With experience comes lessons. Some of those lessons are learned because of stunning success, and others through epic failures.

This list represents takeaways to date in navigating a career in commercial law, both in private practice and in-house. They are offered in a spirit of hope that they contribute to stunning success stories and avoidance of epic failures.

Be curious and keep learning. In a commercial setting, to be a valuable member of the team made up of lawyers and nonlawyers, it is a great benefit to learn more about the industries and potential issues that will impact the outcomes of a project. Just knowing the law is usually not enough in a commercial role. This will not be possible immediately, which organizations typically understand about new lawyers. The sooner a new lawyer can develop industry knowledge the better.

Always consider how your current skills can be a positive addition to the project. Do not fall into thinking that because you are the most junior member of the team that you are just an observer. Be on the lookout for how all your skills may be of assistance, be it fixing typos or making a deliverable more user-friendly.

Consider roles that best match your strengths and persevere to find them. There are seemingly countless roles in a commercial setting, from large publicly traded companies to small privately held companies found nearby and around the world. Take the time to do an inventory of your strengths and areas of interest, and chart a path to work your way into a role that will be a good fit.

Don’t forget that noncommercial roles, such as government or other areas of private practice, may be the best fit along the way. Frequently, one needs to prioritize competing factors related to satisfaction, time and money. The priority often changes with different life events. Find the right balance for you.

Work to develop collaborative relationships. The end product, be it a litigation result or a contract, requires a productive working relationship. Like in all other areas of life, developing solid relationships takes a degree of attention. Keep an eye out for how you can continually improve your interpersonal skills.

Learn about and be able to utilize risk strategically. Practicing in-house can be distinct from private practice and government roles because to excel a lawyer may need to be able to leverage risk, rather than just avoid it. Senior commercial lawyers work with business stakeholders to come up with strategies that strike the balance between opportunities and risks, and move forward and navigate the consequences. To advance to those senior roles, work to develop skills related to risk.

Master communication skills. Take on the burden of persuasion. If you can tell others are not understanding you, change your mode of communication rather than just throwing up your hands.

Seek out and take advantage of mentors. Valuable lessons are picked up from working with people that have more experience. Continually look to improve your skills by learning from those around you and being inquisitive. Positive role models are wonderful, but also strive to discern lessons on what not to do from those modeling a flawed approach.

Consider developing areas of expertise on your own initiative. Delving into a new area outside of your current area of expertise can open up more opportunities. Chances to focus on new areas may be presented to you along the way, but often the chance to find a role that is most fulfilling starts with someone taking their own initiative to develop expertise in an area.

Those are my tips to date. I wish young lawyers, lawyers new to commercial practice, and lawyers-to-be the best of luck in navigating their own path through a fulfilling career in commercial law.

This article was originally published on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Business Law Blog. Visit the State Bar sections or the Business Law Section webpages to learn more about the benefits of section membership.