New Job, New Opportunity for Growth
By Huma Khursheed and Katherine Copeland
Hello NCBA Community,
We, Katherine Copeland and Huma Khursheed, are the new co-chairs of the Wellness Committee within the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association. We look forward to serving you in this capacity. As a brief introduction, we met during the time that our judicial clerkship with Justice Allison Riggs overlapped. Since August, Katherine has started a new position as an Associate Attorney with Ballew Puryear, and Huma is currently within her first year of her judicial clerkship.
Fall is a time of change: it brings a new season, a new school year, and, often, for new lawyers, it is the time they begin a new job. As exciting as a new job can be, it can also bring with it feelings of trepidation and impostor syndrome. For us, this past year involved both of us starting a new job — Katherine began her second job since graduating from law school, and Huma stepped into a more “senior” role with two new judicial law clerks, who joined her just a few months after she started her clerkship. We became anxious about the same things many new lawyers, or even seasoned ones, may think about. Will I do well in my assignments? Do I know what I am doing? What if I mess up?
Those are all very real thoughts, and from what we can tell after speaking with experienced attorneys, those nervous thoughts, or your desire to succeed on a task if you’re into reframing, may not go away, but how you manage them will change as you progress in your career. Below are some recommendations we have gathered from our own experiences of starting out as new lawyers that we hope are helpful as you chart your own path in this profession.
A new job is an opportunity to build your social and professional network, expand your capabilities, and break new barriers. To capitalize on new experiences, it is essential to prioritize your mental health in times of change. As new lawyers who have changed jobs in the last year, we found that leaning into our network, staying curious, and protecting work-life balance were keys to being successful in any new job.
First, no matter what you call your network — community, mentor, teacher, law school study group, or professional family — they are the group most likely to provide honest advice that helps you find the path to success. It can be easy to withdraw from our network during periods of change to avoid appearing as if we are not excelling. Lean in. Whether it is a difficult job search or a lack of confidence in your legal research skills, there are people who have been in your position and have overcome those challenges. Talk to your network about what you are experiencing. Whether you are the newest associate amongst seasoned attorneys or working for a judge that you greatly admire, the task ahead becomes infinitely easier when you reach out to those who have been in your shoes and ask them what they did to get to where they are. As judicial law clerks, this looked like leaning on our network of former judicial law clerks regarding the post-clerkship job search or learning how to create work-life balance.
Second, stay curious. During the first few months at a new job, you will typically experience a steep learning curve. It can feel overwhelming. We are here to tell you that this is only temporary. The fast-paced learning is hard, but you are seeing the organization from a different vantage point than the insiders. That vantage point gives you a unique opportunity to envision opportunities for improvement in the organization that may be blind spots for those who have been in the organization for a long time. Since we were among the first few clerks in our chambers, we were learning new things every day Fortunately, that led us to realize that it would be a good idea to create a blueprint for the clerks who would come after us. As you learn in your new role, do not be afraid to establish systems that work for you and enable you to succeed. Afterwards, pay it forward by passing the blueprint to the person after you.
Third, work-life balance. Work-life balance means different things to different people. For us, this means prioritizing our physical health and indulging our love of cooking. Maintaining your physical health or engaging in hobbies that bring you joy is critical to sustaining mental health during change. For example, when we started working together, we decided to take walks during our lunch hour. This got us out of the office and gave us an opportunity to talk. Sometimes we talked about work stuff, which helped us learn from each other, but sometimes, we just talked about life and got to know each other. When you let your guard down a bit and get to know your co-workers, it gives you an amazing opportunity to learn new things.
Before you know it, your first job becomes a step in the journey of an eventful, successful career! As the Wellness Committee co-chairs, we look forward to being a resource and community as you navigate things such as finding work-life balance, taking care of your mental health and managing the growth opportunities that come with breaking barriers.
Please join us for our upcoming event.
Book Club: “By the Time You Read This” — by April Simpkins & Cheslie Kryst (Hardcover)
Event Overview
Join us for our next Book Club on “By the Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness — Her Story in Her Own Words” by April Simpkins and Cheslie Kryst. This event, hosted by the Young Lawyers Division’s Wellness Committee, will take place at the Bar Center, offering space for both in-person and online discussion. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided!
Date & Time | Wednesday, December 10 | 4-6 p.m.
Location | the Bar Center, 8000 Weston Parkway | Cary and Via Zoom