Developing a “Personal Board of Directors” by David Arroyo

Winter 2008

Law firms have invested significant resources in an effort to improve diversity within their attorney ranks. The results, however, have been mixed, especially in regard to the retention and promotion of women and minority attorneys to partnership. One area where more focus needs to be directed is in teaching young lawyers how to build lasting mentoring relationships. These relationships not only will lead to more professional satisfaction, but also will help inculcate the skills that benefit existing clients and attract new ones.

I did not have a mentor upon graduating from law school. But I have since developed an important mentoring network that I call my “personal board of directors.” My board of directors consists of people who I have come to know through the years – clients, friends, family, and colleagues – and whose judgment I trust. When I am confronted with a critical career decision, I reach out for those in my network for their opinions and advice.

I developed my board of directors later in my career, but I now know that I could have benefited a great deal had I formed it earlier. For me, building this network was an organic process, but it still required focused energy. I made a concerted effort to meet people, and I then spent the time necessary to get to know them well on a personal level. The process can take years. And the relationship is a two-way street. Although it may seem counterintuitive, I support those in my mentorship circle as much as I rely on them for support.

Encouraging young attorneys to develop their own personal board of directors can have a direct impact on a firm’s ability to retain diverse attorneys. I know from experience that success at a law firm depends on who is looking out for you. Too often, diverse attorneys become disenchanted with law firm life because they have no one to foster and guide their professional development. Many times, mentors can help steer young attorneys to challenging, intellectually stimulating assignments and activities. Just as often, simply having senior colleagues available to draw on for advice or to serve as a sounding board can mean the difference between an attorney feeling accepted and valued at the firm, or moving on to other endeavors.

That said, as a practical matter, having a robust network of mentors does not ensure success at a law firm. Sometimes, the law firm environment is simply a poor fit for a particular individual. Having a network in place can help attorneys explore different career paths that better match their personal and professional goals. In fact, I credit networking for my current position at Scripps Networks, which came to my attention from a colleague who had been asked by the company for recommendations. Without a network, I would never have known about the opening.

Developing a network also provides many personal benefits. Unless you take the time to get to know people, life simply is not as rich as it otherwise could be. Moreover, for diverse attorneys, stepping outside your normal social circles will not only enrich your life, but may be critical to your career advancement.

The issue of creating and maintaining diversity in the legal profession cannot be solved overnight, but I am optimistic that hard work and creative ideas will continue to produce results. I am grateful for the guidance I have received in my career, and I am certain that other diverse attorneys could reach greater personal and professional success if they had their own personal board of directors.

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David Arroyo is vice president of legal affairs at Scripps Networks, where he manages litigation, intellectual property, employment, bankruptcy, and regulatory matters involving the company’s cable television and broadband media businesses.

Before joining Scripps Networks, David practiced as a commercial trial lawyer at a global law firm, and early in his career he clerked for a federal judge. He is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Michigan Law School, where he served as an associate and contributing editor of the Michigan Law Review.

David is chairman of the board of LatinoJustice PRLDEF (formerly known as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund), and also serves on the boards of the City Bar Justice Center and the Association of Corporate Counsel, New York Chapter. He previously served on the boards of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School.

David lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two children.