Keeping Passion in the Law

What are some things that your firm can do to create an environment in which your lawyers continue to feel passionate about the law? Set forth below are some suggestions gleaned from my experience as a lawyer and manager of professional development.

Facilitate Continuous Learning

Much has been written about the importance of continuous learning to the success of individuals and organizations. Law firms foster continuous learning by offering in-house training and by encouraging (and paying for) lawyers to attend external seminars. In-house training ' if done regularly and over a meal ' something I have found to be very important ' not only accomplishes the 'learning' objective but also provides an opportunity for lawyers to get out of their offices and out of their heads to socialize (if only for a short time) on a regular basis. They build relationships that form the glue that creates cohesiveness and a sense of belonging, which makes them want to come to work every day and helps keep passion in the law.

Foster Mentoring

There are different approaches to mentoring. The best mentoring occurs naturally. But unfortunately, with our busy lives, this does not always happen. And it often does not happen equally for all groups ' women and minorities are often mentored less often.

Formal mentoring systems work when there is a firm commitment, there are specific tasks around which the mentoring relationship can grow, and the roles of the mentors and prot'g'es are clear. While this last point may sound somewhat basic, my experience is that many mentors and prot'g'es simply do not know what it takes to develop a good mentoring relationship: how to get started, what is expected, and what they can and should do. An hour of discussion about what each can do to foster the relationship with regular follow-up is often enough to get mentoring started in the right direction. The feeling of inclusiveness and connectedness that develops from these relationships will go far to keep the passion for the law alive.

Require Annual Career Plans with Specific Goals

It is my experience that when attorneys have a roadmap (albeit a flexible and dynamic one) with SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goals and action steps, they are more likely to remain passionate about the law. The creation and implementation of these plans assures individual growth. The thought that goes into articulating the plan, goals, and action steps, including the identification of resources available, creates opportunities for interaction, cooperation, and the development of relationships that result in a more cohesive environment that keeps passion in the law. This is good for the individual attorneys and for the firm as a whole.

Diverse Environment

Create a diverse environment in which differences are respected and valued. Our world is not homogeneous. Nor are our law firms. They are a mix of genders, ethnicities, and generations. This diversity is an opportunity; it makes ' or at least should make ' our law firms richer and more interesting places to work. Make sure that the firm has role models in all shapes and sizes. What I hear most often when I speak with young attorneys who have left firms is that there was no one 'who looked like me or whom I wanted to look like' in the firm leadership.

Outside Activities

Support participation in outside activities. While this may detract from billable hours, encouraging attorneys to actively participate in outside activities is not only 'fun' but provides opportunities for them to simultaneously learn to network and develop business that is not only critical to their individual success but to the success of the law firm. These activities can serve as an outlet for the frustrations of practice that everyone encounters at times.

Leadership Positions

Encourage your attorneys ' junior and senior ' to take positions of leadership in organizations of all sizes and support them in their endeavors. They will develop leadership and management skills, making them more valuable to the firm. They will also grow as individuals and feel good about themselves and more passionate about what they can contribute as a lawyer. You might even consider helping to identify opportunities for your lawyers to serve in external leadership positions and supporting them. They will appreciate your commitment to them and likely feel more connected to your firm.

Role Models

Be a role model yourself. Join, sponsor, and support outside organizations. Invite your younger colleagues to attend events with you and introduce them to others. Suggest that your senior colleagues do the same. Your junior colleagues will be flattered by your interest in them. By setting the stage for and creating opportunities for your lawyers to participate in external activities, you will show that you support their growth and value their contributions.

Reward Passion and Initiative

Too often, firms fail to recognize and reward those willing to think and act outside the box, who bring new and fresh ideas to the organization. To retain an environment with lawyers passionate about what they do, law firms should acknowledge and reward these attorneys for their initiative and passion, and not push them back into their 'boxes.'

Conclusion

The foregoing addressed what firms can do. There is a concomitant role and responsibility for the individual lawyer related to each of these activities. It takes both the firm and the individual to keep the fires burning. When firms make a commitment to continuous learning of all types and when mentoring and career planning is encouraged, indeed expected and facilitated, the result is a sense of commitment by the firm to the advancement and growth of its lawyers. This commitment makes individual lawyers feel valued and included, provided diversity is expected and respected. And when individual goals include involvement in both firm committees and external organizations, with others from inside the firm, there is a sense of cohesiveness, connectedness, and value ' a sense of belonging ' that will help keep passion in the practice of law.

Lisa Horowitz is Senior Manager of Professional Development at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. She is President-Elect of the National Association of Women Lawyers. She also served on the Steering Committee of the Law Practice Management Section of the District of Columbia Bar.

The rate of attrition of lawyers from law firms and the law ' both men and women ' is a concern around the country. It is financially costly and disruptive. It interferes with client service; is discouraging to colleagues; disrupts mentoring relationships; and hampers succession planning.

What is it that keeps lawyers committed to the practice of law? What can law firms do to keep young attorneys passionate about the law? What can lawyers do to retain the passion?

Keeping passion in the law requires the commitment of both the law firm and the individual lawyer. People look forward to coming to work when their environment is cohesive and inclusive, and they feel good about themselves, their colleagues, and their firm. Firms that take steps to develop and maintain a working environment in which attorneys feel connected, valued, and part of a team, and in which they have an opportunity to grow and advance are more likely to retain lawyers who have a passion for the practice of law. Nothing will extinguish the passion more quickly than a sense of exclusion and stagnation.

What are some things that your firm can do to create an environment in which your lawyers continue to feel passionate about the law? Set forth below are some suggestions gleaned from my experience as a lawyer and manager of professional development.

Facilitate Continuous Learning

Much has been written about the importance of continuous learning to the success of individuals and organizations. Law firms foster continuous learning by offering in-house training and by encouraging (and paying for) lawyers to attend external seminars. In-house training ' if done regularly and over a meal ' something I have found to be very important ' not only accomplishes the 'learning' objective but also provides an opportunity for lawyers to get out of their offices and out of their heads to socialize (if only for a short time) on a regular basis. They build relationships that form the glue that creates cohesiveness and a sense of belonging, which makes them want to come to work every day and helps keep passion in the law.

Foster Mentoring

There are different approaches to mentoring. The best mentoring occurs naturally. But unfortunately, with our busy lives, this does not always happen. And it often does not happen equally for all groups ' women and minorities are often mentored less often.

Formal mentoring systems work when there is a firm commitment, there are specific tasks around which the mentoring relationship can grow, and the roles of the mentors and prot'g'es are clear. While this last point may sound somewhat basic, my experience is that many mentors and prot'g'es simply do not know what it takes to develop a good mentoring relationship: how to get started, what is expected, and what they can and should do. An hour of discussion about what each can do to foster the relationship with regular follow-up is often enough to get mentoring started in the right direction. The feeling of inclusiveness and connectedness that develops from these relationships will go far to keep the passion for the law alive.

Require Annual Career Plans with Specific Goals

It is my experience that when attorneys have a roadmap (albeit a flexible and dynamic one) with SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) goals and action steps, they are more likely to remain passionate about the law. The creation and implementation of these plans assures individual growth. The thought that goes into articulating the plan, goals, and action steps, including the identification of resources available, creates opportunities for interaction, cooperation, and the development of relationships that result in a more cohesive environment that keeps passion in the law. This is good for the individual attorneys and for the firm as a whole.

Diverse Environment

Create a diverse environment in which differences are respected and valued. Our world is not homogeneous. Nor are our law firms. They are a mix of genders, ethnicities, and generations. This diversity is an opportunity; it makes ' or at least should make ' our law firms richer and more interesting places to work. Make sure that the firm has role models in all shapes and sizes. What I hear most often when I speak with young attorneys who have left firms is that there was no one 'who looked like me or whom I wanted to look like' in the firm leadership.

Outside Activities

Support participation in outside activities. While this may detract from billable hours, encouraging attorneys to actively participate in outside activities is not only 'fun' but provides opportunities for them to simultaneously learn to network and develop business that is not only critical to their individual success but to the success of the law firm. These activities can serve as an outlet for the frustrations of practice that everyone encounters at times.

Leadership Positions

Encourage your attorneys ' junior and senior ' to take positions of leadership in organizations of all sizes and support them in their endeavors. They will develop leadership and management skills, making them more valuable to the firm. They will also grow as individuals and feel good about themselves and more passionate about what they can contribute as a lawyer. You might even consider helping to identify opportunities for your lawyers to serve in external leadership positions and supporting them. They will appreciate your commitment to them and likely feel more connected to your firm.

Role Models

Be a role model yourself. Join, sponsor, and support outside organizations. Invite your younger colleagues to attend events with you and introduce them to others. Suggest that your senior colleagues do the same. Your junior colleagues will be flattered by your interest in them. By setting the stage for and creating opportunities for your lawyers to participate in external activities, you will show that you support their growth and value their contributions.

Reward Passion and Initiative

Too often, firms fail to recognize and reward those willing to think and act outside the box, who bring new and fresh ideas to the organization. To retain an environment with lawyers passionate about what they do, law firms should acknowledge and reward these attorneys for their initiative and passion, and not push them back into their 'boxes.'

Conclusion

The foregoing addressed what firms can do. There is a concomitant role and responsibility for the individual lawyer related to each of these activities. It takes both the firm and the individual to keep the fires burning. When firms make a commitment to continuous learning of all types and when mentoring and career planning is encouraged, indeed expected and facilitated, the result is a sense of commitment by the firm to the advancement and growth of its lawyers. This commitment makes individual lawyers feel valued and included, provided diversity is expected and respected. And when individual goals include involvement in both firm committees and external organizations, with others from inside the firm, there is a sense of cohesiveness, connectedness, and value ' a sense of belonging ' that will help keep passion in the practice of law.

Lisa Horowitz is Senior Manager of Professional Development at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. She is President-Elect of the National Association of Women Lawyers. She also served on the Steering Committee of the Law Practice Management Section of the District of Columbia Bar.