One and Only: Why "Visible Invisibility" Is Problematic

Like many black lawyers who attended law school in the Southeastern United States, I remember spending what little I had of a “summer vacation” at the experience that is SEMJF: the Southeastern Minority Job Fair.

In short, it’s a 48-hour marathon of job interviewing beyond the realm of natural human ability.  It’s like a Match.com Stir Event and an eHarmony Free Match Event got together and had twenty-five sets of quintuplets (you get tired just thinking about it right?). 

For two days, hundreds of minority law students descend upon Atlanta’s hotel conference rooms, donning their most unfashionable and uncomfortable black suits and patent leather shoes, in hopes of justifying the three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt they’ve invested in a law school education by landing a job for the following summer and hopefully after graduation.

Law by Design: Interview with Ashlee Froese

                                                                                                                                   Photo: JR Bernstein                                                       
This month, Law by Design interviews Ashlee Froese, a branding and fashion lawyer at Gilbert's LLP.  

First, the Law by Design survey:  

Favorite Designer(s): Michael Kors, Jason Wu, Aqua di Lara and an honourable mention to Zara (I can’t help myself).

Favorite Weekend Activity: Give me a dance floor with some old school hip hop and I’m all smiles. 

And now, for the interview!

Media Portrayals of Leading Ladies in Law: The Great Pantsuit Debate!

After starting my summer internship last week, I realized just how much watching women lawyers on television influenced how I got ready for work each morning.  After looking through the “professional attire” section of my closet (yes, I sort my clothes by activity, color, and length) I had a momentary wish for a job like Ellen Parsons’ new associate position on Damages when Patty Hewes sends her to a tailor to get a whole new wardrobe. And after hopping on one foot on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse entrance while I swapped out my Toms for black heels, I wondered why I couldn’t just suck it up and walk to and from the metro—I can’t think of a single female lawyer on TV who expressed pain from her high heeled shoes. And there it was. I compared my clothing and comfort to women on television instead of paying attention to the intern I ran into right outside the metro changing her flip-flops for her sling-backs.

The New Amazon Can Empathize

“I know plenty of women who are so strong and so fierce but I think ultimately what makes a woman - and a man - strong is their ability to be able to nurture and provide care and comfort to other people.”

-Raquel Ross

A young, confident Raquel Ross looked around her office – in the law firm that bore her name – and smiled.  She knew she was where she belonged and she was proud of getting there.

Right after law school at the University of Connecticut, Raquel opened her own practice in State College, Pennsylvania.  The small town atmosphere and warm community of State College made Raquel want to return to the town where she attended undergrad at Penn State. 

She starting working from home and soon moved into a tiny one-room office.  Her friend referred a client, and then another.

“There was this idea awhile ago that if you just hung out a shingle you would automatically get clientele,” said Raquel.

Not Quite a Socialite SUMMER JOB EDITION: Bring-Your-Coworker-to-Lunch Day

The word "networking" makes me cringe. It gives me the cold sweats and makes me glance around for an open window to launch myself out of. This probably isn't the most helpful trait for someone in the legal field (or any career, unless I wanted to be a nun, and maybe not even then), but it's my personality, and I have to learn how to work with it.

The best way I've found to force myself to network is to trick myself into thinking that what I'm doing isn't networking. Everyone has to eat, right? And if I have to walk down the street to get lunch, I might as well bring a friend along, right? 

With any luck, even if after a few weeks of working at your firm/agency/organization you've found that not every attorney is like the helpful older sister you never had, there's at least one person there who you like and feel comfortable around. Send that person a quick email or stop by her office and see if she'd like to get lunch with you sometime soon. 

Remember: it's not networking; it's just a meal with someone you like. It's not a big group event where you feel like you have to stand on your head and spin plates on a stick to compete for attention; it's just a casual, one-on-one chat over lunch. 

Tross, J.D.: Ch-ch-ch-changes...or maybe not?

When last we spoke, I talked about the need for flexibility as a military spouse attorney and being prepared to practice in a variety of locations, live apart as a family, or change career goals/paths as needed. I advised flexibility, planning, and understanding of how these things work.

And then my partner received a phone call one night...how committed *were* we, exactly, to our previous orders?

In the civilian world, this is the time to impress them with your planning skills and how much you've already arranged. It's the time to explain how you managed to - with very little notice but lots of extra cash - register for the bar exam in your new state, showing your commitment to making it work (love you, Tim Gunn!). It's time to express excitemment and enthusiasm for the new job. 

In the military world? It's the time to take one last good look at the New Duty Station folder, and start a new one. 

Now, this phone call did not say that my partner's orders had changed - so there's hope. But, realistically, we're in the mitigation of damages phase. 

Young Professionals and the Marriage Premium: What Say You?

As a young attorney, we take on so much that sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves. Last month, work picked up so much I forgot to submit my monthly blog post. (I know you noticed.)

Even so the past two months have been incredible. The highs, lows, and plateaus have been exciting. But alas, life is about more than work. We work to live, not live to work, right?

Recently, this has been my life: 

Funny, I know. I saw this on a friend's Facebook page, and I couldn't help but acknowledge the strong similarities to my social life or the lack thereof minus the whole drinking-lush-thing.

What do I mean? In one week, I had four weddings posted to my Facebook newsfeed; I attended one, plus another's private reception. (I'm not going to mention the kids. May had two births. The past year has seen 15+ births.) Not to mention at least 10 engagements. (They're still happening...I wasn't aware I still had that many unmarried friends. To say my current social circle resembles http://myfriendsaremarried.tumblr.com/ is an understatement.

A Matter of Simple Justice: Know Your Worth

Do you know your worth? It's a question that can be interpreted many ways. Studies show that as women lawyers, on average we're not paid what we are worth in comparison to male lawyers doing the same or similar work. That's not my meaning here, however. I read earlier today that women possess 1% of the world's assets even though they do 60% of the world's work. But I'm not speaking of your financial holdings either when I ask, "Do you know your worth?"

I've been taking an online leadership course over the past several weeks. One of the assignments recently was to ask twenty or so friends, family members or colleagues to tell you when they saw you at your best. I sent out an email asking several people to describe me at my best and about two-thirds of them replied. It was humbling to read their responses. It was also empowering. As I reflected on the comments, I began to better assess my own strengths and to understand the purpose of the assignment. It enabled me to see my own worth (and leadership qualities) through the eyes of those around me.