Whether you are a law student, at the start of your legal career or established in your field, setting SMART goals are sure to help you to build the legal career you want. SMART goals ensure you have a clear roadmap, so you are not wondering what to do next.
Your goals are not going to be achieved overnight, but this approach means you have a clear timeline so you can easily track your progress and continue to feel motivated.
This article discusses:
So what does ‘SMART’ goals stand for?
You need to be specific about what you want to achieve. This will make the steps to achieving your goal easier to recognise. A specific goal will usually tell you:
Once you have identified something specific that you want to achieve, you need to quantify your goal and create tangible factors to measure the success. To make it measurable, there could be steps you need to complete along the way that will eventually add up to the completion of your overall goal.
Achievability focuses on how important the goal is to you and what you can do to make it attainable e.g., additional training to develop your skills, support from another lawyer, management courses that can be completed. The more attainable your goal, the more motivated you will be to keep on even if there are setbacks along the way. This part of the process will give you a serious reality check. If it’s not attainable, think of something else.
You should focus on a goal that has benefit for yourself and your legal career, as well as the objectives of the law firm.
Setting a time-based goal will help you to measure the success of your goals and keep you motivated too. Again, make sure your timing is realistic. If you want to reach your goal in, say, three, six- or twelve-months’ time, it would be beneficial to set achievements to complete along the way.
Common goals for lawyers include increasing something, improving something, reducing something or developing yourself.
These typically revolve around finding your first legal job and getting your career started through a vacation scheme or training contract.
SMART goals could include:
As a paralegal, you might want to develop your skills, increase efficiency or specialise in a specific department.
SMART goals could include:
As a newly qualified lawyer, your goals will typically include developing skills and knowledge and focusing on your performance.
SMART goals could include:
As someone who is established in their legal career, you might be looking for a promotion, to take on more responsibility by mentoring a team or for a slight change in your career.
SMART goals could include:
Once you have created your SMART goals, it is time to start implementing and tracking them.
Finding a tracking tool that works for you will be essential to managing and measuring your goals. You want something that allows you to plan, track, manage, automate, and report on your goals. This is the best way to keep yourself motivated! Reassess your goals as you go if you identify limitations in achieving your current goals.
Don’t forget to regularly check-in and celebrate your wins!
If you are looking for your first, or next step in your legal career to reach your SMART goals, head to the Jobs in Law job board to see what opportunities are available.