Best Friends at the Bar

Law Firms Need to Learn to Retrofit

Here's something a little different today.  I have been thinking.........about the Empire State Building and about young women lawyers.  What a combo!

I love the Empire State Building.  My daughter had a clear view of it from her apartment building across the Hudson River once upon a time, and I never tired of admiring the majestic spire.  So, when I saw an article on the recent renovation and retrofitting of the Empire State Building in the on-line Harvard Magazine , I just had to read it.  What I discovered was not only an interesting business story but also a lesson for law firms.  Here's why.

The Harvard Magazine article described how Anthony Malkin, a Harvard Business School grad, and his family, owners of the Empire State Building, recently decided on a "green"---as in environmentally responsible---retrofit for the grand old building in Manhattan.  The Malkin family had made a choice years earlier to undertake massive renovations rather than sell the building, and they also decided that they would make the building energy efficient and environmentally-friendly in the process.

Your Interviewer Is Not Your Friend

I'm going to tell you something that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Ready? Okay…

Your interviewer is not your friend.

But you already knew that, right?

So why do so many job candidates seem to make this mistake? Those who’ve read my other blogs and How to Get a Legal Job: A Guide for New Attorneys and Law School Students know that I spend a great deal of time talking to hiring decision-makers, including hiring directors, interviewers, personnel managers, and recruiters in many different industries—in other words, the people who will be interviewing you. These interviewers complain that, time and time again, job candidates make the critical error of behaving as if the interviewer is a trusted old friend.

Best Friends at the Bar

WOMEN LAWYERS NEED TO HONE THEIR NEGOTIATIONS SKILLS

You have heard me say this before, but some things are so fundamental and so important that they need repeating.  Like business development, negotiating is a core competency in our profession, and women must take it seriously and become good at it.  Whether that means you are negotiating for salary, negotiating for benefits, negotiating for work assignments or negotiating on behalf of your client.  You must learn to do it well and not to hold back.

Two women that I know are uniquely positioned to help you with this.  Victoria Pynchon, of Forbes Women She Negotiates and a contributor to my new book coming out in July, and Carol Frohlinger, author of Her Place at the Table and Nice Girls Just Don't Get It, are women that you need to get to know.  You can do that by following their work.  They will teach you the basic skills of negotiating in a way that will become part of your repertoire and will reap huge benefits down the road.

Best Friends at the Bar

SAY NO TO QUOTAS FOR WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

I am not a fan of quotas, and I do not want to see us go down that path to assure women positions of leadership in this country.   The Supreme Court has been chipping away at quotas since the Bakke decision of the 1970s, including the New Haven firefighters decision  handed down by the Court in 2009.  The imposition of quotas does not seem to have gone too well for academia or in the public sector, and the winds are blowing in the direction of doing away with quotas in other settings if the Supreme Court has its way.  However, here I am not looking at quotas as a legal issue but, rather, as a practical matter and an indicator of what is best to advance women in our profession.

Best Friends at the Bar

A Success Story for Young Women Lawyers

It is wonderful when it works the way that it is supposed to.  The"it" is the process of advice and counsel and having a happy ending.  Here is an example.

Recently I heard from a young woman lawyer, who I met over a year ago at a law school event.  I spoke that night to law students and law alumni about my book, and this young woman was in the audience.  I met her afterwards, and we stayed in touch.  At one point, she contacted me when she was at a real crossroads in her career, and she needed advice.

In short, this young woman was an associate at a law firm where she was being recognized for her excellent work.  She appeared to be on target for partnership, but then the predictable happened.  She became pregnant with her first child, and she discussed part-time work----a four-day work week---with her firm.  The managing partner was supportive of the four-day schedule, but other partners were not as enthusiastic.  They thought that the law firm was not "equipped for part-time lawyers" and that it would be a difficult precedent.  For them, the bottom line was that she would be "less profitable" on a reduced schedule.  It always is---whether or not is actually is true.

Best Friends at the Bar: Time for Women Lawyers to Rededicate Themselves

Spring always has seemed to me like a time for rededication.  Think of Spring housecleaning and throwing out the old and useless and making a fresh start.  Closets beware when the rededication begins.  The garage is always another target for Spring rededication.  Spring also makes me think of Boticelli's Primavera and the natural order of spring, rebirth, and the rededication of life.  Sure, it might be pagan life, but I like the visions of new leaves and fruits and all things fresh that it conjures up.

When Spring rolls around, I make lists of things that I need to do to freshen things up---get rid of the old and take new approaches.  It makes me feel like I am proactive and working toward the greater good.  But, it does not have to be excessively cerebral, just a little reorganization and reprioritizing will do.  Actually, it can be very relaxing.

Best Friends at the Bar: Men Should Be Welcome Under the Women Lawyers' Tent

I attend a lot of conferences for women lawyers, and I am beginning to get invitations to speak at them, too, and I really welcome that.  These gatherings present an opportunity for me to do new research, make certain that my existing research is valid, meet other women lawyers and stay current on the subjects of interest to women in our profession.  I see a lot of the same speakers at these events, and they are women who have "earned their stripes" and who have instant credibility in the arena of women lawyers.  Most of them teach me, and some of them inspire me.  But, every once in awhile someone disappoints me.

That happened at a conference a couple of years ago.  The subject of the panel discussion was the advancement of women lawyers to positions of management and leadership, and the dismal results of the annual report by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) had just been presented.  That presentation was followed by a lot of discussion about how we can improve the situation for women lawyers, and one of the panelists presented a model that got my attention.  It was not that I had not heard it before, bandied about in casual conversation, but this time it was coming from a woman who I thought should have known better.

Win a Premier Upgrade to Lexsomnia in NYC April 6th!

Once again I'm happy to announce that one lucky member of the Ms. JD community can attend a "Make a Difference, Make a Living, Have a Life" event for free.

Everyone's invited to a free educational program the morning of April 6th, from 9-11am at the Community Church of NY at 40 E 35th Street. We're working on getting 1.5 credit hours of CLE (and if we can give you credit, there will be a $10 administrative fee).

• Make more money without working longer hours
• Get paid for a law practice where you get to help people
• Enjoy your law practice the way you enjoy the “rest of your life”
• Juggle all the other hats you wear (spouse, parent, volunteer, etc.)
• Squeeze more time out of every day to get it all done

Feeling pressured by time and money constraints is frustrating. We know you want more, but trying to create something on your own, from scratch, is overwhelming.

Imagine if you could:

Best Friends at the Bar

TIME FOR PARTNER WATCH

POSTED ON JANUARY 17, 2012

Best Friends at the Bar

FROM THE AIR AND SPACE LAW WORLD: WE HAVE TOUCHDOWN!

POSTED ON OCTOBER 20, 2011