Law Students

Law school is a miniature scale of the professional network. What you say or do will impress upon your peers and potential employers starting day one. This means that you should watch what you say and what you do to anyone at anytime, anywhere. You want to keep your reputation pristine and the only message you want to circulate is your professionalism.

Think twice about posting your drunk pictures or stories on Facebook or equivalent programs. Do not talk trash about other colleagues. If you have nothing nice to say about a colleague, then say nothing at all.* This does not mean you have to be a yes-man. It simply means that you should think twice about presenting yourself as a gossiper or back-stabber. The profession values loyalty and confidentiality. If other people cannot confide in you, why should your future employer or client trust you to hold your tongue?

Think like a client. If I were a client, how would I judge this particular action? Could I trust this person to become my legal representative? Could I depend on this person not getting wasted while working on my case?

*Caveat: Depending on the jurisdiction, local rules and/or codes of professional responsibility may require an attorney to report misconduct by another attorney. Hence, keeping your mouth could get you into trouble if you are not careful.