The economy has taken a real nosedive. Law firms are struggling to generate business at the same time that they're under pressure from clients to cut costs. While some firms have cut back on summer associate positions, others have deferred start dates for first-year associates.
The recession is hitting law students hard too. Some of you may not have gotten jobs this summer, while others do have summer associate positions, but are not sure of your prospects after that.
All of this sounds like bad news and it is, but there's good news too: The economy is so bad that you shouldn't take it personally if you hit a road block in your career. High achievers often take every setback as a direct reflection on them; when things don't go well, they may feel ashamed, as if they've failed somehow.
The reality is that you may be a great law student and partners may want to hire you, yet they don't have the work to justify it. We're in a bad recession; it's outside your control. What's in your control is how you respond to it.
Take steps to foster a positive, resilient attitude, so you can make the most of the opportunities you have and create new ones. Whether you have a summer job or you don't, you can use the tips below to put yourself in the best position for the future.
ENJOY THE SUMMER DESPITE THE MOOD AROUND YOU
Some of you who got positions as summer associates may have trouble letting yourself enjoy this, in part because you're painfully aware of friends or family members who are really struggling.
At times this may be a way of coping with worries that others will feel competitive or envious because of your success. It's as if you are saying, don't hate me for having a great job: I'm miserable.
Paying for success with misery is a sorry trade-off. If you're like this, try to remember that enjoying your job is not the same thing as gloating. Instead of sharing the mood of people you care about, do something concrete to help. Introduce your friend to a possible job contact; that will give her a boost, and may make you feel better as well.
Coping with the mood around you may be a challenge at the firm as well. You're just starting out as a lawyer, and eager to become a full-fledged professional. This summer may be your first chance to see what a lawyer's life is really like. Of course you want to soak up all you can.
Yet lawyers around you may be angry or pessimistic about their own careers. Perhaps they've seen friends lose jobs, or are worried about their own. At times, it may be difficult to listen without getting infected by their mood.
The challenge is to pick and choose what you adopt from them. Don't deafen yourself to what's going on; that will leave you unprepared for any difficulties ahead. Instead, use this opportunity to learn everything you can about the changing legal world. Areas that used to be big business are floundering, while others may be doing well. Ask associates and partners where they see opportunities, and then try to get experience working in those areas.
Listen, learn, but don't let yourself get drawn into the mood of those around you. This may be harder for some than others. Some of you may almost take pride in maintaining a steadfast pessimism, as if that means you won't ever be caught off guard. You may tell yourself that if you don't expect anything, you won't be disappointed.
That's a dead-end approach. Don't deflate the balloon for fear it may pop. Let yourself enjoy your time as a summer associate. It's a once-in-a lifetime experience. Furthermore, you won't make a good impression if you adopt a "this is never going to work anyway" approach.
At points you may need to disentangle yourself from the negative mood around you. Remind yourself that your situation is different from theirs. Senior associates may have spent years developing expertise in an area that is doing poorly, and worry they won't be able to shift directions now. You're lighter on your feet right now; you still have the opportunity to choose your area of focus.
You'll have a better time, and make a better impression, if you can sustain a positive, flexible, resilient attitude.
DEALING WITH YOUR OWN ANXIETY
Sometimes it may be hard to sort out what's coming from you and what's coming from people around you. Of course, if you're naturally upbeat, and suddenly you're filled with unease and self-doubt, you've probably been infected to some extent by the mood of others.
But attributing all of your anxiety to other people may not be fair. The economy is bad and it's affecting all of us. Feeling nervous at points is normal.
Try not to get caught in endless worrying. Often worriers assure themselves that if they've thought of a problem, it won't happen. Yet worrying doesn't help. Planning does.
So look ahead, imagine a realistic if unpleasant possibility, and plan how to deal with it. Put yourself in a can-do frame of mind. Picture yourself facing the problem and handling it successfully. This will lay mental tracks for coping with challenges ahead.
For example, you may end the summer without an offer. So imagine the scene. A partner calls you to his office, and says you've done a great job, but they can't make an offer right now. How can you handle this so you get a great reference, and keep the door open for the future?
WORK HARD WITHOUT BEING A WORKAHOLIC
Although law school prepares you well for some aspects of practice as a lawyer, it certainly doesn't prepare you for everything. In some ways, law school is downright misleading.
Getting into a good school depends on LSAT scores; doing well there depends on final exams. It's acceptable in law school to complain loudly about the workload, put on a hair shirt and disappear for days while you study for finals. Nothing matters except the end product.
That's not true in the job world. As you start work this summer, remember that doing well as a summer associate, and ultimately as a lawyer, depends in large part on your personal qualities and relationships with others.
Partners and associates will be watching to see if you're reliable, cheerful, a good sport and a team player. Don't complain about the workload; express enthusiasm whenever possible, and show that you understand the bottom line: billing. Stay on top of your timesheets; billing for time is the way firms make money.
Some of you may decide the recession means you should become even more driven than before. You may tell yourself economic pressures have increased the competition, so now you really have to work!
Although the competition may be greater, you're not going to win by becoming a total workaholic. Chances are, you've got plenty of those tendencies already. You've spent a lifetime training yourself to be self-disciplined. At times, you may feel secretly embarrassed about taking off time for fun, as if relaxation and pleasure are indulgences. If you feel critical of people who seem "lazy," you probably criticize yourself for any hint of that as well. You may even have come to feel a certain grim satisfaction in seeing how much you can "take," as if pulling multiple all-nighters is a test of toughness and character.
Although partners can undoubtedly be demanding, and at times clients can as well, it is also true that lawyers often have to contend with a harsh inner judge, not just an outer one. If you feel perpetually driven, as if you've never done enough, you've probably let your work ethic get totally out of hand.
Remind yourself that putting in longer hours does not necessarily lead to better results. It's like over-thinking a test: At some point, you've done what you can. Anything more will either backfire or bring sharply diminishing returns.
Becoming a workaholic is not the route to professional success. Don't use work as an excuse for missing social activities.
CULTIVATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Lawyers spend long hours at the office; they want associates who will fit in with the firm, and get along well with people there. You need to come across as professional and hard-working, yes, but also as pleasant, friendly and, if possible, fun. Show them you're the kind of person they want to have around.
That's always been important, but it's even more so now, because economic constraints mean you may end the summer without an offer.
The more friendly professional relationships you can make, the better. Any one of those lawyers may come in handy down the road. Someone may leave to start his own firm and offer you a position as a junior associate. Someone else may hear of an opportunity and give you a call. Relationships matter.
This recession may have dumped you into the real world faster than you wanted, but the truth is that advancing as a lawyer depends in part on social skills. As an associate, you'll have to show you can work well with partners and clients. Becoming partner will depend on your ability to develop relationships which bring in business.
So consider this summer a chance to strengthen essential social skills.
Cultivating professional relationships is easier if you're naturally outgoing. If you're not, this may take more practice.
If you're often uncomfortable in social situations, take steps to counter that. Don't avoid social interactions; instead, start with manageable ones. Don't start with someone intimidating; that will just make you more discouraged if things don't work out. Start with someone who's likely to respond well. If you've noticed a particular associate has been friendly, drop by his office to say hello.
You may have to put yourself in the right frame of mind for this. Figure out when you're most relaxed and sociable, and act then. If you're at your best after calling a friend, ride that mood to initiate a friendly interaction with someone at the firm.
If the associate seems distracted, don't take that as a rejection. Remind yourself he may be under a deadline. People with social anxiety tend to read ambiguous responses negatively. Practice giving yourself alternative explanations. You need to develop a kind of mental toughness so you're more immune to rebuff. Make a number of overtures, and some will work out.
You're going to the firm to make opportunities for yourself. Getting an offer is one possibility, but there may be others, and all of them depend on developing friendly relationships with a wide range of people.
DEALING WITH PROFESSIONAL SETBACKS
Sometimes when people meet with setbacks, they become plagued by negative thoughts. If you start thinking you're a loser who will never get a good job, stop. Interrupt those thoughts. They'll make you feel even worse. Don't catastrophize and don't dwell on your inadequacies.
This is a difficult job environment; you need to be at your best. Don't collaborate in knocking yourself off your feet. Instead, take active steps to bolster your mood.
Spending time with friends and family can replenish you emotionally, and help you deal better with challenges in your professional life. Research on resilience consistently shows social ties help.
Then plan your next step. If you're having trouble with that, imagine how you would advise a friend. Then take your own advice. Or think of someone you admire who's shown fortitude under tough circumstances. What would she do? Go for it!
Call a colleague for lunch. Get together with a law professor who's a fan. Do what you can to build relationships and explore your options.
Sometimes people start feeling so overwhelmed that they have trouble functioning. If that happens to you, consult with a psychiatrist to see if medications or therapy could help.
STAY FLEXIBLE ABOUT YOUR OPTIONS
Often law students come to believe success depends on starting at a big firm. If you've fallen prey to that myth, you may be disappointed.
It's good to be determined, but not determinedly single-minded. Big law firm offers are getting harder to come by, and in any case, they're not for everyone.
Success doesn't amount to making partner in a big firm, unless that's what happens to matter to you. What counts over time is developing a life that suits you. That's a lot more personal, and a lot more creative, than you might think.
If you've been telling yourself you'll get to your "real life," the one you care about, after you pay your dues at a big firm, perhaps this is your chance to take a different course. In some ways, the upheaval in the legal world may be useful. Now you have an "excuse" -- a good one -- to see what else is out there. Foster a positive, resilient attitude, use your imagination, and keep an open mind. That's the way to make things possible.
Elizabeth Tillinghast is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and previously practicing lawyer on the faculty at Columbia University and Cornell University. She practices in New York City and can be reached at et41@columbia.edu.
