No
one
is
coming
to
save
you.
No
one
other
than
you
is
responsible
for
your
career.
Not
your
supervisor.
Not
the
managing
partner.
Not
your
firm.
What
you
make
of
yourself
is
entirely
in
your
hands.
The
decisions
you
make.
The
effort
you
put
forth.
The
money
you
spend.
What
will
separate
you
from
other
lawyers,
what
will
allow
you
to
break
ahead
of
the
pack,
is
your
time,
energy,
and
money,
not
your
firm’s.
A
mistake
I
see
some
young
lawyers
make
is
to
entrust
their
careers
to
their
law
firms.
In
their
eyes,
the
law
firms
will
be
primarily,
and
even
exclusively,
responsible
for
making
them
great
lawyers
with
huge
books
of
business.
Do
law
firms
play
a
role
in
your
development?
Yes.
Should
they?
Yes.
Do
good
firms
spend
time,
energy,
and
money
making
you
a
better
lawyer
and
improving
your
hard
and
soft
skills?
Yes.
But
are
there
limitations
to
what
they
are
willing
and
can
do?
Yes.
Do
they
sometimes
say
no
to
things
you
want
and
need
to
make
you
a
better
lawyer?
Yes.
Do
they
have
unlimited
resources
and
budgets
to
help
you
endlessly?
No.
Let’s
start
with
mentoring.
Law
firms
should
have
both
formal
and
informal
mentoring
for
their
associates.
Some
do.
Some
have
great
ones.
Some
have
poor
ones.
Some
have
none
at
all.
Should
you
work
for
firms
that
place
a
premium
on
mentoring?
Yes.
Does
everyone
have
this
opportunity?
No.
Even
if
you
do,
will
the
firm
absolutely
meet
all
your
mentoring
needs?
Unlikely.
It
is
up
to
you
to
seek
out
mentors
and
establish
mentoring
relationships,
both
within
and
outside
your
law
firm.
How
about
training?
Some
firms
offer
deposition
and
trial
bootcamps.
Some
provide
writing
courses.
Some
offer
business
development
coaching.
Many
don’t.
And
even
the
ones
that
provide
a
potpourri
of
offerings
can’t
offer
everything
you
need
to
grow
and
develop
as
a
lawyer.
It’s
up
to
you
to
seek
out
and
pursue
this
training.
These
days,
so
many
lawyers
share
their
expertise
through
their
writings,
podcasts,
videos,
and
CLE,
many
of
which
you
can
find
for
free
or
modest
costs
online.
And
what
if
you
find
a
course
that’s
perfect
for
you,
but
your
firm
won’t
pay
for
it?
Is
your
immediate
reaction,
“Well,
I
guess
I’m
not
taking
that
course”?
Or
rather,
should
I
invest
my
own
money
in
this
course?
If
it’s
the
former,
then
you
have
the
wrong
outlook.
Should
your
firm
support
you?
Yes.
If
it
doesn’t,
do
you
not
help
yourself?
No.
It’s
your
career,
and
if
that
CLE
course
is
essential
to
you,
and
your
firm
won’t
pay
for
it,
pay
for
it
yourself.
How
about
an
organization?
You
really
want
to
get
involved
in
a
bar
association,
and
your
firm
won’t
support
you?
Yes,
you
should
consider
whether
the
firm
is
the
right
one
for
you.
But
every
firm
places
its
lawyers
on
marketing
budgets,
real
or
imagined,
and
some
will
support
you
in
one
or
more
organizations,
and
some
don’t.
Again,
perhaps
if
your
firm
isn’t
helping
you
in
this
way,
it
may
not
be
the
right
firm
for
you.
But
while
you’re
there,
if
there
is
an
organization
you
believe
is
crucial
for
your
development,
then
you
may
want
to
reach
into
your
wallet
and
pay
for
it.
Or
what
if
your
firm
pays
for
your
membership
but
won’t
cover
the
cost
of
a
conference
or
symposium?
Again,
consider
paying
for
it
yourself,
or
at
least
be
willing
to
contribute
to
the
cost.
Ask
your
firm:
Will
you
split
the
cost
for
me?
Pay
for
this
or
that,
and
I’ll
pay
for
that
or
this?
How
about
a
book,
or
a
course,
or
a
reception,
or
a
happy
hour?
Or
meeting
someone
for
coffee,
lunch,
or
drinks?
Again,
how
important
are
these
things
for
you?
Your
career?
Your
development?
If
they
are
essential,
then
consider
paying
for
them.
Years
ago,
I
decided
to
meet
others
for
coffee
regularly.
I
went
out
two
or
three
times
a
week.
Almost
invariably,
I
paid
for
these
coffee
meets
myself.
Occasionally,
I
submitted
receipts
for
reimbursement
here
and
there,
but
generally,
I
paid
for
them
myself.
These
coffee
meetings
were
crucial
for
meeting
potential
mentors,
referral
sources,
leads
for
matters,
and
a
whole
host
of
individuals
who
were
beneficial
to
me,
my
career,
and
my
path.
At
the
end
of
the
year,
I
spent
between
$1,000
and
$2,000
on
coffee.
However,
the
meetings
were
essential
to
me,
important
enough
that
I
would
reach
into
my
pocket
and
pay
for
them.
When
I
traveled
to
conferences,
I
often
paid
for
business
lunches
and
dinners
myself.
Again,
these
were
important
to
me,
and
I
couldn’t
always
expect
my
firm
to
cover
the
costs.
My
recommendation
for
you
is
to
set
aside
a
specific
line
item
in
your
personal
budget
for
your
career.
Maybe
it’s
a
few
hundred
dollars.
Maybe
a
thousand
dollars
or
even
a
few
thousand
dollars.
This
money
can
go
to
any
of
the
items
mentioned
in
this
piece.
Or
other
items
altogether.
Maybe
it’s
for
a
career
coach.
Perhaps
it’s
for
equipment
to
start
your
own
podcast.
Maybe
it’s
for
a
LinkedIn
Premium
account
(I
acquired
one
several
years
ago
and
have
always
paid
for
it
myself).
If
I
think
about
it,
I
probably
spend
between
$3,000
and
$5,000
per
year
of
my
own
money
on
business
needs.
I’m
not
suggesting
you
spend
this
much,
but
you
should
set
aside
something
for
yourself.
And
yes,
if
your
firm
doesn’t
mentor
you,
doesn’t
pay
for
anything,
then
you’re
probably
at
the
wrong
firm.
But
while
you’re
there,
you’re
still
responsible
for
your
career.
And
even
if
you
find
the
ideal
firm
that
supports
you,
it’s
doubtful
they’ll
support
everything
you
do,
and
when
that
happens,
ask
yourself,
should
I
support
myself
with
my
own
checkbook?
Remember,
when
it
comes
to
your
career,
your
passions,
your
life
–
no
one
is
coming
to
save
you.
You’re
in
charge
of
you.
Your
dreams
are
yours.
What
you
make
of
yourself
is
up
to
you.
And
sometimes
that
means
you
not
only
take
the
time
and
energy
to
do
something,
but
you
also
pay
for
it
too.
Frank
Ramos
is
a
partner
at
Goldberg
Segalla
in
Miami,
where
he
practices
commercial
litigation,
products,
and
catastrophic
personal
injury. You
can
follow
him
on LinkedIn,
where
he
has
about
80,000
followers.