Tips For New Lawyers: How To Build Camaraderie With Senior Lawyers

Lawyering means a lifetime of learning and this definitely means knowing how laws are developing and how they have been interpreted by jurisprudence. However, not everything in the practice of law is about law and jurisprudence. You will definitely know a lot more with the help of some of the more seasoned lawyers around. It can greatly help to have a network as well as some veteran presence around you. Here is how you can build great relationships with them.

Engage Each Other Differently

There is a life other than lawyering. Surely, your seniors also enjoy walks in the park, working out, watching movies, having dinner, golf or other activities other than practicing law. You do not have to bond with senior lawyers just by working since there are an infinite number of ways where you can develop professional relationships with them.

Later on in your practice, you will realize that your chosen profession is built around relationships. So do not do your pleadings inside a cave. Go out and ask a senior out for coffee. Have dinner or go out in company outings.

Walk The Halls

One thing that you should learn as a rookie lawyer is how to walk the halls. When you visit people without an agenda, this sets a tone of togetherness and transparency. This also give people an opportunity to exchange thoughts and vent out their inner feelings. With the many challenges of law practices, a lot fail at this. A lot of new lawyers get overwhelmed with their busy schedules and making time for walking the halls just slips their minds.

This is why it is very important for lawyers to be very comfortable with fellows. Law firms sponsor team building activities often since they value camaraderie just as much. However, you do not really have to count of these activities to get close to your seniors.

[su_quote cite=”Oliver Wendell Holmes” class=”cust-pagination”]“The life of the law has not been logic; it has been experience.”[/su_quote]

Do Not Hesitate to Learn

Your chosen profession involves learning until your die or retire, whichever comes first. While your main channel of information comes from reading, there is a lot that your thick law books do not teach. Senior lawyers would even say that what you learn in law school is just the tip of the iceberg since law practice involves a whole lot more than knowing all laws and how they apply.

Thus, it is vital that you learn from your seniors. These experienced lawyers have been through perhaps all that you will be going through. Find a senior lawyer who is patient enough to guide you and develop you to be the lawyer you have always dreamed of becoming.

Join Groups

If you joined a fraternity or sorority in law school, build a network around what you have joined back then. You do not have to be the most active frat brother or sorority sister. You also do not have to be the biggest giver in fund raising events. You just have to make your presence felt and mingle enough to make the most out of your frat or sorority alumni network.

There are a lot of professional groups that you can join such as those for charitable purposes. A lot of influential people, not just lawyers, join groups such as this and being well connected does help a lot when being a lawyer.

Communicate

Communication is now way easier in the digital age. This also means that you can now handle relationships and get connected much easier and this is a big leap for your professional network. You do not even have to remember all birthdays since they would pop out on your Facebook anyway.

Thus, take advantage of technology and use this to build a professional network centered around your law career. Be respectable online and develop your presence for your peers to appreciate. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to developing your professional network but surely, you will need the help of veterans in your industry for you to learn from.