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deadlines, seeking feedback, request- ing guidance on the time a given task should take, exceeding expectations, and showing you are a valuable team player and an extremely hard worker. Remember the partners in the rm are judging you on what they were judged on as young associates. Acknowledge the rst couple years of practice will re- quire you to show the rm you’ve got what it takes to become a partner.
Seek a Mentor: If your rm has a mentorship program – great! Many rms have mentorship programs in name only, because the partners are so busy serving clients, they don’t proac- tively reach out to mentor newer law- yers. is means you must take the initiative. Look at the partners at your rm – those you most respect and would like to emulate. You will choose substantive legal mentors to help you learn the complexities of your prac- tice, as well as mentors who will help guide your growth and development as a lawyer. But you can’t wait around for a partner to approach you – you must be the instigator of your own mentorship experience.
Stay Socially Active: I know how busy you will be as a new lawyer. But remember, in most cases, you set the boundaries around the time you spend in the o ce. Don’t let your relation- ships go stale. Make a point at least once a month go get together with your personal and professional friends. ese relationships will continue to be important in the future as you grow your practice.
Market the Firm: As a new lawyer you need to learn the substance of your practice area(s), which in most cases, requires at least two to three years. While you are in the “new lawyer” cat- egory, another way in which to practice your marketing skills is to market the services of your colleagues and part- ners. Your career will blossom if you are able to use your contacts to generate business for the rm.
Keep you Biography Current: Your website biography will become one of your best marketing tools. Over 80%
of website visitors will go to the “Our Team” page to seek you out. You want to make sure your biography re ects your growing list of accomplishments, published articles, speaking engage- ments, blog posts, and representative experience.
Start Writing Blogs: If your rm has a blog, commit to contributing to the blog on a regular basis. Remember that in most cases, law rm blogs are written for non-lawyers. If you conduct researchforapartneronaninteresting topic, turn that research into a 500-600 word blog post.
Join the New Lawyers Section of your State Bar: As mentioned earlier, one of your best referral sources can be other lawyers. Make sure you focus on building relationships within your state, county or local bar associations with other lawyers who have graduated in the past ve to seven years. ese people are your professional colleagues and need to be nurtured.
It’s important to set your expecta- tions at the beginning of your career as a lawyer. Remember how important it is to build your base of experience so that someday you will have credentials to impress a prospective client, but that this knowledge gathering takes time. Do what’s in your control as a new law- yer and practice delivering exceptional services to the partners in your rm. Don’t lose touch with your friends from law school, but also extend yourself to build new relationships with other new lawyers through your bar association activities. Remember that you’re in it for the long haul and that if you consis- tently implement the ideas above, you will be successful.
TERRIE S. WHEELER HAS WORKED WITH LAWYERS AT EVERY LEVEL FOR OVER 25 YEARS. SHE EARNED A MASTER’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS FROM THE UNI- VERSITY OF ST. THOMAS
AND TEACHES MARKETING AND CLIENT DEVELOPMENT SKILLS AT TWO MINNESOTA LAW SCHOOLS. TERRIE IS A MONTHLY COL- UMNIST FOR ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE AND ALSO PRODUCES A COLUMN FOR THE ABA’S SMALL FIRM AND SOLO SECTION. YOU CAN REACH TERRIE THROUGH HER WEBSITE, WWW.PSM-MARKETING.COM.
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