The Rainmaker’s Apprentice: How to Get Beyond Billable Targets

Congrats associates – you have successfully navigated life to work at a prestigious law firm. Now it’s time to think about what‘s next. Meeting deadlines and and billing 2200 hours may make you a successful associate, but it will not turn you into a rainmaker ten to fifteen years from now. If you look at the profiles of partners and rainmakers at your firm, you will notice they all have a personal brand they have built through the years. So, how to do you go from the “gal with the gray suit” to the go-getter who “gets it”?

Think about the Type of Lawyer You Want to Be

Before you start building your personal brand, decide the type of lawyer you want to be. Here are some suggestions:

• the person who gets work done on time and with care;
• the person who is on top of her assignments even when her partner isn’t;
• the person who is a go-getter who “gets it;”
• the team-player, highly competent, yet humble

None of these qualities are exclusive.  If you are a rock star, you’ll be able to hit all of them. The goal of course:  to be the person partners and clients think of first when a new assignment walks through the door and are disappointed if you can’t take on the work. Play your cards right, and work with flood in. Your biggest struggle will be managing all you need to do to maximize the personal and financial value of your career and keep them in balance.  Getting to this point is an art, not a science, but here are some basic steps.

Connect Yourself with a Mentor

Many successful partners will tell you that they didn’t end up where they are without the help of someone more successful and well-connected than they are. If your law firm provides a mentorship program, become involved in the program and get to know your mentor and have meaningful conversations about your career goals. In the end, your mentor will be your advocate when promotion talks are in view. If your firm doesn’t provide a mentorship program, actively seek out a partner you feel most closely aligns with your personality and career goals and ask that partner out for coffee. By being the one to initiate the conversation, you are on your way to building your personal brand as a go-getter and someone who takes their career seriously. Word to the wise, though: don’t ask someone to “be” your mentor. Make them want to be in that role by being a good person to be around, both work-wise and socially. If the social part is a problem, get a coach. Seriously, they exist, and they can help.

Have a Professional Headshot of Yourself

As an associate, your law firm may take a professional headshot of you for the firm’s website. If they do, you should use this new photo for all your social media applications, i.e., LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. A head shot means you no longer have to crop your friend out of the photo. A head shot also projects professionalism and competence. If you are not allowed to use your law firm’s photo for your social media purposes, you should have a photographer or friend take one of you and hire a professional to edit it. Even in NYC this will cost less than $300 and It will be  well worth the money. The last thing you want is a client to skip over your LinkedIn profile because your photo didn’t project professionalism.

Social Media Presence

Unless you live under a rock or are one of those people who shun social media, you are not doing yourself or career any favors by not being involved with social media. Social media is a terrific way of connecting with many people in your network with one message. However, are you connecting in the right way?

1. Facebook/Instagram – Remove all drunken and party photos from your Facebook/Instagram and set your settings to PRIVATE – employers have known to fire employees when incriminating photos or offending comments were posted on a personal Facebook page. While you should have a life outside of work and be able to speak freely, any evidence of partying and your personal views that may offend others should be removed from your Facebook page. Another way to avoid trouble with your personal brand is to not become Facebook or Instagram friends with your co-workers or bosses.
2. LinkedIn – This is a very powerful tool. To engage with your network and build your brand, share articles pertaining to your career aspirations or practice area. For example, if you are a corporate mergers and acquisitions associate, share articles regarding the market trends in M&A and follow industry insiders for your practice area. You can also publish articles under your LinkedIn page and share it with your network. The more you publish, the more your network will associate your name with being an expert in your practice area.
3. Twitter – Twitter is a fantastic way of connecting passively with experts in your field and share information with a click of a button through re-tweets. However, if you engage in Twitter conversations, make sure you are not openly insulting anyone because all that work in building your personal brand will be wiped away in an instant.

Blogging, Articles and White Papers

As I mentioned above, it is important to write and publish blogs, articles, and white papers related to your practice area. Through publishing you are setting yourself apart from your colleagues by becoming an expert in your field. If your firm publishes white papers in your practice area, volunteer to be a contributor. When clients read your published works, you want them to think of you the next time they have a legal need. If necessary, publish your own blogs and articles through one of the online publishing platforms such as WordPress.org, Wix, Blogger, Tumblr, or Medium. Lawyers are paid to think, and thinkers write.  Write something.

Be a Member of Your Local Bar Association

If you have a local bar association in your area, become a member of that local bar association and get involved with the committees that interest you. Usually, the bar associations are broken down by practice groups. You can become involved with planning committee events or being a speaker on a panel. Since the local bar association has a smaller footprint than a national bar association, your contribution will have a larger impact on your audience and network. Plus, being a speaker on a panel will help you practice your public speaking skills. Once you are involved with your local bar association activities, you will notice the group of members who are regular attendees. And as we all know, people tend to only refer clients and business to others they personally know in their network.

These tips are to guide you.  Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see clients knocking on your door immediately. It takes many years to cultivate your personal brand and build the relationships you need. The key is to stay determined and continue to add value at work, on social media and at your local bar association.