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GRS News

10 Jan 2008
Career tips for aspiring legal professionals

Understand what differentiates you from the competition - and capitalise on it at work and on your CV. Think of yourself as a brand with a USP. Be known for something; whether it's excellent presentation skills or a passion for training. Part of this is understanding how others perceive you. To analyse your current ‘brand’ and to identify the strengths you should maximise on, use a feedback / disclosure tool like Johari's window.Giving yourself exposure to the right experiences early on in your career will put you in the frame for roles further down the line. If you are doing corporate law and you want to get good experience you will need a foreign language. A European language is a good asset, but if you speak Mandarin, Cantonese or Hindi and are one of the few British lawyers who can work in an emerging market, you will be in a very strong position. That rarity factor works elsewhere, too. Concentrate on areas of law where there are shortages - new areas of consumer law, IT and International Tax Law. Network. At the beginning of your career do this inside your profession. As you progress, network in your clients’ sectors.Our clients tell us that the difference between an average lawyer and an outstanding lawyer is excellent communication. The increasingly complex internal structures of today’s corporations have forced this need for greater sophistication in communication. Why not get hold of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini. Learn to use his ‘weapons of influence’ (Reciprocation, Commitment & Consistency, Social Proof, Authority, Liking, and Scarcity) to your advantage. It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. As little as ten percent of communication takes place verbally. Work on your body language. Candidates that we rate as “insincere” make eye contact three times less often than “sincere” candidates. Your boss will think the same way. For the majority of us, intensive, personal eye contact means using your right eye to look into the right eye of the listener. And if you are not originally from the UK – and London’s legal community is increasingly international - it’s also worth thinking about proxemics – the physical distance you put between yourself and others. Anglo-Saxons tend to expect the largest zones of personal space, followed by Asians, then Caucasians. Mediterraneans and Latinos have the smallest distance. Reading your clients’ trade press is as vital to you as indulging in the legal press. Becoming an expert in their world will make you a more credible asset to them.The importance of your performance cannot be overstated. Sounds obvious? Studies indicate that most of us work at just 40% of our potential. So pull your finger out. Lucinda Brown, Managing Consultant, GRS Legal