- Law degree
- LPC
- Training Contract (ye old Articles)
One message: to equip you for a life of service.
Not: a billing machine.
Education is a lifelong process.
You know the law.
And what comes next?
In this new age of competition where outsourcing and commoditisation is all the rage, the process of education needs to be biased towards an understanding of value, developing a lifetime following and leveraging intellectual capital in a way that your client understands the premium that you ascribe to the service.
I am cynical of firms when it comes to training.
Where are the centres of Excellence? You know the departments that could be leveraged to the outside World.
Life skills come at a cost to the partnership that many would rather avoid.
CPD is moribund.
Every day should be a day devoted to learning.
Unfortunately, in these hyper-competitive days, if you want to be the Best then don’t expect that to happen by dint of your employment. The only way your education will continue is if you invest your own time and money in the process.
Your focus is on rising to the top, earning a big fat w-e-d-g-e and retiring to a life of luxury. Yes the opportunity still exists, but how much more powerful will your profile be if you have a bushel of credentials beyond the standard Masters etc. How much better it would be if you ended up taking a course in creative writing, web site design, digital design, art, engineering science, medicine or whatever it is that will harmonise the law with your practice area.
Make a pact now that you will never stop learning.
The temptation is to breathe a sigh of relief when you get your Practising Certificate.
Don’t be an idiot.
The journey is only just beginning.