More associates want to make partner

According to a YouGov (UK) survey completed last year, more lawyers (in comparison from 2008 to 2009) want to be promoted to partnership—despite the fact that the chances to make partner have dramatically decreased. (The previous figure was 46%, whereas this most recent survey reports that 56% of young lawyers have the ambition of partnership.)

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Find your purpose

In my last post, I talked about taking initiative on your 2010 goals. Continuing on with this theme of goal setting...

If you still feel a little uncertain about your 2010 goals, one of the simplest things to do is to interview a few people who have already attained the goal you’re considering. Check out the reality, the bad as well as the good. Believe me, a lot of positions in our profession look glamorous and appealing from the outside, and rather less so from inside... There may also be sacrifices that you’re not prepared to make, for the sake of your family - or you may find that achieving your ambition will routinely require your working more hours than you can cope with! Remember, there are many different ways of being a successful lawyer. Don’t be one of those people who take the line of least resistance and wind up regretting it.

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Take the initiative on your 2010 goals

It’s not only a new year, but also a new decade. In light of this, you’ve probably set yourself a few resolutions (lose weight, drink less, exercise more) and hopefully written down some specific work-related goals, along with a written plan for achieving them. (If you haven't done the latter, as described in my previous blog entry, I strongly suggest doing so.) And then I urge you to commit to a self-review plan in which you evaluate your progress. At the beginning of each month, figure out your immediate goals and then (at the end of the month) treat yourself to a personal review!

The truth is this: no one is going to care about your career as much as you, so, rather than rely upon your firm goal setting and appraisal structures (if they even have them) do it for yourself. Take the initiative.

Naturally, the more specific the goal, the easier it is to measure your progress toward it. But the single most important thing is that you monitor your goals regularly, maintain your focus, test your commitment, and feel confident that your goal continues to be the right one for you.

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Stocking Stuffer: Recommendation of Juggling the Big 3

Like many of us (especially lawyers working furiously to a client deadline), have you waited until the last minute to get your Christmas shopping done? If so, and if someone on your list is a lawyer (or in the business of law), and especially if he or she is an aspiring partner, Juggling the Big 3 might just be the ticket. (Granted, you must be careful, because a book on "how to succeed" might not send the right message, particularly if it's a gift for your partner/spouse/loved one and you've been hinting at their career deficiencies...) 

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Don’t make resolutions, set (written) goals

This is the period when most people begin thinking about New Year's resolutions. But rather than approaching your 2010 aspirations as traditionally ineffective (and probably short-term) resolutions, how about setting a firm goal of what you want to achieve, and then implementing a strategy for reaching it?

Goals can be set on a number of different levels:

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