Significant Career Lesson From An Associate At Haynes And Boone, LLP
Alexander's most significant career lesson is the paramount importance of guarding one's reputation; "you really can't underestimate just how important it is," because the legal community is small and "people have long memories," impacting future opportunities and perceptions of even past work.
Reputation Management, Professionalism, Ethics, Networking, Honesty
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alexander Clark
Associate
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Austin College, 2012
The University of Texas School of Law, J.D.
Legal & Policy, Political Science, American Studies
Law
Legal
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, Veteran, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Always be kind and professional, as your reputation will follow you throughout your career.
2. Guard your reputation for honesty and hard work, as any negative perception can have lasting consequences.
3. In the legal community, people have long memories, so your actions and work ethic will be remembered and judged accordingly.
Transcript
There is one lesson that you've learned that has proven significant in your career.
A significant lesson from my career thus far has been that you really can't underestimate just how important it is to guard your reputation. That can mean not being a jerk. If, as early as your first day of law school, you are mean to someone, that story will float around and follow you forever.
The legal community is not all that big, especially once you get to the city you're practicing in. People have long memories when it comes to things like that, so always be kind.
But also, your reputation for honesty and for being hard-working matters. If you become associated with the idea that you don't put in a solid effort or that you are misleading, that also gets remembered.
If you file something with a court that turns out to be false, everything you've ever filed before becomes looked at suspiciously. So, you have to guard your reputation.