RMN'S Blog

Trust: A Major Career Component

Date: November 05, 2013

When starting a career in the legal industry, new lawyers realize relationships are mostly  based on trust, and not solely on how skilled of a lawyer you are. In order to have a successful career, keep clients, and find more clients, you need to be able to earn and maintain their trust. Here are some tips that may help:

Every relationship is valuable. 

Whether you are interacting with a client, partner, associate, paralegal, or intern, every relationship is valuable to you.  Make sure you thank the support staff for their work, help your fellow associates when you have the time, and be a mentor for new attorneys. It’s always in your best interest to treat and respect those around you, and make your relationship with them stronger.

Get involved in the industry.

New lawyers should get themselves immersed in the legal industry, and learn as much as they can about the area they serve. For example, if you are a bankruptcy lawyer, be sure to stay on top of all the latest news and developments with bankruptcy. Also, be sure to network with other people in the field.

Handle your work with care.

As you work more and it becomes natural to you, mistakes are bound to happen. However, try hard to avoid careless mistakes.  Always take the time to put in your best efforts in everything you do, no matter how big or small the task. Your clients will think of you as a dependable person who always puts out excellent work.

Keep your word to build trust.

This is an important part of building trust with your clients, co-workers, and partners. Make it a habit to not only follow through with your promises, and but also to deliver excellence. This will build your integrity within your community and others will recommend you to their colleagues.

Trust can be hard to gain. With the right amount of work, appreciation, and continued dependable work, being able to build trust with those around you can be simple and very long lasting.

Here is a link with 8 ways to build trust in the workplace.