Advice I Would Give My Younger Self (and New-ish Attorneys)

PRACTICE POINTERS

BY STEFANIE SCOTT SHAH

With over a dozen years of legal experience, I have recently started reflecting on my career path and the successes/obstacles I have had along the way. Below are a few pieces of advice I would give my younger self—things I know now that I wish I had known then.

Build your foundation.

Many people consider the early parts of their careers to be stepping stones or rungs on a ladder, moving off one to reach the next. However, I recommend thinking of the early years as the foundation upon which the house of your future professional and personal satisfaction will be built.

Find great mentors ASAP.

There are at least three kinds of mentors to seek out.

• Those who teach you how to be a lawyer. From these attorneys, you will learn how to write briefs, take depositions, present oral arguments, draft and negotiate contracts, etc.

You will most likely meet and interact with these mentors on the job, but you could get similar mentorship by, for example, working on a pro bono project with an attorney from another organization. Quick tip: Always review tracked changes provided by these attorneys. By analyzing these changes and incorporating the concepts into future drafts, you are becoming a better attorney.

• Those who help you build a career. You will go to these mentors for advice on what jobs to take, what activities to participate in, how to negotiate your salary, get introductions to other interesting people, etc. This person does not have to be an attorney. He/she could be someone whose career path you admire and who generally gives good career advice.

• Those who teach you how to balance your work and career. These mentors will help you maintain happiness at home and in the office. Your work/life balance will look much different early in your career (when you might be single and sans kids) than mid-career (when you might be married with young children). It is helpful to have someone to turn to when you are trying to navigate through these various stages of your life.

This is not to say you need exactly three mentors. You could certainly have more or less. The important thing is to build strong relationships with a handful of people who can guide you in these areas—and that you lay the foundation for these relationships early on in your career.

Your mock trial partner might be the trial judge in a career-making case. Right now your peers are young associates, just like you. But in ten or twenty years, they—like you—will be in higher-level positions with the power and connections. So keep in contact.

Become active in the legal community.

Early in my career, business lunches and happy hours seemed impossibly time-consuming. It was not until I started to office downtown that I really became active in the Austin legal community. I soon realized the impact community involvement can have on one’s career. Had I known, I would have made a greater effort to become more active immediately after graduation. Quick tip: If you only have time for one after-work activity, join an Inn of Court.

Never stop learning.

Lawyers should never stop learning. The fact patterns in your cases and matters will never be exactly the same, and the law constantly changes. Even after practicing twenty years, you might need to conduct research to answer a client question. But this keeps the job interesting!

Start your own firm—it's scary but worth it.

I thought about starting my own firm for three years before finally taking the leap. Fortunately, at the time, I had no kids and a husband with a salary. It was the perfect time to take the risk. If you are considering starting your own firm, do it. It will require planning, hard work, wearing many “hats,” countless business lunches, and wading outside your comfort zone. But, if you put in the effort, you will not regret it.

Stay connected with law school friends.

The overachiever in your Civil Procedure class might be the future general counsel of a successful technology company. Your “bar review” buddy might become a partner at an AmLaw 100 firm. Your mock trial partner might be the trial judge in a career-making case. Right now your peers are young associates, just like you. But in ten or twenty years, they—like you—will be in higher-level positions with the power and connections. So keep in contact. Because the people who drank champagne with you on graduation day eventually could become your clients/ co-counsel/opposing counsel/ biggest referral sources/judges/ etc. And, of course, maintaining friendships is important for your personal life!

Share these lessons.

I am lucky that—even though I was never specifically given this advice—I somehow managed to follow some of it. I kept in contact with law school classmates; I had great mentors from the beginning; those mentors convinced me to start my own firm; etc. That being said, I would have benefited from a letter outlining this advice. So I share it with those of you early in your career, with the hope that this advice will help you and others build a great foundation for your future success as a lawyer and happiness as a person. AL