July 14, 2025 • 16 mins
This episode is sponsored by CONTENDER , The premier agency helping lawyers go from invisible to impossible to ignore on LinkedIn. Learn more at: https://contenderllc.com/work-with-us
Brian H. Potts is a partner at Husch Blackwell and the founder of the Legal Mentor Network, a nonprofit connecting thousands of aspiring lawyers with mentors across North America. A nationally recognized energy and environmental lawyer, Brian is also a legal tech entrepreneur, author, and frequent speaker on LinkedIn strategy and mentorship. His viral rejection letter post inspired the launch of one of the largest mentorship initiatives in the legal field. He is the inventor of the LegalBoard and has founded multiple startups, all rooted in helping others advance in their careers.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
Welcome to your studying law Around the world.
I'm Claudio Claus. In each episode, I talk with
lawyers, law students, and professors from different parts
of the world to talk about legaleducation, careers, and what the
profession looks like in real life.
We talk about the hard parts, the surprises and the decisions
that. Shaped their paths.
Whether you're planning to studyabroad, thinking about working
(00:30):
in another legal system, or justcurious about how law works
around the world, this podcast is for you.
This episode is sponsored by Contender.
How are you doing on LinkedIn IF?
You're like 99% of. Lawyers, your answer is not
great, which makes sense. You learned LinkedIn.
As the. Place to stash a digital resume
(00:52):
and share firm pressers. So no wonder your LinkedIn
presence is somewhere between vanilla and nonexistent.
But I've got good news. Since we all learned LinkedIn
the wrong way, it's pretty easy to attract more positive
attention for you or your business.
Since 2022, Contender has been the premier agency helping
lawyers go from invisible train.Possible to ignore on LinkedIn.
(01:16):
To learn more, check out www.contenderllc.com.
Tell them Claudio sent you. Today I have the opportunity to
receive Brian Pots on the podcast.
He's a partner at a big law firmand will talk with us today
(01:38):
about mentoring, about his experience in law tech, and also
about his social media presence,especially on LinkedIn, and
about a special project called Legal Mentor Network.
Thank you so much for joining ustoday, Brian.
Yeah. Thank you for having me.
It's great to be. Here, I really appreciate it.
And to start off this episode, I'd love to ask you if you could
tell us a little bit about yourself, tell our audience
(02:00):
about who you. Are oh, OK, great.
Well, I'm a lawyer. I'm a partner at a large U.S.
law firm called Hush Blackwell. It's about 1100 lawyers, but
what I really love to do is helppeople.
And so I've sort of made a name for myself and the mentoring
category. And frankly, in a lot of other
(02:22):
areas, I've started a lot of companies now I, I've just sort
of leaned in to a lot of different things and it's almost
all come from helping random people for free and not asking
anything from them. And so it's, it's been a bit of
a, a interesting endeavor since I started.
And honestly, it kind of startedwith the Legal Mentor Network,
(02:44):
but the five years since that has blown up have just been
incredible. That's amazing.
Yeah. As I, as I was looking over
information about you and your profile preparing for this
interview, I saw you, you've built quite impressive range of
projects across law, business stack.
And if I may ask, what would yousay was the moments that that
really shaped that path for you as a builder?
(03:06):
Yeah. So I used to write a lot of
articles because I thought I wanted to be a law professor
because they have the best job, they work nine months a year and
make good 6 figures. But I in 2017, I kind of took
time to reflect on the like 100 articles I'd written and how
much time I'd spent basically giving my ideas away.
(03:27):
And I thought, wait, there must be more productive use of my,
you know, time. And I was like, I saw somebody
go through an incubator with their startup, a woman I knew.
And I was like, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen.
I'm a litigator. I didn't even know this existed
really. You know, I'd heard of startups,
but, and so in 2017, I started starting companies and then I
(03:49):
ended up starting the Legal Mentor Network.
And since then I've co-founded 5different companies and been
continued to be a very productive partner at Amlaw 100
law firm. So it's been incredible and I
got to build the Legal Mentor network, which has just been the
gift that keeps on giving. That's amazing.
(04:10):
And talking about the Legal Mentor Network, I saw that one
of your biggest posts that really made you LinkedIn famous,
so to say, was when you put up some information about a, a
rejection that you received early on in your career.
So what helped you to, you know,keep going on after that that
first experience? Yeah, so back in 2002, I was in
(04:31):
law school. I was too well and I applied to
every one of the top 100 law firms in multiple offices and I
got form rejection letters from all 100 like one sentence, thank
you for your interest. But all the positions are filled
and I threw them all in a box. And about almost 20 years later
in 2020, eighteen years later, Ifound them.
(04:53):
And I thought it would be funny to frame the one from my then
current law firm where I was a equity partner and put it on my
wall in my office. So I framed it and I came in and
it was like a Tuesday during COVID.
And I've I had some pretty good social media experience, but not
really on LinkedIn. I hadn't really done anything on
LinkedIn. And I made this LinkedIn post
(05:14):
where I took a picture of my rejection letter from my law
firm from 2002. And I was in the heading of my
obviously bio on LinkedIn. I was a partner at that law firm
now. And I said, law students, if at
first you don't succeed, try, try again.
And 5 million people saw it. And that post is what led to
directly to the Legal Mentor network now, which is ended up
(05:37):
with over 5000 law students and young lawyers from around the
world. A lot of LLM students getting
free mentorship from lawyers like me all through an online
portal. And just this year, we've had 22
events in 12 different cities around the US just bringing
together lawyers and law students and encouraging them to
(06:01):
mentor, wanted each other. So it's been just an incredible
ride. And one of the things that I've
learned from it, as I said before, is just help people for
no reason, no intention of getting anything from them, and
watch what happens. It'll take a while and you you
don't expect anything and you don't know what it's going to
be, but good things will happen.That's amazing.
(06:23):
You love that and a lot of the audience are are really like
either law students or people inthe early years of their career.
So that kind of advice is just OK.
Thank you so much for sharing that.
And, and if I may go on in the legal mentor network, I must
mention the audience and all that.
I'm a member myself. And, and just like Brian, I
said, people all over the world are in it.
So I, I'm currently in Toronto. I, I was first trained in Brazil
(06:45):
and I got you connect with a lotof lawyers here in Toronto.
So it's not a US only network, but it's really everywhere.
And it was just incredible to get some connections there
because really. Are people who are willing to.
To connect with you so not no kind of cold calling somebody or
going on LinkedIn talking to somebody who might not be
interested in chatting, but in the other way in the legal
(07:05):
mentor network are people who actually said they are willing
to give up their time and chat with you and.
It's a lot of impressive people.That's the cool thing is it's
not just if you go on the website and you look at some of
the mentors, and I always recommend if you go sign up on
the website to actually e-mail the mentors at their work e-mail
address because lawyers aren't good at tech and checking
(07:28):
another portal message is just not likely.
But yeah, they're like 800 at every big company, every big law
firm, small law firms, all different kinds of practice
areas, government, NGO's. It's it turns out there are a
lot of lawyers out there who arewilling to help other younger
lawyers. And I just happened to stumble
upon them on LinkedIn. That's amazing.
(07:50):
And you an incredible bridge forall of them that that way, I
guess I could say like mentorship really is at the
heart of of your story and what you do, at least in this
project. But I'd love to hear a little
more about your thoughts on on what good mentorship looks like
and what kinds that you will make sure that that your young
associates have in that context.Yeah.
(08:12):
I mean, mentorship can mean a lot of different things to a lot
of different people. Really.
I try not to sort of pigeonhole anyone into a specific do this
or do that with mentoring. I think really it's all about
the relationships and just beingable as a young attorney or law
student to have an actual real relationship with a lawyer who
(08:34):
isn't your boss necessarily or has no specific oversight of
you, who's there to help you, and that's it.
I mean, honestly, a lot of times, one of the funniest
things that happens, and it's almost always, this happens so
regularly. It's funny that every lawyer
who's been out somewhere between5 and 15 years, I say you should
(08:56):
sign up to be a mentor. And they say I'm not qualified
to do that. And I literally laugh at them
because I've talked to so many law students.
Most of the time what they're asking is pretty basic stuff.
And they just need to, you know,someone to listen and someone to
help them guide them on their way.
And so, but you know, you have for so long when you're young
(09:20):
lawyer been the one who can't help anybody and needs help from
other people. So getting people to switch that
mindset is, is has been challenging, but just know if
you're thinking to yourself now,I couldn't be a mentor.
That's not right. I love that.
For one thing, if you think about it like law students could
already help out people who are trying to get into law school
(09:42):
or, you know, there's always somebody who is one step behind
you in a way, looking into that same profession or that same
path. There's always something to
share. So I really like that
encouragement. You can't lose.
When you help other people, that's great, That's great.
I'm continuing on here. Brian, what, what are some of
your thoughts on, you know, top recommendations for lost
students listening to today's podcast and young associates as
(10:05):
well. So we already talked about the
importance of, you know, giving back and, and staying connected,
talking to people. What are some other things that
you would say, maybe to your younger self or things that even
you did in your career early on that that you think really set
you up for success? Yeah, I mean, it's what I
recommend is a pretty rigid, that rigid, but pretty specific
(10:30):
program, basically when you're looking for a job as a young
lawyer. And it's based on 2 facts that
most people don't understand. The first one is that you're
going to be most able to get thejob you want in the city you
want three to five years after you graduate, not right when you
graduate. And then the other one is that
75 to 80% of the jobs that you're going to get in your life
(10:53):
are going to come from people you know or have met, not
randomly applying online. And so when you put these two
things together, the strategy ispretty clear.
And that is you should a not just try to get the job you want
coming out of law school, you should think about what other
jobs could I get that would giveme training for the job I want
(11:15):
or whatever and one other. So what I recommend is that you
pick five cities where you're willing to live for two years,
not your whole life. And literally your job is to get
on as many zooms as you can withlawyers in those cities who do
what you do. That's it.
Not necessarily people that can hire you.
In fact, it's better to try to talk to people who you don't
(11:37):
think can hire you because they will be the ones that refer you
to somebody else who can. They will be the ones who
circumstances change and we'll end up hiring you later.
But if you're methodical about it and you think about and use
geography to your advantage, notice you're in Toronto, you're
not in New York, you're not in LA.
I often tell people when you're picking your five cities, make
(11:58):
sure three of them are not New York, DC, LA, and Chicago.
Because 70% of all law students who are graduating from law
school want to go to New York, DC, LA, Chicago.
And so obviously the pile of resumes in those places is going
to be a lot higher. So that doesn't mean you
shouldn't try to go to one of those cities.
It just means maybe you should have some safety cities like you
(12:21):
have safety schools and you should think about the law
schools that are around those cities because lawyers are still
regional. And so for example, I hope
you're not, nobody's from Florida listening to this, but
the state of Florida has 12 law schools in the highest ranked is
University of Florida. So if you're applying to the
same big law firm that has an office in Boston, NY or Tampa,
(12:44):
which one do you think you're going to get more interest from?
It's this Tampa office. And so you can use geography to
your advantage. And if you're methodical about
trying to meet with people and generally to do that sounds
hard, How do I meet with all these lawyers?
And the answer is easy. You spam them and you ask for
(13:05):
advice, not a job. Don't use the word job or say
anything about a job until you get on a Zoom.
Ask for advice, advice, advice, and just keep doing it and it
will work. It might take you hundreds of
Zooms, but I'm telling you it will.
Work that's incredible. And as I was thinking here, this
very much applies to those people wanting a job in the
(13:27):
legal field. But then once you enter into the
job market, you're, you're in a firm, it feels like that doesn't
change much because your thoughts to the other lawyers,
you're talking to the clients. Yeah.
And you become, that's why you become.
Well, it shouldn't change, but it often does, because what
happens is that people get hired.
They go to a law firm, and then they think their only job is to
(13:48):
make sure that the law firm partners are happy, which is
their main job. But they forget that they need
that. This is a relationship game.
This entire industry, in almost every industry is about
relationships, ultimately. And if you're in your office for
10 years as an associate, billing hours and not talking to
anyone except the partners you work for, it's going to be
(14:10):
really hard when you have to transition to go find work.
So keep talking to people, keep meeting people, keep meeting
lawyers or professionals, Just get known, be nice to people,
help them, and good things will happen.
It's counterintuitive and hard for some people to believe, but
it's. True, fantastic to to wrap up
today's episode here, if I couldask you as well as you, you
(14:36):
know, your own journey when you were, you know, looking into
different places and all of that.
You said that usually some of the jobs you have in your career
will come through those connections.
Was that some of your experiences?
Well, did you you know in the? The only job I could get out of
law school was at a law firm where I knew someone.
And then after that I did get a job randomly spamming people in
(15:01):
a city and meeting with people. And then my third job, a
recruiter called me when I was in that three to five year
window. And that's how I ended up at
Foley and Lardner where I made partner.
And then now I've been a big lawpartner since.
So this it happened to me, but it turns out it actually is a
pretty good strategy to get where you want to go and your
(15:22):
career in the legal field. I didn't know it at the time,
but it certainly has been a helpful has been helpful to me.
Incredible. I'm sure it will be helpful to
anybody who who really tries it out.
And I appreciate you taking the time to chat with us today.
Brian, thank you so much. Yeah, no problem.
And if anybody wants a free copyof my book, I gave it away in a
LinkedIn post and it tells you which states.
(15:44):
I have law schools that aren't very highly ranked.
There's all kinds of stuff in there that's useful.
I've got spam emails that you can use to get people to meet
with you. So anyway, that's free.
The price is right. So everybody should look at
that. And I know you probably have a
lot of international students and there's two chapters in that
book dealing with just the question of A, should you get an
(16:06):
LM and B, if you are, how shouldyou, how can you leverage that
into a job in the US So that hopefully be helpful for some of
your listeners. Absolutely.
That's awesome. So if you're listening in, make
sure that you go follow Brian onLinkedIn and all social media
and also sign up should the legal mentor Network.
Yeah, thanks for having me. Well, thank you and thank you
all for tuning into today's episode and.
(16:28):
We'll see you. On the next one.
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you on the next episode.
This episode was sponsored by Contender.
Check them out at contenderllc.com.
Welcome to your studying law Around the world.
I'm Claudio Claus. In each episode, I talk with
lawyers, law students, and professors from different parts
of the world to talk about legaleducation, careers, and what the
profession looks like in real life.
We talk about the hard parts, the surprises and the decisions
that. Shaped their paths.
Whether you're planning to studyabroad, thinking about working
(00:30):
in another legal system, or justcurious about how law works
around the world, this podcast is for you.
This episode is sponsored by Contender.
How are you doing on LinkedIn IF?
You're like 99% of. Lawyers, your answer is not
great, which makes sense. You learned LinkedIn.
As the. Place to stash a digital resume
(00:52):
and share firm pressers. So no wonder your LinkedIn
presence is somewhere between vanilla and nonexistent.
But I've got good news. Since we all learned LinkedIn
the wrong way, it's pretty easy to attract more positive
attention for you or your business.
Since 2022, Contender has been the premier agency helping
lawyers go from invisible train.Possible to ignore on LinkedIn.
(01:16):
To learn more, check out www.contenderllc.com.
Tell them Claudio sent you. Today I have the opportunity to
receive Brian Pots on the podcast.
He's a partner at a big law firmand will talk with us today
(01:38):
about mentoring, about his experience in law tech, and also
about his social media presence,especially on LinkedIn, and
about a special project called Legal Mentor Network.
Thank you so much for joining ustoday, Brian.
Yeah. Thank you for having me.
It's great to be. Here, I really appreciate it.
And to start off this episode, I'd love to ask you if you could
tell us a little bit about yourself, tell our audience
(02:00):
about who you. Are oh, OK, great.
Well, I'm a lawyer. I'm a partner at a large U.S.
law firm called Hush Blackwell. It's about 1100 lawyers, but
what I really love to do is helppeople.
And so I've sort of made a name for myself and the mentoring
category. And frankly, in a lot of other
(02:22):
areas, I've started a lot of companies now I, I've just sort
of leaned in to a lot of different things and it's almost
all come from helping random people for free and not asking
anything from them. And so it's, it's been a bit of
a, a interesting endeavor since I started.
And honestly, it kind of startedwith the Legal Mentor Network,
(02:44):
but the five years since that has blown up have just been
incredible. That's amazing.
Yeah. As I, as I was looking over
information about you and your profile preparing for this
interview, I saw you, you've built quite impressive range of
projects across law, business stack.
And if I may ask, what would yousay was the moments that that
really shaped that path for you as a builder?
(03:06):
Yeah. So I used to write a lot of
articles because I thought I wanted to be a law professor
because they have the best job, they work nine months a year and
make good 6 figures. But I in 2017, I kind of took
time to reflect on the like 100 articles I'd written and how
much time I'd spent basically giving my ideas away.
(03:27):
And I thought, wait, there must be more productive use of my,
you know, time. And I was like, I saw somebody
go through an incubator with their startup, a woman I knew.
And I was like, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen.
I'm a litigator. I didn't even know this existed
really. You know, I'd heard of startups,
but, and so in 2017, I started starting companies and then I
(03:49):
ended up starting the Legal Mentor Network.
And since then I've co-founded 5different companies and been
continued to be a very productive partner at Amlaw 100
law firm. So it's been incredible and I
got to build the Legal Mentor network, which has just been the
gift that keeps on giving. That's amazing.
(04:10):
And talking about the Legal Mentor Network, I saw that one
of your biggest posts that really made you LinkedIn famous,
so to say, was when you put up some information about a, a
rejection that you received early on in your career.
So what helped you to, you know,keep going on after that that
first experience? Yeah, so back in 2002, I was in
(04:31):
law school. I was too well and I applied to
every one of the top 100 law firms in multiple offices and I
got form rejection letters from all 100 like one sentence, thank
you for your interest. But all the positions are filled
and I threw them all in a box. And about almost 20 years later
in 2020, eighteen years later, Ifound them.
(04:53):
And I thought it would be funny to frame the one from my then
current law firm where I was a equity partner and put it on my
wall in my office. So I framed it and I came in and
it was like a Tuesday during COVID.
And I've I had some pretty good social media experience, but not
really on LinkedIn. I hadn't really done anything on
LinkedIn. And I made this LinkedIn post
(05:14):
where I took a picture of my rejection letter from my law
firm from 2002. And I was in the heading of my
obviously bio on LinkedIn. I was a partner at that law firm
now. And I said, law students, if at
first you don't succeed, try, try again.
And 5 million people saw it. And that post is what led to
directly to the Legal Mentor network now, which is ended up
(05:37):
with over 5000 law students and young lawyers from around the
world. A lot of LLM students getting
free mentorship from lawyers like me all through an online
portal. And just this year, we've had 22
events in 12 different cities around the US just bringing
together lawyers and law students and encouraging them to
(06:01):
mentor, wanted each other. So it's been just an incredible
ride. And one of the things that I've
learned from it, as I said before, is just help people for
no reason, no intention of getting anything from them, and
watch what happens. It'll take a while and you you
don't expect anything and you don't know what it's going to
be, but good things will happen.That's amazing.
(06:23):
You love that and a lot of the audience are are really like
either law students or people inthe early years of their career.
So that kind of advice is just OK.
Thank you so much for sharing that.
And, and if I may go on in the legal mentor network, I must
mention the audience and all that.
I'm a member myself. And, and just like Brian, I
said, people all over the world are in it.
So I, I'm currently in Toronto. I, I was first trained in Brazil
(06:45):
and I got you connect with a lotof lawyers here in Toronto.
So it's not a US only network, but it's really everywhere.
And it was just incredible to get some connections there
because really. Are people who are willing to.
To connect with you so not no kind of cold calling somebody or
going on LinkedIn talking to somebody who might not be
interested in chatting, but in the other way in the legal
(07:05):
mentor network are people who actually said they are willing
to give up their time and chat with you and.
It's a lot of impressive people.That's the cool thing is it's
not just if you go on the website and you look at some of
the mentors, and I always recommend if you go sign up on
the website to actually e-mail the mentors at their work e-mail
address because lawyers aren't good at tech and checking
(07:28):
another portal message is just not likely.
But yeah, they're like 800 at every big company, every big law
firm, small law firms, all different kinds of practice
areas, government, NGO's. It's it turns out there are a
lot of lawyers out there who arewilling to help other younger
lawyers. And I just happened to stumble
upon them on LinkedIn. That's amazing.
(07:50):
And you an incredible bridge forall of them that that way, I
guess I could say like mentorship really is at the
heart of of your story and what you do, at least in this
project. But I'd love to hear a little
more about your thoughts on on what good mentorship looks like
and what kinds that you will make sure that that your young
associates have in that context.Yeah.
(08:12):
I mean, mentorship can mean a lot of different things to a lot
of different people. Really.
I try not to sort of pigeonhole anyone into a specific do this
or do that with mentoring. I think really it's all about
the relationships and just beingable as a young attorney or law
student to have an actual real relationship with a lawyer who
(08:34):
isn't your boss necessarily or has no specific oversight of
you, who's there to help you, and that's it.
I mean, honestly, a lot of times, one of the funniest
things that happens, and it's almost always, this happens so
regularly. It's funny that every lawyer
who's been out somewhere between5 and 15 years, I say you should
(08:56):
sign up to be a mentor. And they say I'm not qualified
to do that. And I literally laugh at them
because I've talked to so many law students.
Most of the time what they're asking is pretty basic stuff.
And they just need to, you know,someone to listen and someone to
help them guide them on their way.
And so, but you know, you have for so long when you're young
(09:20):
lawyer been the one who can't help anybody and needs help from
other people. So getting people to switch that
mindset is, is has been challenging, but just know if
you're thinking to yourself now,I couldn't be a mentor.
That's not right. I love that.
For one thing, if you think about it like law students could
already help out people who are trying to get into law school
(09:42):
or, you know, there's always somebody who is one step behind
you in a way, looking into that same profession or that same
path. There's always something to
share. So I really like that
encouragement. You can't lose.
When you help other people, that's great, That's great.
I'm continuing on here. Brian, what, what are some of
your thoughts on, you know, top recommendations for lost
students listening to today's podcast and young associates as
(10:05):
well. So we already talked about the
importance of, you know, giving back and, and staying connected,
talking to people. What are some other things that
you would say, maybe to your younger self or things that even
you did in your career early on that that you think really set
you up for success? Yeah, I mean, it's what I
recommend is a pretty rigid, that rigid, but pretty specific
(10:30):
program, basically when you're looking for a job as a young
lawyer. And it's based on 2 facts that
most people don't understand. The first one is that you're
going to be most able to get thejob you want in the city you
want three to five years after you graduate, not right when you
graduate. And then the other one is that
75 to 80% of the jobs that you're going to get in your life
(10:53):
are going to come from people you know or have met, not
randomly applying online. And so when you put these two
things together, the strategy ispretty clear.
And that is you should a not just try to get the job you want
coming out of law school, you should think about what other
jobs could I get that would giveme training for the job I want
(11:15):
or whatever and one other. So what I recommend is that you
pick five cities where you're willing to live for two years,
not your whole life. And literally your job is to get
on as many zooms as you can withlawyers in those cities who do
what you do. That's it.
Not necessarily people that can hire you.
In fact, it's better to try to talk to people who you don't
(11:37):
think can hire you because they will be the ones that refer you
to somebody else who can. They will be the ones who
circumstances change and we'll end up hiring you later.
But if you're methodical about it and you think about and use
geography to your advantage, notice you're in Toronto, you're
not in New York, you're not in LA.
I often tell people when you're picking your five cities, make
(11:58):
sure three of them are not New York, DC, LA, and Chicago.
Because 70% of all law students who are graduating from law
school want to go to New York, DC, LA, Chicago.
And so obviously the pile of resumes in those places is going
to be a lot higher. So that doesn't mean you
shouldn't try to go to one of those cities.
It just means maybe you should have some safety cities like you
(12:21):
have safety schools and you should think about the law
schools that are around those cities because lawyers are still
regional. And so for example, I hope
you're not, nobody's from Florida listening to this, but
the state of Florida has 12 law schools in the highest ranked is
University of Florida. So if you're applying to the
same big law firm that has an office in Boston, NY or Tampa,
(12:44):
which one do you think you're going to get more interest from?
It's this Tampa office. And so you can use geography to
your advantage. And if you're methodical about
trying to meet with people and generally to do that sounds
hard, How do I meet with all these lawyers?
And the answer is easy. You spam them and you ask for
(13:05):
advice, not a job. Don't use the word job or say
anything about a job until you get on a Zoom.
Ask for advice, advice, advice, and just keep doing it and it
will work. It might take you hundreds of
Zooms, but I'm telling you it will.
Work that's incredible. And as I was thinking here, this
very much applies to those people wanting a job in the
(13:27):
legal field. But then once you enter into the
job market, you're, you're in a firm, it feels like that doesn't
change much because your thoughts to the other lawyers,
you're talking to the clients. Yeah.
And you become, that's why you become.
Well, it shouldn't change, but it often does, because what
happens is that people get hired.
They go to a law firm, and then they think their only job is to
(13:48):
make sure that the law firm partners are happy, which is
their main job. But they forget that they need
that. This is a relationship game.
This entire industry, in almost every industry is about
relationships, ultimately. And if you're in your office for
10 years as an associate, billing hours and not talking to
anyone except the partners you work for, it's going to be
(14:10):
really hard when you have to transition to go find work.
So keep talking to people, keep meeting people, keep meeting
lawyers or professionals, Just get known, be nice to people,
help them, and good things will happen.
It's counterintuitive and hard for some people to believe, but
it's. True, fantastic to to wrap up
today's episode here, if I couldask you as well as you, you
(14:36):
know, your own journey when you were, you know, looking into
different places and all of that.
You said that usually some of the jobs you have in your career
will come through those connections.
Was that some of your experiences?
Well, did you you know in the? The only job I could get out of
law school was at a law firm where I knew someone.
And then after that I did get a job randomly spamming people in
(15:01):
a city and meeting with people. And then my third job, a
recruiter called me when I was in that three to five year
window. And that's how I ended up at
Foley and Lardner where I made partner.
And then now I've been a big lawpartner since.
So this it happened to me, but it turns out it actually is a
pretty good strategy to get where you want to go and your
(15:22):
career in the legal field. I didn't know it at the time,
but it certainly has been a helpful has been helpful to me.
Incredible. I'm sure it will be helpful to
anybody who who really tries it out.
And I appreciate you taking the time to chat with us today.
Brian, thank you so much. Yeah, no problem.
And if anybody wants a free copyof my book, I gave it away in a
LinkedIn post and it tells you which states.
(15:44):
I have law schools that aren't very highly ranked.
There's all kinds of stuff in there that's useful.
I've got spam emails that you can use to get people to meet
with you. So anyway, that's free.
The price is right. So everybody should look at
that. And I know you probably have a
lot of international students and there's two chapters in that
book dealing with just the question of A, should you get an
(16:06):
LM and B, if you are, how shouldyou, how can you leverage that
into a job in the US So that hopefully be helpful for some of
your listeners. Absolutely.
That's awesome. So if you're listening in, make
sure that you go follow Brian onLinkedIn and all social media
and also sign up should the legal mentor Network.
Yeah, thanks for having me. Well, thank you and thank you
all for tuning into today's episode and.
(16:28):
We'll see you. On the next one.
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you on the next episode.
This episode was sponsored by Contender.
Check them out at contenderllc.com.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.