I’ve been practicing law for over five years, and have been fortunate to learn critical lessons from some excellent mentors that have become the foundation upon which I am building my career. I understand many lawyers of my generation have not had the benefit of these lessons; however, they are essential for success. For the benefit of my fellow “millennial” lawyers at the dawn of their legal career, I have grouped these lessons into the following five pillars: networking; personal accountability; managing client relationships; framing client expectations; and proper work-life balance.

Networking

Networking is the life blood of business success, plain and simple. While in law school, I was an intern at my current employer, Haliczer Pettis and Schwamm. Early into my internship I learned the value of maintaining a network of professionals from a variety of fields and backgrounds. To this end, I maintained connections with the partners of Haliczer Pettis and Schwamm and, roughly five years after my internship concluded, I was contacted by the firm with a job offer. A year ago, maintaining my network resulted in an employment opportunity; now, burgeoning a network could result in the next big case for my firm. In fact, the success of Haliczer Pettis and Schwamm’s transition from a defense firm to a plaintiff-oriented medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death practice has been the result of each firm member cultivating their network throughout their career. Certainly, this avenue of success warrants replication in any professional’s career.

Personal Accountability