Dakota Forsyth Publishes Article in The Legal Intelligencer on a Former College Athlete’s Guide to Excelling as a Young Lawyer

Olshan corporate associate Dakota Forsyth authored an article in The Legal Intelligencer (subscription required) titled “Beyond the Game: A Former College Athlete’s Guide to Excelling as a Young Lawyer.” In the article, Dakota gives insights on how young attorneys can have an athlete’s mindset to cultivate the qualities of resilience, discipline, accountability and composure to build a foundation for legal success. Dakota played Division I baseball at Penn State University and shows how the lessons he learned in sports transferred to his role as a corporate transaction lawyer. “Whether your formative challenges came in academics, the arts or another demanding pursuit, the habits you developed to manage pressure, work diligently and persevere will serve you well in law,” Dakota notes. A winning mindset helps to, “navigate high expectations, steep learning curves and the moments when showing up really matters.” He offers tips on how young lawyers can improve at managing stress, embracing challenges, trusting the process and being coachable. Dakota emphasizes the importance of showing up every day as preparation, consistency and being a team player to create success. “Bring reliability, humility and a team-first mindset to every matter you are staffed on,” he says. “People will notice. Then, when the next big transaction comes around, they will want you on the team. That is how great teams are built, and how great lawyers are made.”