What We Wish We Knew On Law School Graduation Day

Lawyers Who Launch

Embrace New Experiences

Not all practice areas are created equal. You may find yourself with an opportunity in an area of law you may not have considered before, give it a try. We both could not have imagined where our careers have taken us and if we did not keep ourselves open to new opportunities we would not be where we are.

Keep in mind that if you give something a try and it’s not a good fit, that’s ok. As attorneys, as people, we have different interests and strengths. Just because one area of law or one aspect of law or one type of law job is not a good fit, doesn’t mean that you are a bad attorney or that law school was a waste. Give yourself the permission to acknowledge that you gave it a try and it wasn’t for you and there is a better position in the law for you.

Law Practice is not Law School

Law school teaches you to think like and attorney and it gives you limited exposure to a variety of different areas of law. As a lawyer you will spend time in a concentrated area of law. Actually being a lawyer is much different than the process of learning how to be a lawyer. This is good news for some, but may be scary for others. Just because it is different, doesn’t mean it won't be great. Give yourself the grace to try it out and if you find you do not like a particular practice - try something new. You have options, you are a lawyer now.

You Do Not Need Your Whole Career Mapped Out on Graduation Day

You are entering an exciting time in your life. You finally get to begin the career you have worked so hard for. If you know exactly what you want to do and where you will be doing it - great. If you don’t, that’s fine too. We did not secure post-bar exam jobs until after we took the bar exam. While it was stressful, it all worked out. Stay focused on what is before you. Once the bar exam is over, networking is a great place to start!

Happy Graduation and have a great day!

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Nothing contained within this podcast is intended or should be construed to be legal advice and does not create any attorney client relationship. Your jurisdiction will have rules of professional conduct that you must follow. This discussion does not focus on the any such rules, including the rules from the jurisdiction where we practice.