group of asian lawyers sitting in chairs discussing a case

SETTING ACTIONABLE GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR – 2023

With the end of 2022 fast approaching, November and December are a perfect time to reflect on your year, your performance, and to start planning for the New Year whether you are thinking about building your legal practice, considering ways to advance your career, or perhaps making a career transition.

According to Forbes Magazine, research has shown that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by early February!  Why do New Year’s resolutions so often fail? They usually have no actionable steps and are perhaps a general vision such as “I want to get fit”.  It is therefore important from a career perspective to establish clear and specific goals in order to stay on track and to be able to monitor your progress over the course of the new year.

Career goals are very personal and require individual reflection and must be meaningful to you.   Writing your goals down and breaking them into smaller actionable steps will increase the likelihood of achieving the goals you desire. In addition, sharing these goals with your supervisor, mentor, or career coach will result in you being more accountable and therefore increase your likelihood of success.  Studies have shown that the success rate for achieving your goals dramatically increases when they are written down, a plan developed, and goals shared.  Also, making goals achievable ensures that they are realistic and something that can be reasonably accomplished in a defined time frame.  Goals need to be relevant and you should ask yourself why have you set each particular goal and how it fits in to your business plan for the new year.  Spending the time to think about your goals for 2023, drafting a business plan and sharing the plan with another is a great exercise as 2022 comes to an end.

If you would like to discuss your goals for 2023, please don’t hesitate to reach out as I am always happy to help!

Stephen.Lable@LableGroup.com

www.LableGroup.com

WhatsApp:  +852-6287-0177

WeChat:  SLable

THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL BRANDING FOR LAWYERS

Most companies, including law firms can be distinguished by their unique corporate identity and brand.  Even though your company brand or law firm may be highly recognizable, it is critical for your own future success to develop a personal brand that distinguishes who you are in the market as an individual. If you are well known for a particular set of skills and expertise, your reputation and business will thrive.  Investing in the cultivation of a personal brand is an essential element of your future success.

Personal branding is the development of your unique characteristics – your skill set, experience and personality and how you combine these factors to differentiate yourself from others in the market.  In the ever-increasing competitive legal world, having a personal brand is an investment requiring a considerable time commitment over the course of your career.  To build your personal brand you need to delve into your uniqueness, your values, your skills and the special qualities that you bring to your clients.  It’s not enough to simply be known as a strong technical lawyer – you must become a trusted advisor.

Once you have determined what makes you unique, the next step is to highlight your brand as part of your daily routine.   You can bring your brand to life by presenting to clients, drafting and sharing articles on LinkedIn, and speaking at conferences.  In the competitive and busy legal world, it is important to be recognized for who you are as a professional.  Make it part of your routine and the rewards will be great as you will ultimately be known as a thought leader in your areas of expertise.

If you have any questions or would like help building a roadmap for the development of your personal brand, let’s talk!

Stephen.Lable@LableGroup.com

www.LableGroup.com

WhatsApp:  +852-6287-0177

WeChat:  SLable

INTERVIEW PREPARATION FOR LAW STUDENTS IN THE US – HOW DID YOU PERFORM DURING OCI?

How did you perform during OCI? Did you get the job you wanted? Are you still looking for a summer associate position in 2023 because you didn’t get the results you were hoping for? No matter what class year you are or how well you have performed academically, it is critical to your success that you are prepared to engage the business world as a young professional. I have spent the past twenty years coaching students, reviewing CVs and interviewing candidates for a range of jobs and I would love to help you.

A comment below from a client at a top ranked law school in the United States who received her dream offer today:

“Right before OCI I realized that I had devoted too little energy to developing interview skills as how you perform during an interview is just as important as your 1L grades in landing a big law offer. I decided to reach out to Stephen and we had our first session the night before OCI started! Stephen is incredibly insightful at gauging and improving an interviewee’s performance and was quickly able to identify the aspects of my life that made me unique. He always gave thoughtful advice and helped me make dramatic improvements. Stephen also genuinely cares about students’ careers and supported me throughout the entire OCI process. Thanks to Stephen’s guidance and encouragement, I became better and better at interviewing and finally got an offer from my dream law firm. I learned so much about myself and also about the art of interviewing from Stephen. I was truly fortunate to have Stephen by my side during this stressful job-hunting time and I highly recommend that you reach out to him.”

If you would like to learn more about my interview coaching program for students (or current associates) please don’t hesitate to reach out regardless of where you are located.

Stephen.Lable@LableGroup.com
WeChat: SLable
WhatsApp: +852-6287-0177

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