What Can I Do With a JD??

Part of an occasional series in the February ISBA Young Lawyers Division newsletter. This week the interview was with State Rep. and lawyer Franco Coladipietro. I thought he made 4 main points worth repeating:

First, work hard and show up every day.

Second, find good mentors.

Third, Coladipietro advised that you should get involved and meet as many people as you can and that you should not be afraid to ask for help.

Fourth, and perhaps the most inspiring of his advice, Coladipietro stated: “If you have a dream, chase it."

Further, Coladipietro’s advice to all young lawyers is to find an area of the law that you enjoy and work with people you like. “Work is a big part of your early career and if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll be miserable. I work with some of the best people you could ever assemble in one firm and they make it easy to go to the office.” He also advised that you need to get out there and network, network, network. “It leads to so many positive results…business, friendships, professional advancement. One of the reasons my campaign for State Representative was successful was because I could draw on the support of my friendships developed over the years.”