Nadia Zaman

I thought being a lawyer meant hiding your true self.

That was when I was new to the legal profession.

A lot of lawyers around me seemed to have so much in common.

It almost felt like there was a certain expectation of who I am supposed to be as my “lawyer self”.

But how do you even fit into the mold of how a lawyer is supposed to “be”?

You don’t.

At least you don’t need to.

Being a lawyer can be demanding.

Of your time and your energy.

Even if you love what you do, like me.

The last thing we need is to expend our energy by not bringing our whole selves to work.

There is another upside to being authentic.

It helps us connect with other individuals on a deeper level.

Otherwise, we only touch the surface when connecting with others.

If you let the other person see the real you, they will be much more likely to show you their real self.

And that’s how we build relationships.

I enjoy building relationships with people.

Perhaps that is why I enjoy practicing Employment Law so much.

It’s the perfect nexus between business, law, and people, whether my client is an employer or an employee.

And you know what I realized?

Building your book is all about building relationships with people. Authentically and stress free.

And it can all be done without being “sleazy”, without having to spend hours away from your family, and without having to compromise on your billable hours.

Professionally, this was my best year to date.

I brought in way more business than I thought I would.

I worked on a large diversity of client files on both the employer side as well as the employee side. And I enjoyed running with them.

Then I thought – where do I go from here?

That’s when I came across Build Your Book.

Thanks Dhawal Tank and Aaron Baer for launching Build Your Book, and for the opportunity to be a part of the pilot cohort!