You’ve landed that elusive role at a large commercial law firm. Few are fortunate enough to get the chance to commence their careers like this. You probably hustled your way through law school, with many sleepless nights and coffee-fuelled study sessions, dreaming of the day when you’d finally get that coveted piece of paper. And you got there. Congrats! Unfortunately, though, the hard work isn’t over. The next question is: how can you get on a proper progression track and maximise your chances for career advancement? What small things can you do to make the job work for you? And more importantly, what things should you avoid doing?

Many graduate lawyers enter the profession with huge expectations about the doors that will open to them. They can’t wait to experience the interesting, challenging and varied work that’s ahead of them. They’re excited to start building professional relationships with clients and colleagues. And yes, these times are exciting, but it doesn’t take long for reality to set in. There is no doubt that doing a stint in a commercial law firm will add value to your career – but the value is what you make it. The key to getting the most out of your experience is to be proactive, enthusiastic and curious.

Often, the day-to-day work doesn’t turn out to be as interesting as you expected. You thought you’d have ample opportunities to collaborate with your peers when in reality you’re just competing for work. For many young lawyers, this is not sustainable. Only the lawyers who are able to accept this reality and work proactively are successful in the long-term.

Why is this? Well, the top performers tend to come into the job with an attitude of enthusiasm and gratitude that their more entitled colleagues may not possess. This attitude impacts hugely on your progression and enjoyment of the job. You’ll establish better networks within the firm and build respect from partners and colleagues. These relationships are crucial to progressing your career.

It might be hard at first, but finding a way to check your ego at the door is the smoothest path to the success you’re looking for. For those who are committed to practice, with the goal of becoming a partner one day, here are 5 areas where the best associates shine.

They Have Realistic Expectations

It’s hard not to believe the hype about yourself, right? You were one of the best and brightest law students and a true high achiever. You outshone the competition and landed the top graduate role. You deserve to be where you are and you deserve all the great things you have coming to you.

For young lawyers, this is an easy trap to fall into. It is also something that can really hold you back from advancing in a large law firm. Stepping on toes might work in the short-term but, in the long-term, it’s a recipe for failure. The most respected junior lawyers are realistic in their assessment of themselves and of the day-to-day work they will undertake.

They know they have little real world experience. They know that this means they need to put their heads down, learn as much as possible and produce the best work they can before they earn the respect of more senior colleagues. They also understand that they are a part of the business and have to operate within the reality of this structure.

You don’t practice law in a vacuum, so taking a commercial approach to your work and outlook is a huge leg up.

They Are Patient

It can be easy to get ahead of yourself. You can be forgiven for expecting the very best work to be directed your way from day one. Firms are notorious for creating the misplaced expectation that you’ll be handed interesting work on a silver platter.

This usually isn’t the case, as workflows and allocation are complex issues. Remember, you have zero experience. You need to start at the bottom. You need to learn before you can step up. Building knowledge, experience and credibility is a slow process.

The best young lawyers recognise that it is all a process and that patience is key. Don’t let impatience prevent you from learning all the incremental skills that form the foundation of something much bigger. Importantly, start building your personal brand while you’re young, and it will reap dividends as you climb the ranks.

They Are Enthusiastic

Time and time again, senior lawyers and partners tell us about the importance of enthusiasm from juniors. Being genuinely enthusiastic about learning and doing the work is the surest way to ensure your success. Yes, even when you’re doing dull day-to-day stuff.

Being enthusiastic means that you bring a totally different level of energy to work. This is something that partners and senior associates pick up on easily. Turning your nose up at work you think is below you, or huffing and puffing about having to do menial tasks will get you nowhere.  By doing this, you appear closed minded or unwilling to do what is required to succeed within the firm. This impacts the work that will be delegated to you.

Your learning and development is a long process. Try to be enthusiastic about whatever tasks are handed to you and learn as much as you can. This will make you stand out in the eyes of those in charge of your progression.

They Are Proactive

Young lawyers often have a misplaced expectation that their firm will deliver internal and external opportunities. Law firms are businesses and partners are very busy people, so they might not be in a position to make these things happen for you.

The most successful lawyers are proactive. They make the most of any opportunity that could separate them from the herd. They explore and learn about how the firm operates. They actively seek avenues for mentorship and discover ways to contribute in non-billable areas. They seek out these opportunities themselves and look to take advantage of them.

It takes effort and enthusiasm to achieve this. But, if you want to separate yourself from your colleagues, you need to seek out mentorship, business development opportunities, client facing time, seminars, and other ways to make yourself indispensable to the firm.

Actively position yourself as a doer – someone who can be trusted to get the job done. This gives you the opportunity to flex your autonomy and independent thinking muscles. By proactively taking part in activities that you enjoy you are already one step closer to making your career work for you, and not the other way around.

They Are Honest

For some, having the courage to speak up is the hardest part. It can be terrifying to put your hand up and ask for help, or suggest a different approach, but will anything change by remaining silent?

If those you work with don’t know that you are unhappy, for example, there is very little they can do to address potential issues or make the necessary changes to help you. So, be honest and seek out guidance from those in more senior positions. An open and honest approach to work issues can open doors and gain you the respect of your colleagues. Chances are, they may be thinking the same thing but lack the confidence to speak up.

Bear in mind that senior staff and partners in firms are time poor, so be selective about when you make an approach and how you raise the issue.

Conclusion

Given how competitive the legal profession can be, some of the above points may seem counterintuitive. But, in our experience, it is an approach that lends itself to long-term success in private practice.

While you have worked hard and achieved a great deal to get where you are in your career today, an element of luck also comes into landing an elite graduate role. Don’t lose sight of this fact – it will direct your actions in practice in a far more positive way: a little gratitude goes a long way.

What other personal qualities do you think are critical in building a successful legal career? Let us know in the comments! 

Using an entrepreneurial approach for career stress management 

Don’t expect too much from yourself too soon in your career.

The seemingly ‘instant’ success stories Elon Musk, and many other young entrepreneurs such as Jodie Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey and Jane Lu, founder of ShowPo, feed into an ever-accelerating cycle of millennial career propaganda. This is founded on the notion that if you have not ‘made it’ within the first few years of your career, or your business life, then you are doing something wrong. The reality is that it takes many years of hard work, persistence and determination to establish a solid career.

One effective approach is to ignore everything you think you should be doing and instead adopt an entrepreneurial mindset towards your career and life.

The ‘domino strategy’, described by Ramit Sethi, is an approach used by many successful entrepreneurs around the world. It involves setting one small career goal and knocking it over first. The beauty of this approach is that it removes the immediate psychological pressure you may feel to be an ‘overnight success’ by accounting for timelines that fall outside your direct control.

So, for example:

1. Your first step may be to update your resume
2. Your second step may be to send your resume to your ideal prospective employers

It could be a simple matter of sending an email to inquire about current or future vacancies. This helps you determine whether your idea for your career has potential. From here you can decide whether your skills and experience match the needs of the organisations or firms you wish to work for.

3. If your skills do not match, you can adjust your strategy and put your next steps into motion. For example, by obtaining an extra qualification or gaining more experience in a related field.

“Put the dominoes in just the right sequence so that each small step makes the next, bigger step possible” – Ramit Sethi

If you try to knock over the final domino before you have tackled the necessary preceding career steps, for example, the domino won’t fall. This means that you won’t be offered the job, and you will fail to achieve your ambitions this year.

A ‘domino sequence’ that works for one individual will not work for another – the challenge is to work out which sequence is right for your career.

Look at the career path of people you admire and replicate it

Well-rounded people have well-rounded careers.

One way to map out your perfect ‘domino sequence’ is to study the career pathways of people whom you admire and wish to emulate. A quick LinkedIn search can reveal the educational and professional histories of key industry players and give you a basic idea about what steps you should be taking. Ask yourself:

• Where did they study?
• What did they study?
• Where have they worked?
• Which job was the critical nexus that naturally flowed into their current role?

You can even go one step further by reaching out to these professionals.

Connecting with like-minded, experienced and accomplished individuals in your industry – whether for professional collegiality or mentorship – can help you to maintain healthy long-term wellness strategies and to cultivate strong industry support networks.

Expanding your professional network can not only provide balance and perspective to your work life but also drastically advance your career prospects. Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the youngest U.S Supreme Court Justices appointed in recent history has credited his rapid career progression to the mentoring and support he received from other high-achieving judicial officers.

Relax and go with the job flow

Your first job out of university will not be your last.

A recent report by the Foundation for Young Australians found that the skills you develop through one role can be transferred to an average of thirteen other positions.

If your current job is still a few steps away from your dream job, then consider a side hustle. This could take the form of a passion project like design work, freelance writing, building websites, teaching fitness classes over the weekend or even chasing your professional interests through a part-time Masters degree. For current and future employers, this highlights your ambition, drive and creative talent.

It is highly likely that your first few jobs out of university will not be a perfect fit, but the flexibility and skills you acquire early in your working life gives you more career mobility.

These initial ‘dominoes’ help you get closer to where you really want to be in your professional life.

Develop your professional skills

Most employers seek applicants who have flexible skills that can be adapted and applied in many different forms. If you want to avoid the wilderness of unemployment or accelerate your career progression in a specific field, a postgraduate qualification can give you an edge over top candidates for competitive positions.

A practice perhaps pioneered by Susan Kiefel, the recently appointed first female Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia who completed her law degree part-time while working as a legal secretary in the 1970s, it is increasingly common for graduates to balance part-time postgraduate study with busy lifestyles.

In a recent study on education and work by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it was found that:

In May 2016, approximately 1 in 5 Australians (20%) aged 15-64 were enrolled in formal study [and] … People with higher levels of educational attainment were more likely to be employed, with 80% of persons with a Bachelor degree or above, 75% of persons with an Advanced diploma or Diploma, and 76% of persons with a Certificate III.” 

In an increasingly specialist legal marketplace, employers recognise the value of postgraduate study with Masters qualifications frequently listed as ‘highly desirable.’

Making the decision to study

If you are freshly graduated or revising your career goals after a few years of work experience, or are concerned that your existing skill set has not prepared you for the job you want, further study may be one of the key ‘dominoes’ you need to invest in your future.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether it is the right career move. Are you pursuing postgraduate study to:

• boost salary and career prospects?
• prepare for senior roles in firms and organisations in the public and private sector?
• enhance specialist skills and knowledge?
• progress an existing career or kick start a career change?
• fulfil yourself?
• be seen by potential employers as more qualified than other candidates?
• develop relationships with leading industry professionals?
• develop your practical skills and your ability to express those skills?

If you answered yes one or more of the above questions, it may be worthwhile exploring which universities offer study options that align with your current lifestyle and goals.

A number of fast and flexible online postgraduate qualifications, such as a Masters of Business Law through Southern Cross University, are specifically designed to integrate with full-time work commitments and require only 15 to 20 hours of study per week.

Conclusion

In his book The One Thing, Gary Keller, (founder of one of the largest real estate franchises in the world) says:

When you see someone who has a lot of knowledge, they learned it over time.
When you see someone who has a lot of skills, they developed them over time.
When you see someone who has done a lot, they accomplished it over time.
When you see someone who has a lot of money, they earned it over time.”

This year, follow the lead of successful entrepreneurs. Rather than setting yourself overly ambitious and unrealistic goals, aim to start small and enjoy the ups and downs of your professional journey. Line up your ‘dominoes’ and build momentum steadily, over time, towards your dream career.

Once you knock over those first few ‘dominoes,’ the rest will effortlessly fall into place.

This post is proudly sponsored by Southern Cross University. For more information on how to jump start your legal career in 2017, click here.

I have lost count of the number of lawyer jokes I have heard, as well as the number of times that I have been labelled a “failed lawyer” or a “reformed lawyer”.

What does a lawyer get when you give him Viagra?

Taller.

But in spite of the inevitable jibes and jokes, many of us choose to pursue legal careers because of a desire to do good and to help solve the life problems of others (and where do our friends and family turn when they need legal help? Yup, you guessed it).

So let’s be upfront about this – being a lawyer is not the only thing you can do with a law degree. The skills you learn through studying law are not only relevant inside a courtroom or a law firm but are also transferrable in everyday life.

1. You know how to read contracts

Anyone who has entered a contract for a new personal loan or a rental property knows how exceedingly long, complex and dull they are. As a law graduate, you know that most contracts contain a certain number of standard clauses which are generally the same irrespective of the contract. This insider knowledge means that you can skim read to find the most important stuff that affects you. For a personal loan, this might be the repayment terms or the interest rates.

Having an exceedingly thick skin (which develops from many years of punishing legal training and on-the-job experience) means that you are also undeterred from reading a contract in full before signing – even as the bank manager lets out a great sigh of frustration.

2. You know how to shop for goods and services

As a graduate with a law degree, your intimate knowledge of Australian Consumer Law means that you are one of those annoying people who realise that the door-to-door salesperson is really only good for a cup of tea (unsolicited consumer agreements anyone?). You also understand that the additional warranty that the television retailer is trying to add to your purchase price is less than the amount required by guarantees applying to goods.

While cute, you also realise that those “You break it, you buy it” signs are completely unlawful and would never stand up in front of the Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.

3. You know how to research, especially if you need to go to Court

The prospect of going to a Court or Tribunal to settle an issue does not intimidate you.

You can research your way out of any situation (or at least a rental dispute or a divorce) and you’re not afraid to file or write the correct forms and documents yourself.

4. You know how to argue

You can argue like a lawyer by forming a reasoned and cogent opinion  – usually on the spur of the moment. When the need arises you are also capable of using your sharp intellect and mean word merchant skills to insult someone’s intelligence, (usually) without the need to resort to name-calling.

Lawyering also gives you the uncanny power to see both sides of an argument. With your innate ability to forecast the future and predict your opponent’s next likely conversational move – whether in a friendly verbal jousting session over Friday night drinks or a formal political debate – you are always one step ahead.

5. You know how to negotiate

You can advocate for issues that you are passionate about.

If you have done enough extracurricular mooting or negotiation competitions in law school, you know how to construct a Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). In any negotiation, you understand when your opponent has the upper hand (and the best strategy is to settle) and when you have your adversary on the run (and it’s time to bring down the hammer).

6. You are highly organised and manage your time to within a fraction of a millisecond

The stress of law school turns many of us into master procrastinators. While generally viewed as a negative habit, your procrastination has actually trained you to perform well in any difficult situation. You not only know how to manage your time effectively (remember squeezing an entire Semester of revision into the 6 hours before your 100% Commonwealth Constitutional law exam?) but also how to perform well under crushing pressure and little sleep.

These planning, organisational and time-management skills serve you well in life – whether it’s presenting a work project at the last minute, or managing a team of staff on less than four hours of sleep.

Law graduates have done it all that before – and the inevitable strain of life doesn’t phase you but rather plays to your strengths.

7. You are a human lie detector

Law graduates are a pretty suspicious bunch.

Trawling through hundreds of cases involving vitriolic divorces or heated estate disputes will do that to you. Cross-examining your opponent in court for inconsistencies in their case also trains you to constantly subconsciously assess whether the person you are speaking to has a hidden agenda or is not being completely up front with you.

The good news is that you can use your newfound cynicism and flair for identifying fabrications in virtually any situation in life – from knowing when someone is actively lying to you or simply omitting facts to managing your friendships, relationships and even your work life better.

8. You know how to extract information

You have a sixth sense for knowing when someone is hiding something from you.

You also know the best way to extract the information you want while delicately skirting around an issue to avoid raising any alarm bells.

9. You know when opening your mouth is going to make it worse

Generally, as a law graduate, you know it’s not a great idea to abuse police if you are pulled over for a breathalyser or stopped for a random drug check at a music festival.

You know that sometimes silence is the best answer and that often appealing the fine at a later date is the best option.

At the end of the day

A law degree trains you to think analytically and solve problems logically. It’s a unique mix of skills that can take you anywhere in life and your career.

So the next time one of your friends throws a sharp lawyer joke your way, don’t forget to remind them how rad and diverse your legal talents are – because the chances are that they will need to call on your amazing advice one day.

What life skills do you think your law degree has taught you? Think we’ve missed anything? Let us know in the comments!

More on BucketOrange Magazine

• 10 More Reasons Why A Law Degree Is A Life Skill, Not Just A Career

From everyday predicaments like whether you should go to the gym or go out for dinner with your friends; forego precious sleep and watch just one more episode of Mindhunter; to bigger life decisions like whether you are on track with your career or if it might be time to change course this year.

We are bombarded from all angles with social media noise about how to fix our biggest career problems ‘in 10 simple steps’ – and with so much conflicting information about how to be successful, it’s not surprising that many of us have come to doubt our natural instincts and decision-making strategies. Instead of pausing to listen to our inner voice we label it as an untrustworthy saboteur and quickly tune it out. How many times have you chided yourself for not making a decision you ‘knew’ at the time you should, but didn’t?

What value can your gut really offer in developing better decision-making skills and how can you use it to improve your career prospects this year?

How do we make everyday decisions?

When it comes to decision-making, our brains use two main systems:

1. Deliberative (conscious): researching, analysing, weighing benefits and deciding on the most logical approach based on facts.
2. Intuitive (subconscious): trusting your gut, following a ‘hunch’ or choosing an option that just ‘feels right’ based on past knowledge and experience.

In his book Thinking Fast And Slow, Daniel Kahneman refers to these two different but complementary systems as ‘slow thinking’ and ‘fast thinking’.

In our examples above, difficult decisions that take time and conscious thought, such as applying for a new job or making an important career move, generally fall under the cognitive end of the decision-making spectrum. Emotional decisions to do with relationships, on the other hand, correspond to the intuitive side of the decision-making spectrum.

For many years researchers believed that the conscious, pragmatic and objective mind was best able to make logical decisions; however, most experts now agree that a combination of analytical and intuitive decision-making yields the best results.

According to research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes by researchers from Boston College, George Mason University and Rice University:

Intuition has long been viewed as a less effective approach to critical reasoning when compared to the merits of analytical thinking. Yet as society and businesses place a greater emphasis on the speed and effectiveness of decision-making, the intuitive approach has been identified as an increasingly important tool.”

How lawyers make decisions

Traditionally, lawyers are trained to ‘think slow’ and make decisions based on hard evidence and facts. It’s a form of industry-championed analytical thinking that begins in law school and carries through to legal practice with the primary goal of mitigating unnecessary risks. So when it comes to making career decisions it should come as no surprise that most law graduates and young lawyers fall into the trap of using a similar formulaic approach, based on measurable facts and metrics.

For example:

If I thoroughly research a potential employer, have excellent grades, gain as much relevant experience as possible before applying, nail the interview, have all my social profiles up-to-date and project a professional image, then I will be in the best position to secure an offer.”

Unfortunately, real-world recruitment practices almost never adhere to a clear and predictable formula. Having perfect grades and relevant experience is no longer enough. This is because the hiring process is largely intuitive. While your qualifications and experience are objective markers of your suitability for an interview your personality and likeability are an equally important (but often overlooked) subjective factor that plays an important role in your overall employability.

A hiring manager may be excited by your application on paper, for example, but choose not to hire you at the interview because of a ‘gut feeling’ that you will not fit their company culture. This could be because you did not show a demonstrated passion or interest in the type of work they offer.

In this situation, you might need an extra edge to push yourself over the employment line – one that blends a deliberative and intuitive decision-making approach to your legal career.

Getting the edge: Conscious analytical thinking and raw gut instinct

Employers favourably regard applicants who demonstrate high emotional intelligence, well-developed self-awareness and the capacity to make sound decisions. Spending time developing your interpersonal skills, learning how to communicate effectively, and honing your ability to formulate an opinion on raw data and your intuition is one way to achieve this.

Employers also want staff who are actively engaged in both self-development and professional development. If you apply for a role with a corporate firm, for example, a simple way to position yourself ahead of your competitors is to make a calculated career move by pursuing an online Master of Laws (Business Law) .

Expanding your career arsenal through further study shows a potential employer that you have a thirst for knowledge, are committed to developing your professional skillset, are actively engaged with the latest trends in your industry, are eager to refresh your existing skills and to build a solid career with their company.

These are qualities that all employers seek in a new hire. This is especially so as they are making an investment in you and will see your potential long-term value to their company.

Developing intuitive thinking in your career

In an interview with Fast Company, Angela Jia Kim, co-founder of women entrepreneurs’ network Savor The Success, outlines some questions to ask yourself to understand your gut feelings:

• “Do I feel good around this person or choice?”
• “Does this person or situation give me or take my energy?”
• “Do I feel empowered or disempowered?”
• “Am I going toward an adventure or running from fear?”
• “Am I listening to my lessons learned from the past?”
• “Would I make the same choice if I had a million dollars in my pocket now?”
• “Do I feel respected and valued?”
• “Am I trying to control the situation or am I leaving room for expansion?”

Intuitive thinking can boost your career by helping you to:

1. Make faster and more accurate decisions

Your ability to follow a hunch and quickly assess a work situation develops with time. In many cases, sound professional decision-making skills are tied to your level of knowledge or experience in a given area. This is referred to as domain expertise, meaning that the higher your level of knowledge in a subject area, for example, where you have climbed the ranks in your industry the more effectively you will be able to make intuitive decisions.

Invest time in further study related to your speciality, read online journals and industry news, listen to podcasts and inform yourself about new developments that impact your current or future roles. A strong baseline understanding of such issues flows on to helping you make faster and more informed choices, which are attractive qualities in any employee.

2. Be in a position of power at interview

If you are offered an exciting job, it does not always mean that you should take it. Our gut is often our best tool to navigate personal and professional relationships. Consider a situation where something seems ‘off’ about your selection panel at interview. Maybe the company values do not align with your own, or perhaps you have an off-putting sense that you may be discriminated against because of your gender or cultural background. You may dislike your new employer or feel that taking the job is not the most strategic career move.

Trust your instincts – if something makes you feel uneasy about a job you are under no obligation to accept it. Remember that simply because a job is highly competitive does not mean that you should blindly take it, especially when everything in you screams that it is the wrong decision.

3. Know the right time to make a big career move

If you are in an unsatisfactory work situation, and things are not improving, your gut is often the first indicator. Pay attention to warning signs such as a constant heavy or nagging sensation, experiencing discomfort or anxiety, feeling ill-at-ease throughout the day, sensing a continuous sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.

In this situation, going with your gut involves coming to terms with the fact that your work situation is unlikely to improve and using your analytical brain to decide on a change.

Bear in mind that listening to your gut takes time and practice, so be kind to yourself and don’t expect immediate results. Your intuition is not a voice that comes over a loudspeaker, but something much more subtle. It’s an inkling that reveals itself only when you quiet your mind. It makes you want to go in one direction over another for reasons that you may not be able to fully articulate.

Conclusion

While legal reasoning and analytical thinking focus on breaking down complex problems into small digestible parts, intuition is about looking at the bigger picture. Making career decisions based on intuitive reasoning looks to patterns and your long-term career goals.

Your career is more than the sum of its parts, which is why it is important to consider and trust your instincts. Every day your intuition makes millions of rapid assessments that tell you whether something is right or wrong – it will let you know which direction your career should be taking you.

Relying on your inner voice is a skill you can learn. It’s a habit you can cultivate in your personal and professional life. Cultivating your gut instinct can not only help you get, and keep, a job in today’s competitive market but also help you make healthier and more confident decisions about your life.

This post is proudly sponsored by Southern Cross University. For more information on jump starting your legal career in 2017, click here.