New York Lawyer
May 6, 2004

Q:
I'm a first-year associate and the first lawyer in my family. I emigrated here by myself, as a college student. Now, after getting settled into work a bit, I look around and see that the "rainmakers" - associate or partner - seem well connected to their communities.

Therein lies my problem. I am not a very social person - after work I prefer to sit quietly at home, relax, read, cook - all solitary activities. I am not religious, nor do I feel comfortable in the ethnic community options I have; I'm not really culturally second generation, but my fluency in English and professional aspirations make other new-immigrants of my nationality uncomfortable. My work hours are long and unpredictable, so I find myself unable to go to meetings for political organizations I am interested in.

What should I do to build deeper community ties? I would love a world where you are judged solely on the quality of your work, but I know that at some point you need to bring in stuff to work on, and not just turn out the assignments you're given. I am waiting for admission to the bar in June, and hoping that bar association committees might be a way into networks, but though I'm very comfortable and happy now, I am worried about the future.

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A:

You�re right to be concerned about this. The only way to raise your profile is to become better known. While you can build a reputation within your firm as a superb service lawyer, that�s not usually enough these days to build your reputation and gain respect within a firm. Start first with people in your firm -- mentors, for instance -- to see what advice they have. Also, mentors and/or a marketing person may have ideas about what you can do to become better known, and can help you build your own marketing/business plan.

The first step is to determine what kind of lawyer you want to be, ultimately. If the area of law you want to specialize in requires a lot of relationship building and bonding and so forth, this is going to be more of a necessity (and challenge) than if you choose something that�s more cerebral and more research oriented. But it�s important to keep the end in mind, your ultimate goal, when deciding marketing and networking strategies. There�s no point in doing a lot of building community ties and going to meetings and gladhanding with no real purpose behind these activities.

Often people do build ties within ethnic communities, so I wouldn�t dismiss that possibility too quickly. Depending on the kind of legal work you do or want to do, a lot of work can come your way using that avenue. Maybe you can figure out ways to ease the awkwardness associated with your proficiency with the language -- emphasizing the work you do and how you can help people, for instance.

Certainly bar association committees are a first-rate approach. You can build your reputation within the bar in your specialty and get referrals. Go for leadership positions or positions on committees as soon as possible to meet more people within the bar and to "publicize" yourself.

Another approach is to find activities and organizations you like and make that the way you build relationships. Don�t worry about your lack of predictability. Many organizations understand that busy people can�t make every function. Just pick things you like to do and attend meetings and gatherings as often as you can.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work