As I headed to the offices of Lapointe Rosenstein Marchand Melançon to meet Nancy Cleman, I knew little of what to expect. I arrived with an open mind and intent to learn. I reminded myself of the questions I hoped to have answered. As I headed home at the end of the day, not only had I gotten my answers, but I had uncovered part of the art of being a lawyer. On any given day, a lawyer does more than advise clients, exercise judgment, and apply their expertise. Nancy showed me that the craft of a lawyer involves mastering your network, continuously learning, and never forgetting that your career is what you make of it.
Lesson 1: Curating your network
Networks should be created, maintained, and shared generously with care. Every attorney I met drew lines between me and people in their networks—fellow students, lawyers working at the firm I will be summering at, contacts in cities I have worked in, and more. They seamlessly threaded connections between us. The ease with which they texted and emailed their contacts to introductions demonstrated well maintained networks. Adding me to the fold seemed automatic and effortless. Law really is about who you know and more importantly, who you keep in touch with.
Lesson 2: Brushing up on your soft skills
That age-old saying that lawyers are continuous learners is certainly true. The law is in flux, industries evolve, technologies shift. Yet what makes a lawyer able to stay ahead of these changes and utilize them depends on their mastery of the soft skills required to stay adaptable, to influence, and be effective. Whether it is understanding more about effective leadership, how to navigate the psychology and complexity of a boardroom or managing yourself, soft skills can enable lawyers to find a sense of certainty in themselves amidst uncertain times.
Lesson 3: Embrace
A legal career has no “one size fits all.” There is not magic formula or technic or path. That is the beauty and the pain of it, like with any art form. It is up to each of us to find our own way and to make the choices that feel right, both big and small. We make those choices when we decide how to schedule our days, handle a task, and pursue new matters. We also make those choices when we decide whether to work in-firm or in-house, transactional or litigation, Montreal or Toronto, London or New York, law or not law. Each choice is an opportunity to create something for yourself and get closer to the career that is nothing but your own.
I am immensely grateful for having the opportunity to learn these lessons from Nancy’s example. Her generosity and candor provided a glimpse into the lawyer’s atelier, and I cannot wait to start creating.