{"id":132618,"date":"2025-09-04T15:35:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T23:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/09\/04\/its-your-career-assume-responsibility-for-it\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:35:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T23:35:39","slug":"its-your-career-assume-responsibility-for-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/09\/04\/its-your-career-assume-responsibility-for-it\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Your Career: Assume Responsibility For It"},"content":{"rendered":"

No one is coming to save you. No one other than you is responsible for your career.\u00a0 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\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A mistake I see some young lawyers make is to entrust their careers to their law firms.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s start with mentoring.\u00a0 Law firms should have both formal and informal mentoring for their associates.\u00a0 Some do.\u00a0 Some have great ones.\u00a0 Some have poor ones.\u00a0 Some have none at all. Should you work for firms that place a premium on mentoring? Yes.\u00a0 Does everyone have this opportunity? No.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How about training? Some firms offer deposition and trial bootcamps.\u00a0 Some provide writing courses. Some offer business development coaching. Many don\u2019t. And even the ones that provide a potpourri of offerings can\u2019t offer everything you need to grow and develop as a lawyer. It\u2019s up to you to seek out and pursue this training.\u00a0 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\u2019s perfect for you, but your firm won\u2019t pay for it? Is your immediate reaction, \u201cWell, I guess I\u2019m not taking that course\u201d?\u00a0 Or rather, should I invest my own money in this course? If it\u2019s the former, then you have the wrong outlook. Should your firm support you? Yes.\u00a0 If it doesn\u2019t, do you not help yourself? No.\u00a0 It\u2019s your career, and if that CLE course is essential to you, and your firm won\u2019t pay for it, pay for it yourself.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How about an organization? You really want to get involved in a bar association, and your firm won\u2019t support you?\u00a0 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\u2019t. Again, perhaps if your firm isn\u2019t helping you in this way, it may not be the right firm for you. But while you\u2019re 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\u2019t 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\u2019ll pay for that or this?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Years ago, I decided to meet others for coffee regularly.\u00a0 I went out two or three times a week.\u00a0 Almost invariably, I paid for these coffee meets myself.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 However, the meetings were essential to me, important enough that I would reach into my pocket and pay for them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I traveled to conferences, I often paid for business lunches and dinners myself.\u00a0 Again, these were important to me, and I couldn\u2019t always expect my firm to cover the costs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My recommendation for you is to set aside a specific line item in your personal budget for your career. Maybe it\u2019s a few hundred dollars.\u00a0 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\u2019s for a career coach. Perhaps it\u2019s for equipment to start your own podcast. Maybe it\u2019s 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.\u00a0 I\u2019m not suggesting you spend this much, but you should set aside something for yourself.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And yes, if your firm doesn\u2019t mentor you, doesn\u2019t pay for anything, then you\u2019re probably at the wrong firm.\u00a0 But while you\u2019re there, you\u2019re still responsible for your career. And even if you find the ideal firm that supports you, it\u2019s doubtful they\u2019ll support everything you do, and when that happens, ask yourself, should I support myself with my own checkbook?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Remember, when it comes to your career, your passions, your life \u2013 no one is coming to save you.\u00a0 You\u2019re in charge of you.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\n
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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Frank Ramos is a partner at Goldberg Segalla in Miami, where he practices commercial litigation, products, and catastrophic personal injury.\u00a0You can follow him on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>, where he has about 80,000 followers<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The post It\u2019s Your Career: Assume Responsibility For It<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No one is coming to save you. No one other than you is responsible for your career.\u00a0 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\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A mistake I see some young lawyers make is to entrust their careers to their law firms.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let\u2019s start with mentoring.\u00a0 Law firms should have both formal and informal mentoring for their associates.\u00a0 Some do.\u00a0 Some have great ones.\u00a0 Some have poor ones.\u00a0 Some have none at all. Should you work for firms that place a premium on mentoring? Yes.\u00a0 Does everyone have this opportunity? No.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How about training? Some firms offer deposition and trial bootcamps.\u00a0 Some provide writing courses. Some offer business development coaching. Many don\u2019t. And even the ones that provide a potpourri of offerings can\u2019t offer everything you need to grow and develop as a lawyer. It\u2019s up to you to seek out and pursue this training.\u00a0 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\u2019s perfect for you, but your firm won\u2019t pay for it? Is your immediate reaction, \u201cWell, I guess I\u2019m not taking that course\u201d?\u00a0 Or rather, should I invest my own money in this course? If it\u2019s the former, then you have the wrong outlook. Should your firm support you? Yes.\u00a0 If it doesn\u2019t, do you not help yourself? No.\u00a0 It\u2019s your career, and if that CLE course is essential to you, and your firm won\u2019t pay for it, pay for it yourself.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How about an organization? You really want to get involved in a bar association, and your firm won\u2019t support you?\u00a0 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\u2019t. Again, perhaps if your firm isn\u2019t helping you in this way, it may not be the right firm for you. But while you\u2019re 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\u2019t 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\u2019ll pay for that or this?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Years ago, I decided to meet others for coffee regularly.\u00a0 I went out two or three times a week.\u00a0 Almost invariably, I paid for these coffee meets myself.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 However, the meetings were essential to me, important enough that I would reach into my pocket and pay for them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I traveled to conferences, I often paid for business lunches and dinners myself.\u00a0 Again, these were important to me, and I couldn\u2019t always expect my firm to cover the costs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My recommendation for you is to set aside a specific line item in your personal budget for your career. Maybe it\u2019s a few hundred dollars.\u00a0 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\u2019s for a career coach. Perhaps it\u2019s for equipment to start your own podcast. Maybe it\u2019s 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.\u00a0 I\u2019m not suggesting you spend this much, but you should set aside something for yourself.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And yes, if your firm doesn\u2019t mentor you, doesn\u2019t pay for anything, then you\u2019re probably at the wrong firm.\u00a0 But while you\u2019re there, you\u2019re still responsible for your career. And even if you find the ideal firm that supports you, it\u2019s doubtful they\u2019ll support everything you do, and when that happens, ask yourself, should I support myself with my own checkbook?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Remember, when it comes to your career, your passions, your life \u2013 no one is coming to save you.\u00a0 You\u2019re in charge of you.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Frank Ramos is a partner at Goldberg Segalla in Miami, where he practices commercial litigation, products, and catastrophic personal injury.\u00a0You can follow him on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>, where he has about 80,000 followers<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The post It\u2019s Your Career: Assume Responsibility For It<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No one is coming to save you. No one other than you is responsible for your career.\u00a0 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":132619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/RamosFrank_Web-RThPzx.png?fit=880%2C587&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}