Leading the Way - August 2009
How Valuable are You?
Life is an ever-changing process. After graduating high school, we advance to college. After years of time, money, sweat, and endless hours studying, a degree is earned. But if you stop learning after graduation, how valuable will you be in your chosen field?
With time, every career field changes. What are you doing to stay informed of those changes? Could former President George Washington survive in the technical world of today without training? Of course not! There is a vast array of training that legal professionals can utilize to maintain competence in their respective areas of practice. For instance, legal professionals can take advanced legal training courses, obtain certification, and attend continuing legal education seminars. By taking these steps, you are showing initiative, drive, and dedication. You are showing that you can be independent, that you are embracing change, and that you have a commitment to the legal field. You are showing that you value yourself and value the legal profession.
If you were hiring someone for your firm and a resume came across your desk with experience, continuing education, certification(s), and membership(s) in legal organizations, versus a resume with experience, but no additional training, who would you hire? What if your firm was facing cutbacks? Would a firm keep the employee who has not grown and changed with the times or an employee who has, on their own initiative, kept up with changes in the legal field?
You may not think that becoming certified and continuing your legal education is valuable, but it is. Certification and continuing legal education will improve your self-worth, your professional image, and will be displayed in your confidence. It can also increase your value to the firm; not only monetarily, but also through networking and time- and money-saving tips and techniques. One day it could save your job or begin your career.
What would happen to other professionals if, after college and passing the required state exams to become licensed, they did not continue their respective education by going to seminars and getting re-certified? They would not keep their license very long. Their level of competence would be greatly diminished. The same thing would happen to legal professionals. Doctors rely on nurses to help them carry out the care of patients and saving lives. The same is true for attorneys and legal professionals. Attorneys rely on their legal staff to help them provide competent legal representation. By becoming certified, you are showing that you value yourself, your firm, and your commitment to the legal field. You are showing that you are a competent legal professional and value your firm’s image of professionalism.
Don’t ask what your employer will do for you; ask what you can do for your employer and you. Show that you value both the legal field and yourself by obtaining advanced legal training, certification, and continuing legal education. Use these valuable tools to embrace changes, because time, technology, and the law will not embrace you.