“What do you do?” This is a simple question, but it is one that is often misunderstood by young lawyers. There is an uncanny impulse to blurt out with pride, “I am a lawyer!” But what does that response really convey other than the fact that a person spent three years at law school and passed the bar exam?

In reality, when asked, “What do you do?”, it is not an inquiry about your profession. It is important to understand the subtext of the question, “What tangible value can you produce for me?” or more simply, “What value can you create for me?” The truth is, being a lawyer by trade does not create value. A lawyer’s value is generated and measured by how the lawyer solves problems for his clients.