Advice from recent law school graduates

Graduating law school will undoubtedly change how you see and interact with the world. We spoke with two recent law school graduates, Eduard Popov and Carly Deboni, to see what steps they took after graduation and advice they would give to those just beginning their journey into law.

Eduard graduated from the University of Windsor and will be called to the bar on June 27, 2018. He will be working for Thomson Reuters throughout that period and said, “I won’t be going on any trips… This is a job that I worked hard for so I am happy to be doing that.”

Carly graduated as a member of the Charter class of the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University. Carly said, “After being called to the bar, I took time to celebrate with my family and friends. I then packed my bags and moved to Sudbury for a job opportunity.”

Carly and Eduard’s advice to graduating students:

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or say you do not know something – but be reasonable and not annoying.

Document every meeting you have and instructions you receive. This helps when you start working on something at a later time.

Don’t just do what is asked of you but think about what will need to be done after you submit your work and do that as well.

Ask for meetings with co-workers and managers to understand how your firm/business works and offer to do work for them.

Look for opportunities to contribute in novel ways that you are not expected to contribute in.

You need multiple mentors, inside and outside the place you work. So, you have to network no matter how uncomfortable it may make you. The easiest way is to reach out to someone and say you want to do what they are doing and ask for advice.

Most importantly for me, take initiative, be hungry, and display interest. Don’t just work, try to genuinely contribute and make your work place better/more successful.

Lastly, this is advice I got from someone that really helped me. Do not sweat the small stuff – you will read every email 20 times before you send it and stress about that comma you forgot. That is normal. Do not let single interactions/events be determinative of how you are doing. Rather, let other’s actions do that. So, for example, if you are getting more work from someone, or they are including you more and more in their routines, let that speak to how you are doing rather than the single mistakes you will make here and there.

Be sure to take the time to celebrate your accomplishments and enjoy the moment!

For more insight about transitioning into the world of law, read the column Young and in law by Doron Gold.