No Team In 'I'

A legal career means you have to keep your head on a swivel.

Up here in the hinterlands, it appears that our local NFL team is going to continue its streak of not going to the playoffs. It’s not for lack of talent; they have marquee players on offense and defense. Their problem is consistency. When Aaron Rodgers rears back to throw deep you can bet, more often than not, that the ball will be caught by one of his own players for a gain. When our guy throws deep, you hold your breath. Even if the ball is caught, you can count on a holding flag being thrown against the team and any gain to be negated. Some of this is lack of team cohesion, some of it leads back to the coach, but it all comes back to lack of consistency. Every few years, the team fires its coach, hires some elite players, and starts marketing a “new era” and a “fresh start” and so on. And those of us suckers who continue to buy season tickets, in the hope that “this year will be different,” continue to prop up the team and its coffers.

It is the same with a business team. Let’s take an office of general counsel, for instance. Most GCs don’t stay with one company during their careers, and with a new GC comes a new start, a fresh attitude, etc. The same could be said for each new leader of a company; they bring an individual personality, new methods for handling the business, and different strategies for appeasing shareholders. But, if the company is not performing well, say the last 15 quarters have seen the stock in a downward trend, recession be damned, what is one to do? Obviously, no one can predict the future with certainty, but writing is often on the walls — it’s the deciphering of the graffiti that is difficult. Should you prepare your résumé, and start “looking?” Should you hold tight because the company has been here before, and will pull out of this spiral? I don’t have a better answer than to seek as much advice as you’re comfortable seeking, and using your gut instincts.

Risk tolerance is not something that older attorneys had to bear in the same way as attorneys of our generation. Back in olden times, you went to work in a firm, stayed 8-10 years, made partner and retired. Or, well — you pick a specialty and the job security was there. Now, you could be gone in a keystroke, experience notwithstanding. It is an unsettling feeling. Job loyalty simply does not exist. Though your company will expect complete loyalty out of you for your tenure, it is not reciprocal. And it is not fair. And that is the way it is. Tight job market, pay freezes, under-the-radar layoffs, and on and on. Law is simply not what it once was. So, if you’re going to practice, you have to cowboy up a bit, and be prepared for any eventuality. Keep the résumé posted, take all recruiter calls, work hard every day, and keep your chin up and your head down (or some variation thereof). Because like a professional athlete, you’re only as good as your job says you are. In other words, as long as there’s a position and you can fill it, you will be viewed as valuable. Fumble a few kickoffs and you’ll be gone.


David Mowry is Senior Counsel to a large technology company. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the company’s position or opinion on issues raised herein.

David is a former litigator, two time federal clerk, and former Chair of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s New to In House Committee, and is available for speaking engagements. If interested, you may reach him at dmowry00@gmail.com.

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