What an Attorney at Gunderson Dettmer wishes they had known before entering the Legal industry
Colin, an attorney at Gunderson Dettmer, emphasizes the crucial, often overlooked, aspects of "being really well organized" and a willingness to embrace "a lot of work" for success in the legal industry; these factors become increasingly important as one's career progresses. The intensity of the workload is something not fully appreciated until entering the profession.
Organization, Work Ethic, Time Management, Legal, Career Growth
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Colin Chapman
Attorney
Gunderson Dettmer
University of California Berkeley
Law degree - University of Michigan
History, Art History, Political Science, American Studies
Law
Legal
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. The importance of being well-organized is crucial for scaling your career, especially in the legal field.
2. The legal profession demands a strong work ethic and involves significantly more work than initially anticipated.
3. These insights highlight the need for organizational skills and the high workload in a legal career, which are not always apparent before entering the field.
Transcript
Q9: Wish I'd known before about the industry.
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
I think there are probably two points. The first is the importance of being really well-organized. If you can do that, then as your career grows, you'll be able to scale as you get further along.
Organization just seems to be more and more important to get through in the business world. At least for lawyers, I'm not sure it was necessarily that way before.
The other piece is you really have to be willing to work. It's a lot of work. I don't think you can quite see that until you get into it. At least I didn't see it.
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