Building A Fulfilling Career
Building A Fulfilling Career : Tips For Young Lawyers
By Ernestilla Bahati
Those of us born in Mid to late eighties found ourselves in our careers by default . The Courses that we ended up taking at university were highly dependent on A Level studies that one took , and the results as well . A common trend in Tanzania was for those who did well in Art Subjects ( English , History , Kiswahili and Geography ) to , whilst filling in the University Application , have “ Law ” as the first option … and other courses would come next . This resulted to a big number of Law graduates who had no real passion and career goals , aside from having attained that Law Degree .
I was one such individual . A Law degree in tow , and no real direction or passion as far as my career was concerned . Twelve years later , I am thankful that this profession chose me , and I am happy to be doing what I am doing today , having an active legal practice and eating and breathing Law . Below are some tips that I have found useful in achieving excellence as a Lawyer , and indeed generally as a budding professional .
Fight to be a part of the most complicated and difficult assignments
The best way to learn is through actively taking part in assignments . Accepting that the entire Legal Career is a process of learning is the first step towards becoming a good Lawyer and enjoying being one .
Through volunteering to take part in complicated assignments , you learn things that others in your position can take years to learn . Volunteer to do the research , be part of the team that writes the longest and most complicated of opinions , volunteer to conduct training , to be part of the team that does a difficult presentation in a complicated transaction . Fight to be part of the team that handles the most challenging of Litigations .
There is always that one assignment that most interns and trainees do not wish to be a part of , that is the very one that you ought to run towards . Nothing beats learning through actual doing . By taking
Crafting a successful career demands dedication and perseverance , with numerous obstacles to navigate . It is not uncommon to have moments of self-doubt about professional excellence . Yet , this is a natural part of the journey , indicative of your commitment . It signifies the initial stride towards wholeheartedly dedicating yourself to the profession .
part in the assignment , be it a Case , an opinion or a presentation , you will gain knowledge and skills that may not be easy to acquire otherwise .
Be willing to put in the extra time
In recent years , the culture is changing and leaning more towards “ soft life ”, and doing exactly what is required of one from a job . Nothing more and nothing less . I cannot stress how suicidal ( career-wise ) this is in an aspiring young professional , especially a young Lawyer . The responsibilities that come with being the best in what one does , despite the popular opinion , go over and beyond the normal working hours . In order to stand out , one has to be willing to go an extra mile and to take that extra step .
Ask for guidance and seek feed back
Asking for help , and stating clearly to one ’ s supervisor that certain instructions were not clear , and seeking guidance is how one learns and horns skills necessary to excel in the profession . Similarly , it is also just as important to ensure that upon completion of an assignment , feedback is sought on areas of improvement , what ought to be changed in the document in question or general conduct in order to best reflect the ideals of the profession as well as the entity one works for .
Identify your area of interest and work towards mastering it
The legal profession is vast and wide . Areas of practice are many and sometimes it is hard for one to identify what area brings out that spark , and zeal from deep inside them . The process of identifying what
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