#94 Mastering Visibility: The Career Skill Nobody Teaches Lawyers

Visibility is not a personality trait. It’s a career skill—and one most lawyers are never taught. Paula T. Edgar, CEO of PGE Consulting Group LLC, helps lawyers and other professionals build influence, credibility, and opportunity through intentional visibility. Often attending more than 18 conferences a year, Paula is strategic about every room she enters, every relationship she builds, and how she positions herself in professional spaces. In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn, host David Schnurman sits down with Paula at the NALP Professional Development Institute in Washington, DC. Paula shares how early lessons from her Barbadian grandmother and her Jamaican mother, growing up in Brooklyn, shaped her belief that how you show u p matters. She also reflects on how the loss of her mother on September 11, 2001 revealed skills she did not yet recognize: finding information, navigating complexity, and communicating clearly during moments of crisis. After graduating from law school and practicing labor and employment law, Paula realized her real passion was teaching the concrete, often-overlooked skills that differentiate lawyers beyond technical expertise. She challenges the outdated belief that doing good work quietly is enough and explains why visibility, relationship-building, and strategic presence are essential to long-term success. Paula never delivers the same presentation twice, often conducting stakeholder interviews and pre-surveys to customize every training. She shares practical insights on building an intentional network, creating memorable professional experiences, and showing up authentically without performative personal branding.