Community Matters. Serve Others. Grow Your Legal Career.
If you’re a woman lawyer aiming for partnership—or even just wanting to thrive in your current role—there’s something essential you might be overlooking.
Not technical expertise. Not efficiency. Not even productivity.
What I’m talking about is community.
Yes, community. That human, relational glue that holds teams, careers, and firms together. And in my experience coaching lawyers around the world, I’ve seen that while many women lawyers excel in their work, they often forget just how important connection is—not just for others, but for themselves.
Status vs. Community: The Hidden Tension
Will Storr, the English journalist and author of The Status Game and The Science of Storytelling, argues that all human beings are driven by three fundamental needs:
Survival
Community
Status
And yet, in so many law firms, community and status seem to be in conflict. When the goal is to win the biggest clients, be seen by the right people, and climb the ladder to partner, collaboration can take a backseat. The very culture that encourages high performance can sometimes discourage genuine connection.
But what if I told you that community and status don’t have to be at odds? In fact, building real relationships might just be the fastest way to sustainable success.
“I Just Want to Be the Best Lawyer I Can Be” – And Why That’s Not Enough
One thing I hear time and again from women lawyers is:
“I just want to focus on doing excellent work.”
And of course, excellence matters. But it’s not enough.
Too many women keep their heads down, work hard, and then feel blindsided when they’re passed over for partnership. They wonder, What happened? The answer is often this: they didn’t build visibility, sponsorship, or relationships. They were efficient—but they were isolated.
Céline Alix, a former lawyer at Linklaters, explores this in her brilliant (though sadly untranslated) book Merci Mais Non Merci (Thanks, But No Thanks). In it, she shares stories of women who loved being efficient—but also needed to get out of the office at a decent hour. One woman, in an annual review, was told, “You’re very good—but it seems like you just want to leave by 8 p.m.” Her internal response? “Yes, I do.”
Efficiency is valuable—but when it comes at the cost of connection, it can quietly sabotage your career.
Why Community Matters—For Your Career and Your Health
We are wired to belong. Loneliness, research shows, is not just unpleasant—it’s a health risk. It’s more harmful than smoking or a sedentary lifestyle.
So yes, your community matters—not just to your career trajectory, but to your well-being.
As Ginni Rometty, former CEO of IBM, once said:
“When we serve others, we serve ourselves.”
Serving your community—whether it's your team, your firm, or your clients—isn’t about being selfless. It’s about understanding that what lifts others also lifts you.
Practical Ways to Build Community as a Lawyer
1. Inside the Firm
Start with your internal networks:
Your team
Your practice group
Your office
The broader firm
Ask yourself: How can I help people connect across silos?
Most firms complain about the lack of cross-practice communication. What if you were the one to change that? Invite colleagues from different departments for coffee, organise a small lunch, or create opportunities for collaboration. You might face some rejection—leadership always involves risk—but it positions you as a connector and future leader.
2. With Clients
Don’t wait for marketing to create opportunities—start small:
Host a lunch with a few clients who share common challenges
Invite them to a discussion or event
Think about how you can bring them value, and to each other
A friend of mine, Sharon Lewis, who leads finance at Hogan Lovells, had a brilliant approach early in her career. She’d buy inexpensive tickets to early rounds of the tennis at Roland Garros, invite clients (and their children), and bring her own kids along too. It was relaxed, fun—and powerful. The clients ended up promoting her to one another. Connection led to visibility. Visibility led to trust.
You don’t need big budgets. You just need intentionality.
Don’t Just Be a Great Lawyer—Be a Community Builder
Building community is not a soft skill or a “nice to have.” It’s a superpower—a strategic, human, and deeply effective way to lead.
So don’t just focus on perfecting the brief or hitting your billables. Look up. Look around. Who are you connecting with? How are you helping others thrive?
Because when you do that—when you serve others—you serve your own career in ways you might not expect.
Warmly,
Cecilia