Michael Melcher, author of The Creative Lawyer: A Practical Guide to Authentic Professional Satisfaction, mentioned on his blog Michael Melcher Reports that he was recently interviewed by Your ABA. Click to read "Unlocking authentic career satisfaction." In the interview, Melcher answers eight questions about finding a career that fits and satisfies. A few of the questions and responses:
What unique challenges do lawyers face in finding satisfaction in their careers?
Excerpt from answer: The process of thinking like a lawyer tends to impede the processes of personal discovery and career exploration. Legal analysis involves a lot of issue spotting – finding potential problems, contradictions, holes in theories and so forth. It favors skepticism and detachment. But career development involves trying things out before you are sure they’ll work. When lawyers apply the process of thinking like a lawyer to their own careers, they habitually quash some of their best ideas before giving them a chance to develop.
What can young lawyers specifically do to assure a fulfilling long-term career?
(1) Develop a long-term, compelling vision. You don’t have to achieve it, but it will help you to make good choices and get through the difficult parts.
(2) Develop robust personal relationships both within law and outside of it, and put in the time to maintain them. These will give you access to ideas, opportunities and fresh perspectives.
(3) Create a professional learning strategy. Consider what skills you have now compared with the ones you want to have in the future, and develop a plan for acquiring those.
Why did you write The Creative Lawyer?
Lawyers represent one of the most educated and empowered segments of society, and when they are clear on what they want out of life, they have the potential to make great contributions to the world. Right now a lot of lawyers are blocked but they don’t need to be. I wanted to write something that could help them to make effective use of the assets they already have.
Click to read "Unlocking authentic career satisfaction" in its entirety.
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