Young Lawyers & Leadership

There’s a certain comfort that comes with being a new lawyer. Of course, it’s an uneasy comfort. The reality of just how much you have to learn about how the law is actually practiced sets in pretty quickly. But there is something reassuring about knowing the buck doesn’t stop with you. A mistake is likely to invite an uncomfortable interaction with your boss, but that’s why they’re in charge. They make the final call.

Sometimes I wonder when all that changed. I’ve been in-house with Ochsner Health for just over ten years now. I’ve worked my way up the corporate ladder from individual contributor—a term I had never heard of before I was one—to assistant vice president. Today, I supervise a team of eight attorneys and legal professionals. But despite having had a boss in every job I’ve ever had, becoming someone’s boss felt anything but natural.

When you think “young lawyer,” you probably think of the newest members of our profession, but at least by the LSBA’s definition, a young lawyer is anyone under the age of 40 (or admitted to practice for fewer than five years). That means a young lawyer can be found in many phases of their career. As I mentioned in my prior articles, young lawyers find themselves fresh off the bar exam and newly admitted; they find themselves making that first leap of faith from one job to the next in search of greater fulfillment.

But at the other end of the young lawyer spectrum—a place I frequently forget I’m approaching—you find young lawyers in leadership: partners, shareholders, executive committee members, managing members and even an assistant vice president. I’ll confess, it can be an odd place to find yourself.

I’ve had a lot of organizational leadership experience and have even held the top spot a time or two. But leading a fraternity, a sports league or a committee is different. At Ochsner, I’m fortunate to lead a team of smart, dedicated and ambitious people. But that creates a real responsibility. They could take their talents anywhere, but by some chance, we find ourselves working together. The ambition that used to drive my own day-to-day performance is often eclipsed by the responsibility I feel to ensure they feel supported in all the ways necessary for them to be successful in their own career goals.

The truth is that I don’t end every day with a feeling of absolute assurance that I got it right. In fact, I spend an inordinate amount of time—though, maybe it is the right amount of time—wondering how I can do better.

In some ways, it reminds me of those first days as an associate. I was always looking for the perfect solution to the problem. It would take years for me to accept that that rarely exists. Good lawyering is often doing the best you can for your client with the resources you have available to you. So too is good leadership.

As a transactional attorney—a negotiator—I’m never more uncomfortable than when I’m advocating for myself. But interestingly, the responsibility of advocating for my team couldn’t feel more different. In fact, I see it as part of my job. The easy part of the job is identifying and praising good work. The hardest part, especially when you lead a talented team like mine, is continuously creating new opportunities for them to grow and advance. But if that’s not the focus, what’s the point? I like to think that, if it was easy, they would have given the job to someone else.

I don’t know when this kind of leadership will feel natural, if ever. I suspect that, much like with other aspects of the profession, over time, you learn not to let perfect be the enemy of good.

The opportunity to be in a position of leadership while actually influencing someone else’s career trajectory is a deeply humbling responsibility. To do it while still trying to grow into and advance your own career adds to the challenge. But, again, if it was easy, they probably would have given the job to someone else. Young lawyers are uniquely positioned for the challenge. We’re close enough to the experience, perhaps even going through a parallel experience ourselves, to lead with empathy and compassion. For millennials, who make up a supermajority of young lawyers, we are the bridge between very different generations, including the newest generation entering the workforce.

For the Young Lawyers Division, the audience for much of our programming is young lawyers toward the beginning of their careers, but I think some of our most impactful programming occurs when our speakers, moderators and facilitators are other young lawyers who are at the forefront of the profession, leading and advancing the law.

Leading is hard, but that’s why young lawyers do it. If I’ve learned anything in this first decade of practice, when in doubt, lean in. The more you care and the more you try, the more you succeed. It’s inevitable. Success in leadership is rarely measurable at the end of each day, but when you look back on the months and the years, it becomes easier to see your impact. Apprehension and uncertainty are normal—imposter syndrome is real—but when someone believes in your leadership potential, take that endorsement as a reminder to believe in yourself.

Again, if it was easy, young lawyers wouldn’t do it.