Advice To My Younger Self
Washington, DC-based partner Kate McCarthy talks about finding your own style and getting down to work.
Like many people, my original inspiration for going into law was probably the result of watching too many legal dramas on TV. Suffice to say, that meant I did not go to law school dreaming of being a project finance lawyer. I also never intended to come to the US, never mind spend nearly 20 years over here. Life can take you to interesting places if you are open to the challenge.
When I started out, I assumed that there must be one “right way” to be a lawyer. Fast forward more than 20 years and it’s clear to me that there are many ways to be a good lawyer. Different people have different styles and strengths. Some lawyers are most effective in a more adversarial arena, while others are strong consensus builders. My advice for those starting out is: find your own style, and find the practice and the clients your style is best suited to. Your style will appeal to some clients and not to others. That is true for all of us.
