Solo Navigation: Career Advancement as a First-Generation Attorney

What do you do when you’re the first to enter a space? When no one in your family or close friends have been in those spaces, how do you figure out how to act and advance to the next stage? I recently saw a TikTok of a guy mentioning how he is in spaces where now has to figure things out alone because he didn’t come from a family who had professional jobs and sometimes it didn’t make sense to follow their advice. This resonated with me and reminded me of the advice many first-gens get about keeping our head down at work. Thinking that eventually our good work will be recognized. It is well-intentioned, but this advice is not based on how the legal industry works. Not only is keeping your head down a first-class ticket to never advancing, but you can see this advice comes from a space where the worker is not empowered. They are not empowered to speak up, to ask for credit, to ask for equity–very much not how an attorney would be expected to act. It’s sometimes difficult to see the nuances in the advice given. Often we learn a hard lesson–think being passed over for a promotion by the guy who goes to the networking event with partner, when we realize the advice we’ve been following isn’t actually helpful.

My a-ha moment was suits. It’s always suits with me! Wearing a suit felt like a costume and I would change into the suit prior to oral arguments rather than wear the suit the whole day. I also didn’t really understand that a suit is a suit–not black pants and a shirt. But as someone who didn’t grow up in professional spaces, where “nice clothing” was black paints and nice blouse, the attire seemed interchangeable to me. Except it isn’t. There are expectations in this industry (whether there should be or not) and not having the appropriate attire made me look even more like an outsider. Thankfully, by my 2L year, I recognized the need to make a shift and eventually wearing a suit didn’t feel like a costume, it felt like just as comfortable for me to wear it as any other piece of clothing.

My example is a reality for many first-generation attorneys–maybe not suits, specifically, but we find ourselves navigating a space alone and unsure where we should obtain guidance. So, where can you get a copy of the rules that this industry seems hellbent on keeping secret?

One. Recognize your work culture. When you start a new job/internship/or are in a new space, take a moment to really get a lay of the land. Try to determine the customs (attire expectation, hours, how folks engage with each other) and expectations (what’s you’re billable, are there projects you’re expected to work on?). Look at who succeeds in your space and how are they succeeding. Is it because they’re bringing in clients? The majority participated in a specific department? Look for the patterns to see if there are actions you can (and want to) emulate. And recognize that “good work” only is likely not enough to advance in those spaces.

Two. Increase your executive presence. Being in tune with your executive presence is important as a young professional. Do an honest assessment of yourself is the way you dress, speak, act in accordance to what looks like leadership in that space? To be clear, this isn’t about assimilating or being “less than” yourself, it’s about polish, credibility, and gaining trust of people who have the power to advance your career. If you realize you’re the odd person out in how you dress, act, or speak is it worth considering tweaks? And this will be different for each person, firm, practice area, and region!

Three. Build community. It is hard doing this alone. It is difficult when your learn things the hard way or there’s an embarrassing realization that you should have being doing X all this time when you’ve been doing Y. Having others that have experienced similar journeys will be paramount to your success. Consider joining your local affinity association, go to networking events, alumni events–most of my “law school friends” are people I became friends with post-law school that I met at events and cultivated relationships with without the stress of law school. There are also online resources like chat groups that let you decompress and get feedback (with caveat of course of giving info to strangers online lol), but however you feel comfortable, go make community.

Ultimately, you want to use the tools and talents you used to navigate higher Ed and law school to navigate your career. Your career is not passive. It is not driven by anyone else. It can be scary to recognize yet another chapter where you’re going solo but you now have the benefit of added experience and skills to ensure your career flourishes.