How to Get the Promotion & Raise You Deserve!

I came back last week from the annual NAPABA conference and am summarizing useful pointers from the seminar “Pushing to the Top: Women Attorneys in High-Tech Culture.” Speakers included Hogene Choi (Baker Bott partner), Sarita Venkat (Apple senior counsel), Emily Ward (former PayPal VP), and Yuri Mikulka, (Manatt partner). Their tips apply to lawyers of any race or level:

1. Be yourself. When some panelists first started their (male-dominated) profession, they felt like they had to be one of the boys to get ahead, but instead discovered being authentic worked best. Strengths they brought to the table included strong communication skills, ability to build relationships, and non-egotistical behavior.
2. Find sponsors. They don’t need to look like you (especially since there are hardly any for Asian American women leaders in IP!). You can also get guidance indirectly by finding role models to emulate and considering what they would do.
3. Don’t quietly labor in the corner. Find out who at the firm/company has been promoted for what reasons and when, and ask what else you need to do to meet those standards. When you hit them, let the power brokers know, and ask for that raise and promotion. You can do this in a non-bragging way by bringing up how/when the previous people were promoted and how you have done the same.
4. Don’t simply gain a seat at the table, but actively consider what you are bringing to the table. Give practical guidance on not just your specific area of responsibility (like IP), but also adjacent areas that the business cares about (like product and technology). Think about what your clients need from you, and get the skillset needed for that. For example, business leaders are always thinking about the competitive landscape and where the products/technology should go, so help them achieve their goals!