In a recent interview with law.com, Jillian Sommers, a partner at Perkins Coie, emphasized the integral role of reliability in the legal profession. According to Sommers, regardless of one’s tenure in the legal field—a first-year, fifth-year, or eighth-year lawyer—upholding reliability is an aspect that they can uniformly manage and control.
Building a successful legal career necessitates more than just competence in the law; it requires establishing a reputation for consistency and dependability. This is the foundation upon which client relationships are built and nurtured, and is often a key determinant in promotions within firms.
In the legal world where deadlines, accuracy, and accountability are of utmost importance, an individual’s reliability stands as an underpinning factor that can steer a career path—whether one is aspiring to become a partner or is geared towards achieving other professional milestones.
Jillian Sommers’ ascension to partner at Perkins Coie certainly underscores this principle. While we don’t have complete details on the entirety of Sommers’ career journey, her emphasis on the trait of reliability resonates broadly and adds value to the collective wisdom of succeeding in the legal profession.