Legally First | Part IV: Understanding Your Value and Branding Yourself

Legally First: Navigating the Legal Profession

as a First-Generation Minority Student

Part IV: Understanding Your Value

and Branding Yourself

Welcome back to Legally First! This is the final installment of the series where I cover understanding your value and branding your true self.

My law school was ranked eighty-eighth when I first entered and is currently ranked ninety-first. Because my school isn’t highly ranked, many people told me that it would be hard for me to secure a job in Big Law. At best, I was told that I would land a job at a mid-sized or small firm. These same people told me that it would be difficult to find legal employment outside of Michigan after graduation. I’m from Michigan, attended undergrad and law school there, and have minimal ties outside the area. However, I didn’t let other people’s ideas of success for me stop me from pursuing my dream of working for a Big Law firm outside of Michigan. My 2021 summer associate position is at a Vault 100 law firm in Chicago, a legal market that can be extremely challenging to enter. However, I was only able to accomplish this goal by understanding my value and branding myself.

Understand Your Value:

Law firms want and sometimes even need your talent just as much as you want a legal position. So, never walk into a room feeling intimidated by a senior associate or partner. Most senior associates and partners don’t want aspiring and young lawyers to feel intimidated by their presence. The goal of these lawyers is to help and push you to be the best you can be in the profession, and the way to do that is not through intimidation. Be confident in any interview or conversation you have with any lawyer, even if you are nervous. In other words, never let them see you sweat, and do your best to have an authentic conversation. You can contribute just as much to the conversation as the attorney can by sharing, for instance, your personal story. I include in my elevator speech that I’m a proud Flint, Michigan native. The skills that I gained from my community, such as leadership, team building, and problem solving, equipped me in many ways to be successful in the legal profession.

Also, be conscious of opportunities that don’t feel right. During my 1L interviews, I walked into an interview room and didn’t get the best vibes from the interviewers. I walked out of the interview and knew that the opportunity wasn’t for me and that I wouldn’t be able to be my true self in the space of that law firm. However, I still favored that opportunity over another one because it was in Michigan and close to family. It wasn’t until I sat down with myself that I accepted that better legal opportunities were outside of Michigan, and I truly wanted to be at a law firm that had several offices throughout the United States. Also, there were better opportunities for me where I wouldn’t have to settle or compromise my happiness in the sense of trying to fit in at a firm where I didn’t connect with the attorneys. So, if you step into a room and the opportunity just doesn’t feel right, don’t take it. Value yourself and see how important you are. I know what I can accomplish at any law firm, and I refuse to sell myself short for a position. There will be other opportunities, so don’t be afraid to wait for the right one.

Brand Yourself:

Branding yourself is critical in the legal industry. The first step is establishing a presence, preferably on LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn profile after every semester. Add all the positions you held and honors and skills you gained with short descriptions. Also, ask your professors to write you a letter of recommendation and add those recommendations to your LinkedIn profile. Keeping your profile up to date will allow legal employers to see that you are well rounded beyond your resume when deciding whether to extend an interview. This is especially important because most resumes are only a page long and don’t have your entire employment history like LinkedIn.

Have you ever heard the saying, “sometimes it’s not about what you know but who you know”? Well, this is so true in the legal profession. Networking is the best way to be in the know about opportunities for legal positions. Forming relationships with LinkedIn audiences, for example, can grow your brand long-term. You may cross paths with someone you connected with on LinkedIn in a courtroom, or someone from your LinkedIn audience may even be your opposing counsel. So, go the extra mile in commenting on someone’s post to congratulate them on a new position, or write comments that offer meaningful insight. Moreover, direct messaging is a helpful tool on LinkedIn for making connections. If you’re interested in a particular area of law, find an attorney on LinkedIn who practices in that area. Introduce yourself through direct messaging and ask the attorney to set up a call to learn more about that practice area. The conversation may end in a job offer or a job referral.

Conclusion:

Understanding your value requires consistency. I wake up every morning, look at myself in the mirror, and tell myself that what’s meant for me will be, and no one can take opportunities meant only for me away. Even before interviews, I look at myself in the mirror and tell myself that nobody is better for the position than me. Nobody deserves the position more than me. Nobody worked harder for the position than ME! I believe these affirmations to be true, and I believe them wholeheartedly. Building your brand also requires consistency. Be consistent in following up with attorneys and professionals you formed connections with on LinkedIn or at in-person events. Also, update your social media networking profiles regularly and post content for your viewers.

No one will know and understand your value unless you do. And no one can build your brand the way that you can. So, put in the hard work, be dedicated, and be committed to yourself. I promise that it will all be worth it in the end.

Thank you for following along with Legally First. Writing this series was so much fun! If you ever need advice or help navigating the legal profession or just life in general, consider me and PracticePro a resource, and stay connected with us on LinkedIn. The goal is for all of us to succeed, and I promise we can only do that if we support each other.