Daniel Chammas: Searching For the Right Law Firm

As an experienced lawyer who currently works for Venable LLP, which is one of the top one hundred law firms in the United States according to the AmLaw 100 Survey, Daniel Chammas understands how important it is to plan your career path when you finish your education. A lot of people struggle with selecting the right firm to work for when they are first starting out, so here are a few pointers that you may find useful in making a decision.

Consider Your Personality

The very first thing you should think about is your intended practice area. What is it about law that most appeals to you and what aspect of it do you want to dedicate yourself to. Understand that all practice areas offer their own unique challenges, so you need to be aware of what you will be committing when you select one and if it truly matches up to your personal goals. This is an important step in planning your career, as it allows you to identify firms that have a good reputation for your practice area, which allows you to set milestones for your career.

Your Background in Academia

Many new lawyers will have completed an undergraduate degree that can allow them to market themselves a little better for different practice areas. For example, if you studied mathematics or accounting, you may well find that your additional skills make you more desirable to firms looking for lawyers who can work with finance and tax issues. Understand your academic background and how it will affect your chances in each practice area and try to use it to your advantage wherever possible.

The Firm’s Reputation

Once you have decided on a basic plan for your career path, you need to start considering the firms that are available to you. While there are many factors that will go into your eventual choice, the firm’s reputation should always be a high priority. Working for a company that has a lot of prestige will serve to open doors for you in the future and can be an extremely powerful aspect of your resume when it comes time to move on. If you have aspirations of advancing to a position in one of the top firms in the country, you need to carefully consider the reputation of the firm you choose to work at in order to get you there.

Always Consider the Future

Always consider where you wish to go with your career and what you want to be doing ten or twenty years down the line. Daniel Chammas recognizes that everything that he does is building towards an end goal, whether that be advancement within his profession or a comfortable retirement at some point I the future. Understand where you’re going and you are better able to choose the right path.

The Author writes articles for law and business field. He has also contributed to Wikipedia, Squidoo and Hubpages. His articles have been published in print as well as online magazines.