Do Not Read This

This post should not be read by anyone on LinkedIn, it contains sensitive and restricted information that should not be shared or commented upon.

.

.

.

Happy 2021, As I understand it content now has to be video to get real engagement on LinkedIn, blogging or article creation is dead unless you are already an influencer with a significant following (spoiler alert, I am not).

And text..

must..

be..

like..

this…

to grab our attention.

Dumbing down has crossed from mainstream social media to “professional networking” and I have missed the boat apparently.

If you are reading this then curiosity has got the better of you. I apologise for my duplicity, but it is for your own good, especially if you are a legal professional to read rather than watch.

WARNING: The below has no pictures, video or exciting engagement tools, it is a short piece of content that will require several minutes of attention.

How to forge a successful legal career

I see a lot of posts on LinkedIn about making it in the law, success within the legal profession means different things to different people. The archetypal success involves becoming a “big law” partner and making millions each year advising clients on highly complex matters or General Counsel of a substantial, super elite entity, consequently you will be renowned and respected in your field of practice.

Some see success as helping those in real need of legal advice or being admitted to practice law in any capacity (more of an achievement post 2020 than ever), for the purposes of this post I want to focus on the classic interpretation of success; being a major public company General Counsel or a partner at the top of the equity at an elite firm.

Dispelling some myths

It is rather in vogue to tell people of any educational or career background that they can make it to the top of the tree within the law. However, If you look at the backgrounds of those actually at the top it seems this notion is a fallacy or at best a wholly unproven hypothesis. Of course, there are always exceptions, someone who took several years out mid-career to try something different, someone with a mediocre university degree who excelled in practice. Someone with a generally average background who stuck around while beneficial events unfolded around them propelling them to the top. It is counterproductive to focus on these exceptions and hold them out as aspirational examples when the probability of successfully emulating them is so low.

The Truth

For a classically successful legal career in London or the US (99% of the time) you will need a mix of these ingredients:

1)   Education- if you went to Oxbridge or a US equivalent (and studied anything with passable marks) you are off to a good start. A redbrick university is usually an acceptable backup with good grades. If you attended a lesser institution your options are, take a masters at a better one or achieve incredible grades and excel in the next few elements:

2)   Professional credentials- think “magic circle” or “top tier US” spend the formative years of your career in one of these institutions and you are ticking the boxes typically needed to get to the top. If you start at a less regarded firm, you can work your way up, but it is always going to be more of a slog and the end result is less certain. Once you are in one of these firms try not to jump ship too many times, this will also make securing a position at the top table more challenging.

3)   Commercial outlook- You need to be client facing to be at the top. If you were first in your class at Oxford, an absolute document whizz at Clifford Chance but struggle to present to the outside world it will be difficult to make it from the mid to the upper echelons of the profession.

4)   Secret network- (exciting 4th bullet, right?)….

The secret network isn’t really talked about, at least not in western society. It is who your parents are, who their friends are, who your spouse and their network include, all the “special connections” you have access to as a result of your private relationships. We like the illusion that we live in an egalitarian society, to be the General Counsel of a major US bank do you think it helps to be friends with some folks in the white house, a member of the same country club as those at the top in the DOJ or SEC?

Your network can be built from scratch over years with hard work and a bit of luck, but wouldn’t it be nice to be part of the establishment from day 1? If you can pick up the phone to powerful people you have a personal relationship with LOTS of money and benefit in kind will flow in your direction and consequently enrich you and the organisation you work for.

If you have some of these key elements (yes I am sure there are other important ones as well) a persistent determination to stay the course, a little political nous the odds shift in your direction making it likely to cement your place at the top of the legal profession.

Once again, please forgive my deception in getting you to click on this article.