaworski

Fulbright & Jaworski

Goodwin Procter

Hunton & Williams

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe

Leverage Your Judicial Clerkship for a Successful Private Sector Career: Clerks Who Publish, Part I

Jumping off of the theme of using your time wisely during your judicial clerkship and closing gaps in your resume, this month’s post details the process for getting published. If you have never published before this may seem like a daunting task. However, it’s a great opportunity if you do not have law review experience or the “publications” section of your resume is blank/nonexistent. The time is right! While attorneys in private practice probably have it better in terms of publishers to choose from and opportunities to co-author with a partner, judicial clerks have time on their side.

Because navigating the publishing world is a long process in which attention to detail is key, I split this explanation into two parts. Part I (April post) will cover the process up until submission. Part II (May post) will cover the submission process and what you should do while waiting to hear back from publishers.

First, think about where you want to work and the types of industry journals and/or law reviews your target firms hold in high esteem. To do this look at the profiles of the managing partners and counsel in the practice groups you are interested in. Are you aiming for a state or federal practice? If you are targeting the latter, consider a national publication. The broader the audience the better!

Best Friends at the Bar: More on Mixing Business with Pleasure and the Art of Client Development

Last week I turned again to the subject of client development.  I don't mean to be a nag on this, but it is SO important.  Then, just this morning, I came across an article from Forbes.com, which posed an important question about neworking and business development.  The article, "Mixing Business With Pleasure.  Men Do it.  Why Do Women Hesitate? " points out some very important differences in the way that men and women approach client development.  It seems that networking---the foreplay of client development---is somehow a dirty word to many women.  With that unfortunate attitude, the women will never be able to compete with the men.

The article describes a strange attitude by the organizers of a global women's leadership forum that discourages networking and showcasing professional skills during the event.  In fact, the article describes a verbal directive by the event organizers not only discouraging these practices but also couching the admonition in terms of not wanting to "bother" the elite members of the organization with any kind of self promotion.

Best Friends at the Bar: The Importance of Client Development---Revisited

Client development is the single most important requirement for your success in the law. You have heard it from me before, and you will hear it again.  It seems to be at the bottom of most of the dilemmas and career disappointments that I hear from women lawyers today. Women lawyers, both young and older, are finding out at different points in their careers just how important client development is - or was.

Having your own clients gives you independence, and independence is what protects your job security. If you have developed your own clients and can walk out the door with them, the invitation to walk out the door - the pink slip or RIF - may never come - or your decision to try something different than your law firm will be an easier one to make. You have developed something of value by having clients that are loyal to you, and that loyalty is apparent to everyone around you.  Ushering you out the door is inviting clients to go with you and affects law firm profits. That is never a good thing for a law firm.

AMBITION: WOMEN POWERING UP

Editor's Note: Ms. JD is pleased to share with you a recent piece by Debbie Epstein Henry of Flextime Lawyers and Tom Sager the General Counsel of DuPont.  This piece first appeared in Diversity and the Bar, a publication of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.  For more information on MCCA, click here.  Ms. JD is pleased to announce that Debbie Epstein Henry is among our featured speakers at the Ms. JD Local Philadelphia Speed Mentoring Event and Attorney Reception.  For more information and to register for the Philadelphia Event on February 28th, click here.

Webster's Dictionary defines ambition as "an ardent desire for rank, fame, and power." That is not what senior executives and managing partners should be looking for in identifying future successors. Those who embrace this definition and use it as the lens through which to evaluate potential leaders are limiting, to an employer's
disadvantage, its talent pool and leadership pipeline. However, if ambition is defined as "an ardent desire to lead and influence the actions of others," the pipeline opens, especially for women.

We recently participated in a conference that featured four executive women discussing women and leadership. During the 90-minute panel discussion, there was no mention of ambition or power. When we raised these subjects at the end of the program, the panel and audience were silent.