Every culture has different stigmas attached to it. Some are true, while others are stereotypical based off of people’s biases, observations, or historical tendencies. In today’s inter-connected world, however, people from varied cultures interact at a high rate. Often, people are relegated to these categories, or feel as if they must conform to the culture they grew up in. For example, growing up in a half-Asian household made me feel compelled from a young age to never settle and to always work and strive to be the best – nothing really mattered other than work, family, and religion. The challenge, that will hopefully lead to success in the legal market, for me and for other law students who have grown up with a similar cultural imprint, is to challenge the status quo and branch outside of one’s comfort zone. Success is not all in the books, but rather success also includes the personal network and relationships you develop.

This realization didn’t happen overnight for me, and it will take time to implement.. But, it is clear that developing relationships with people, while still churning out a good work product, is one of the secrets to success in the legal market. As a child, I was taught to put my head down, to not ask any questions, and to let my work do the talking.. Now, I can see that it is also important to talk with people in order to show them what and who I am. This sentiment is true not just in the workplace, but in other facets of life as well.

In a Corporate Counsel article entitled, “The Social Network”, the David Hechler tells the story of a successful Asian-American general counsel who was almost fired from his first job as an in-house lawyer. As a young attorney, the Asian-American man had written a document for the CEO to sign, but the CEO refused and complained to the GC of the company at the time. Fortunately, the young attorney had sparked a friendship with a doctor he met in the company cafeteria. As it turned out, the young attorney’s lunch partner happened to be the CEO’s personal doctor who vouched for the young attorney, helping him keep his job. If the young attorney had not created a relationship with the doctor, the lawyer would not only have lost his job, he would not have risen to be the GC of Toll Brothers, Inc.

It is never too early or too late to break out and start your personal network of contacts. Most people are willing to help out a friend or colleague that they know and trust, versus someone who they only know from a piece of paper. For Asian Americans like me, the trick is being able to conquer cultural stereotypes and the perceptions associated with them. Even though I grew up in a relatively strict household, my father was Danish and more liberal.. Thus, even though I was expected to get straight A’s and play the piano, a poor grade or learning how to play the drums was not punished, but accepted. I could tell my mother was not happy, but my father and his Danish culture softened the expectations and allowed me to pursue what I was interested in and these interests allowed me to develop friendships with people. I have tried to use my experiences from both cultures in establishing relationships in my career. Hopefully the lessons that I have learned and the observations I have made will pay off in the long run.