Master of Your Fate? Teaching Lawyers to Invest in Themselves

By Heather Bock, Juliet Aiken, and Lori Berman –

Who really thrives in a law firm? We’re not just talking about who gets promoted, although that’s part of it. Who feels like they are flourishing? Who stays healthly? According to our research on partners and associates in a sample of AmLaw 200 firms, the people who thrive in law firms – the people who are promoted, healthy, and feel like they are flourishing – are the masters of their fate. What does it take to be a master of your fate? Two things: feeling in control and investing strategically in your career. The healthy, flourishing partners in our study reported that feeling of control; 71% of partners feel in control of what happens to them, compared to only 57% of attorneys who had not made partner after 10 or more years in their firm. This feeling of control extends past control over the self: masters of their fate also feel able to influence and impact others. In addition to a healthy (pun intended) sense of control, these lawyers also deliberately and strategically invest in themselves and their career. Not only do they seize opportunities, but they also seek out and cultivate relationships that will be good for their career. Lawyers who thrive and who are successful don’t think just about what work needs to get done today. Instead, they sow seeds to grow their career and to set themselves up for success. If you want to be – or you want your attorneys to be – a master of your fate, here are a few skills you should develop:

1. Get control of yourself!
   1. Lists are your friend. In a bad situation? Think yourself out of your box by listing and evaluating possible courses of action until this becomes second nature.
   2. No more negative self-talk. Think positive. The world isn’t black and white, so your language shouldn’t be. Leave “always,” “never,” and other absolutes behind.
2. Get strategic
   1. Aim high. Goal-directed behavior is productive behavior. Think about your long term and short term goals, and revisit them every few months. If you’re not meeting your goals, consider whether they have changed, or what you can do to move forward.
   2. Strike when the iron is hot. Evaluate opportunities and assignments; throw yourself into work that forwards your goals and your firm’s goals, and know when to focus your efforts on another assignment.

You’re well on your way to success, but you’re not there yet. Future blog posts will touch on more of the characteristics that differentiate attorneys who are promoted, healthy, and flourishing.

Blog Authors

Heather Bock is the Chief Professional Development Officer at Hogan Lovells US LLP and the Executive Director and a Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law Center for the Study of the Legal Profession.

Juliet Aiken is the Deputy Director and Research Director at the Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law and the founder of Statistics in Practice LLC.

Lori Berman is the Director of Professional Development at Hogan Lovells US LLP and an Adjunct Professor and Research Affiliate at the Georgetown Law Center for the Study of the Legal Profession.