06/02/2026
"Across 25 years of placements, three things I wasn't trained for are the three things that ended up mattering most." Chere Estrin, Founder of Estrin Legal Staffing
Law school teaches statutes and procedure. Across 25 years of placements, these are the three that decide who rises.
- Reputation. Nobody tells young legal professionals that their reputation is being built in every email, every deadline, every returned phone call, and every moment they either stay calm or create drama. The candidates we place who move fastest understand this early.
- Networking. Most associates have no clue how to network or why it matters. The lawyers we see build durable careers treat their network as the work, not the thing they do after the work.
- Managing personalities. Law firms are pressure cookers. Strong egos, anxious clients, impossible deadlines, high billing expectations, and every personality type imaginable. A huge part of succeeding is learning to read people, communicate strategically, and not take everything personally. Legal work is not just statutes and procedure. It is diplomacy. It is knowing when to push, when to stay quiet, when to escalate, and when to let someone think an idea was theirs all along.
The three things nobody trains you for are the three things that decide the career.
Follow for our read on what actually moves a legal career.
