Tips and Tricks for the New Lawyers

Author: | Posted in Job Advice No comments

So, you’ve just passed the bar exam, and you’re ready to start your career as a licensed lawyer. It may seem like you have an ocean of opportunities ahead of you, but you may feel unsure about where to begin or how to start building your reputation.

Don’t worry, though; all veteran lawyers have experienced the same doubts and struggles at the beginning of their careers. To help you kickstart your career, we will share some tips and tricks to guide you through this unknown yet exciting phase. 

Tips and Tricks for the New Lawyers

Find a Niche Inside Your Area of Specialty

According to a leading Townsville Lawyers firm, the practice of law is vastly different to the day to day which means that many young lawyers will switch fields over the years as they find their footing. Many lawyers won’t start working immediately in the field they’re genuinely passionate about, but this doesn’t mean that you have to waste the opportunities you’re given right now.

Finding your legal niche will require research and time, but many of the skills you will acquire while working in a law firm will help you chart the path towards your goal. Observe how your colleagues bring in clients, how they market themselves to their target audience, what kind of assistance they offer, and how they keep their knowledge fresh. 

Learn How to Market Yourself

One of the most important questions you may be asking yourself is how you’ll get more clients in the long run or present yourself as a more attractive option than the rest of the competition. This is where you must consider looking into a legal marketing company if your firm hasn’t already thought about hiring someone to manage your social media accounts and be in charge of your website’s maintenance.

Paying attention to essential details like having consistent contact information on all your platforms or sharing high-quality visuals and content on your sites can go a long way in increasing the number of clients that come knocking on your door. Learning how to market your services will become handy once you decide to fly solo.

Spend Your Money Wisely

During your first years as a lawyer, you will probably be making less money than you had hoped. You may be focused on paying off your student debt, your monthly rent, and other expenses that you incurred trying to start your career. But you can always be smart about how you handle your cash to help you boost your career prospects and gain additional credentials down the line.

Signing up for specialized courses and participating in relevant events is the smartest way to invest money into your career, especially if you’re already looking to specialize in a certain area of the law down the line.

While you still need to figure out how to manage your budget, there are plenty of options you can try out to keep yourself afloat. A good idea for paying off your loans is to check if you can opt-in for an income-based repayment program. You should also have a general plan for paying your debts. Being smart about money is not only a significant advantage for your personal life, but your professional reputation will also benefit from your outstanding financial management.

Take Care of Yourself

As a new lawyer, you may want to invest all your time and effort in advancing your career in an attempt to get promoted as quickly as possible. But it should never be at the expense of your physical or mental health, especially considering that the legal field can be incredibly competitive.

At first, it seems like it won’t do much harm to skip a few hours of sleep to finish a dossier or opt for junk food over a healthy meal, since that fast food restaurant is closer to the office. But the truth is that these decisions will slowly start to add up, and your body will suffer the consequences. Striking a healthy work-life balance will help you advance in your career without compromising your own wellbeing. 

Many new lawyers are not really sure what they want from their professional careers, especially since the first 5 or 7 years in a law firm come as a standard path for almost every law school graduate. But the truth is that you need to figure out how to stand out from the crowd since day one and make the best of every opportunity along the way.

Embrace the new experiences that your budding career has to offer, and never be afraid to ask questions and observe your superiors to learn their methods and techniques. Finally, remember that your reputation will be your most important asset. It is the first thing that your colleagues and clients will look into before working with you.