Key Actions to take in First Year for your Legal Career
Entering law school can be daunting, and for many, thoughts of your future legal career can seem intimidating. Preparing for a future so distant may seem unnecessary and unfathomable. However, there are a few, small and simple actions that can be taken to set anyone up for their legal career ahead.
1. Get Involved in University Life
Firms do not simply look at a student’s WAM or GPA when selecting the perfect candidate to fit into their carefully cultivated environment. Many firms prioritise candidates whose values align with the firm’s. Showing employers that you are passionate about a range of different activities is important. This can be done by immersing yourself in various different interest clubs and making the most of the electives at your disposal. Learning and practising such contrasting activities from law will not only broaden your knowledge but your hiring prospects as well.
Getting involved in university life is also vital for making connections. It is common knowledge that law is a social career. Thus, making connections is paramount. Building these connections can happen anywhere! It does not necessarily require networking nights. Immersing yourself in law competitions or the student-run law committee can be an amazing place to meet people that may be your colleague or superior in the future.
2. The Professional Mentoring Program
This program connects those who have experience in the legal profession and aspiring lawyers in university. It serves as a tool for the seasoned legal professional to impart knowledge and their indispensable perspective of the legal world.
To make full use of this program, building a relationship or rapport with your mentor will be a good start. The mentors are not there at your beck and call. There are structured meetings that will occur between you and your mentor at their discretion. To prepare for these meetings, you should have clear goals of what you wish to achieve in your legal career. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to have ideas of steps that could be taken to achieve these goals.
In the sessions with your mentor, they will be there to assist in refining your goals and provide suggestions in which those goals will become attainable.
Between your meetings, you should be taking those steps discussed. This will allow for further discussion of what strategies are working well and what actions should be adjusted to better suit you.
3. Seize the Opportunity
This last one is a little bit of a cliché…but don’t be afraid to seize the opportunity. So many people pass up an opportunity due to being fearful of failure. However, if there is a position in a firm or a committee that you are keen on, be unafraid to put your hand up for it. Even if the outcome was not what you hoped for, there is always a learning opportunity involved.
Good Luck xx
Written by Valerie Chionh