​Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a room full of legal support professionals for an evening of networking and an incredibly honest conversation about career progression within the legal profession.

Our panel brought together four accomplished professionals who have each carved out very different career paths:

•Jan McNamara, Director at Mac & Co

•Helen Skelton, Practice Manager at Hornabrook Macdonald

•Angela Purcell, Legal Executive at TBB

•Briana Helas, Legal Support Team Lead at DLA Piper

Despite their diverse backgrounds and the different directions their careers have taken, there was one consistent message that emerged throughout the evening.

Career progression isn't simply about being the most technically capable person in the room.

Of course, strong technical skills are essential. Delivering quality work, being organised and dependable forms the foundation of any successful legal support career. But the people who are consistently identified by partners, senior leaders and managers as future leaders are those who look beyond the task immediately in front of them. They anticipate what’s needed next and think about how their role fits into the bigger picture. They understand the needs of the client, the priorities of their team, the commercial objectives of the practice area and how their work contributes to the success of the firm as a whole.

Briana captured this perfectly when she described these people as being "alive" to what is happening around them.

We all resonated with this phrase.

Being "alive" isn't about working longer hours or taking on more work. It's about awareness. It's noticing when a colleague needs support before they ask. It's anticipating what a lawyer will need next. It's understanding the commercial pressures the business is facing. It's recognising opportunities to improve processes, strengthen client relationships or simply make things run more smoothly.

It's moving from being someone who completes tasks to someone who adds value.

That commercial awareness was another recurring theme throughout the discussion. Law firms are professional services businesses. Every role contributes to the client experience, operational efficiency and ultimately the firm's success. The legal support professionals who appreciate this and actively look for ways to contribute beyond their own desk, are often the ones who naturally progress into senior support, leadership, management and specialist roles.

The panel also spoke candidly about the challenges they faced throughout their careers. No one’s journey followed a linear path. There were moments of uncertainty, opportunities that required stepping outside of one’s comfort zone and having an attitude to learn on the job -decisions that ultimately shaped where they are today.

For those in the audience wondering what their next career move might look like, that honesty was reassuring. There is no single pathway that needs to be followed to advance your career. Whether your ambition is to become a Legal Executive, Practice Manager, Team Lead or a more operationally specialist role, there are many ways to get there.

The common denominator isn't necessarily the title you've held it is based on your mindset and taking opportunities to step up as they arise. As Jan said, ‘What have you go to lose?’

As recruiters, we spend every day speaking with legal support professionals about where they want their careers to go. One of the biggest misconceptions we encounter is that progression comes with time alone. Experience certainly matters, but curiosity, commercial thinking, initiative and a genuine desire to understand the bigger picture are often what separate good from exceptional.

If one message stood out above all others, it was this:

Don't just be exceptional at the work on your desk.

Be ‘alive’ to everything happening around it.

For those that missed the opportunity to join us on the evening, please see the link below to watch the recording of the session.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjhfGCKSd0k

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