Conclusion

• Library: Accelerating Lawyer Success: How to Make Partner, Stay Healthy, and Flourish in a Law Firm (ABA) (2015 Ed.)

John has been at his firm for about three years. His goal is to make partner. He would also love to be healthy and feel good about his work. He does his work diligently and is an all-around nice guy, but other than wanting these positive outcomes, John hasn't done much in the way of preparing himself to get there. He's starting to notice that his contemporaries are making long-term career decisions. Some are jumping ship and going in-house, and some seem to be getting even more involved in firm committees. He's wondering if there are things he should be doing to prepare himself for the career he dreams about, and he's not sure how (or if) to change his behaviors to set him on the path to success.

At this point, we've talked in detail about what skills aid lawyers in making partner, staying healthy, and flourishing in their career; but how can we boil it down so John knows where to start? Some of the characteristics we have discussed in this book naturally go together; when looked at as a gestalt, they highlight overarching skills and behaviors we believe are helpful to reaching certain goals. For example, the traits that help lawyers make partner are feeling in control, strategic career investment, informal mentoring, using others' expertise, being planful, and seeking feedback. Those skills group into three more digestible characteristics. In particular, lawyers who feel in control and strategically invest in their careers know what they want and know that they have the ability or resources to get there—they are self-made go-getters, or masters of fate. Partners are also planful, and lawyers who make partner ahead of the pack also seek feedback—they are calibrators, constantly charting and adjusting their course to...