Career advice for job hunting lawyers
In this article we discuss taking a wholistic view of your dream job, beyond looking just for the next challenge. The 5 women in law we spoke to talked about how they have shifted their priorities as family came along, how they aligned their values to their firm and why it is important to follow your passion and interests.
Have you ever been asked by a recruiter; ‘what does your ideal job look like?’ This seems like a simple question to answer. Your answer might be “I’m looking for challenging work for high quality clients in a firm that supports me professionally and personally”.
In our experience, sometimes there is more to finding the right move than the job itself. We spoke to several lawyers about changing roles and found that by taking a more wholistic view of what your draw actually looks like, from all areas of your life, you can obtain both career success and personal satisfaction.
Joanna Brand Senior Legal Consultant for ME Bank spoke to us about her framework for finding the right role. She uses the analogy of the basket of life - everything has got to fit into the basket. At different times of your life, you are going to have different priorities so consider the three P’s: Practical, Passions, and Position.
Practical: Where is the role? How much does it pay? Is there any flexibility?
Passion: What are you stimulated by? What do you get your energy from? What would you do if you weren’t getting paid?
Position: What is the role itself?
Joanna shared that what otherwise might not be her idea of a perfect job, fits in with other commitments and priorities, so in that sense it may be ideal for her.
Finding and Following Your Passion
Tara Hastings, Lawyer and Commercial Counsel with Hastings Consultancy has a true passion for being an in-house lawyer. She will tell you that often working in-house there is a real interest to work in ‘glamourous’ industries. For her it is not about the industry as much as it is the role itself and the work on offer.
Tara says, “I think you’ve got to look beyond the where sometimes for the what”.
She further shared that for her it is important to consider factors such as what the role is, who you get to work with, what sort of issues you get to deal with, and the scope of the work .
“I would encourage people to not look at the where as much as the what and the how and what they’ll learn”. – Tara Hastings
Values Alignment
We often see that values alignment is a huge part of making career choices. In years gone by if you were offered a great opportunity you would take it. At Alex Correa Executive we believe that candidates should be open to opportunities, we are now seeing people who are being far more discerning about what sort of organisation they align themselves with.
Nyadol Nyoun in her previous role as litigation lawyer with Arnold Bloch Leibler aligned herself with a firm that supported her contributing to political discussion and commenting on political issues utilising her public profile. In her experience, lawyers are far more comfortable focusing on the law and leaving politics alone. Often this is done so as not to offend clients with a diverse range of views. The advice she received throughout her career was to always do what is reasonable for her community and what she thinks it right. Nyadol brought her whole self to work and it has been accepted.
In her opinion, more firms need to look at the possibility of creating roles that look like her own. Roles where young lawyers can combine their commercial work with other work outside of the law.
Flexible Working Arrangements
A role that offers the benefit of working part-time provides for an opportunity to balance family commitments. Flexible working arrangements have become pervasive in a COVID era. In our experience, especially in relation to those legal industry employees who are working parents, they know that achieving work-life balance is not always as straightforward as having days out of the office.
In Nyadol’s experience, juggling her responsibilities as a working Mum and a successful and ambitious lawyer, finding the time to balance everything can be a real challenge.
We often see a mid-career drop off for female lawyers coinciding with wanting to start a family. Generally, those in private practice leave the profession or come in-house but Carly Trager, Senior Associate with K&L Gates did the opposite. As a working Mum with a real passion for helping people, returning to private practice was the best decision for her wellbeing and family commitments.
For Carly, the benefits of working part-time meant that she had time with her family but at the same time the work continued to come in regardless. Carly shared the pressures of societal norms for parenting became a challenge as someone who wanted to enjoy a satisfying career.
“It’s very internal, you feel guilty that you’re not spending that time with your children and that you’re going back to work and that your career is important to you.” – Carly Traeger
Carly’s advice is to set the expectations, manage your time, and know your limitations .
We are seeing more part-time roles in the market because law firms have now discovered that flexibility and remote working can work for both the firm and the employee. Firms are visualising a very different existence for their employees particularly in growth areas where they are wanting to grow a practice and don’t require a full-time lawyer.
As someone who has worked flexibly for years, Sarah Frost, Legal Consultant with KWMConnexion knows the importance of being transparent about family commitments.
“It’s being open and up front about the fact that you have children and the fact that you actually want to be engaged in their life and you are involved because you choose to be.” – Sarah Frost
Sarah emphasized the need to communicate your priorities and negotiate early to make sure promises are delivered on.
These hardworking and successful women in law have all taken a wholistic approach to their legal industry careers. By aligning their values and their commitments outside of the industry, whether they be family or interest-related, they have taken the next step on the career ladder and never looked back.
If you are thinking about your next career move , we can help. Contact us for a confidential career consultation where we can help you understand your market value and what is on offer in the Brisbane legal industry. You can make an appointment by emailing us at info@alexcorreaexecutive.com.au.
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