In 2020, in my sixth year of practice, I find that I am not such a "young" young lawyer anymore. It happens quickly and without notice, so watch out for that. Over the past few years, I have been invited out for an increasing number of networking coffees by articling students and young lawyers starting out, which I absolutely love. I always say "yes" to these coffees because I like people and I like giving advice that helps others. I also recall that when I was looking for work after my articles, dozens of busy lawyers took time out of their packed schedules to meet me for coffee. One of those amazing lawyers eventually ended up connecting me to my first job as an associate. I am forever grateful to those kind and generous people and now I want to pay it forward.
However, when both your personal and professional lives are packed, and as your career (and life) progresses, these coffees can become a real time sacrifice. It may mean an hour less of sleep, or skipping your workout that day. I appreciate that more now than when I was first starting out, since I had a lot more time on my hands in general back then. These coffees are supposed to get a more senior lawyer on your side to fight for you, to recommend you to people, and to dig out opportunities for you. However, I find that if the coffee ends up being overly taxing in terms of time and resources, the meeting can have the exact opposite of its intended purpose.
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