Totenberg Sisters Talk Media, Law, & Life

By Reda Hicks, May 16, 2013

Last Monday in New York there was an event called Media & the Law: The 3 Totenbergs,featuring what might be the most powerhouse group of sisters you’ve ever come across:

• Judge Amy Totenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia;
• Jill Totenberg, CEO of the New York-based PR firm The Totenberg Group; and
• Nina Totenberg, long-time legal affairs correspondent for NPR.

To say that these ladies cover the whole of “Media & the Law” would be an understatement, and their discussion on the intersection between the two showed just how much news, communications, and law really overlap in this day and age.

The Media's Calling? Stop, Drop and Roll

When training attorneys or other professionals to work with the media, I always stress one takeaway: Do not ever do an interview on the fly.

Whenever possible, take the "Stop, Drop and Roll" approach:

Let's say your phone rings, and it's a reporter. And for some reason you didn't look at your caller ID, and you pick up.

"Hi, Jane Doe, this is Lois Lane at the Daily Planet. I was hoping to ask you some questions about [major deal, major transaction, business trend, your recent indictment]."

STOP. Do not engage at this point. Don't go in cold. Even if it's a benign call, even if it's to discuss good news. Yes, the interview opportunity is valuable, and you want to capitalize. Yes, the reporter may be on deadline. But it will be a far better result for you - and the reporter - if you take the time to prepare.

How to respond: "Lois, thank you so much for calling. I am in the middle of something right now. Can we talk in an hour or so? Also - I'd like to make sure I give you the best possible information. Is there anything specific you'd like me to be prepared to address? What's your deadline?"

Second Chances

Editor's Note: This post was created by Marcia Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women's Law Center, and is cross-posted from NWLC's blog.

We don’t always get a second chance to make things right. But tomorrow, obstructionists in the U.S. Senate do. In December 2011, every Republican Senator, save one (Senator Lisa Murkowski) filibustered the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the important Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  Tomorrow, the Senate will get a second chance to allow this outstanding nominee to receive an up-or-down vote.

The delays in her confirmation have only caused more problems for this court, and the public at large, during the thirteen months since the first vote to move to consider Caitlin Halligan’s nomination failed. Instead of three open seats on the D.C. Circuit, as there were in 2011, there are now four – making the D.C. Circuit the appellate court with the highest number of vacancies in the country. Now seven judges must do the work meant for a full eleven-judge court. With each vacancy, each judge’s caseload of complex, nationally important cases has grown.  What else has changed? Well, since President Obama won a second term, the virtual total shutdown of the confirmation process has ended. So now is clearly the time to move the Halligan nomination forward, to a consideration of her excellent record – and a confirmation vote.

Personal Branding Corner: Make Your Personal Brand Olympic Quality

As the world watches the 2012 Summer Olympics in London this year, many inspiring moments pop out for me.  There's nothing quite like watching athletes compete who have dedicated years, if not their entire lifetime, to their art and sport.   Not only is it inspiring, but it shows the true character and brand of a person.

What I found most interesting was the post-event TV interviews with the athletes.  In my opinion, if you want to see a person's true personal brand, and how they approach life, just focus on what the athlete's commentary is (verbal and nonverbal) during the post-event interviews.  How do they reference their competition in their dialogue? How gracious are they under pressure and post-pressure?  Do they see the entire picture or are they just in their own little world? Is their visual brand (posture, stance, gaze) defensive or open and inviting? What can we learn about our own legal practice?

Click HERE to read the rest.

Ms. JD Mobile and Tablet Usage Survey

Happy summer Ms. JD readers!

Before you head out for the Fourth of July, we are circulating a survey that we hope our readers will take a moment to fill out - our mobile and tablet usage survey.  At Ms. JD, we are always looking to improve our readers’ experience with the site, and we know many of you are visiting from your smart phone or tablet.  The survey is very short (we promise!) but will help us design an interface that is friendly on smaller, flatter screens.

The survey can be found here.  We look forward to reading your responses, and if you have any additional comments or concerns, please email wir@ms-jd.org.

Stay cool and keep reading!

Jamie Bence

Writers In Residence Coordinator & Board Member

Call for Submissions: IILP Review 2012: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession (Deadline May 25, 2012)

Highlight noteworthy diversity and inclusion efforts for the rest of the legal profession in the “IILP Review 2012: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession!”

If your law firm, law department, agency, bar association, or other organization has a particularly successful or innovative program or initiative, has published a new report, or has released the results of new research you’ve undertaken that helps advance diversity and inclusion efforts in the legal profession and you think other members of the profession would benefit from knowing about it, spread the word about your efforts! IILP is now compiling its Practice Round-Up which will be included in the “IILP Review 2012: The State of Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession” which will be published this fall. The Practice Round-Up is your chance to highlight your diversity and inclusion efforts and celebrate your successes with your colleagues around the US and abroad.

Ladies Day, an Excerpt from Women in Law by Dr. Cynthia Fuchs Epstein

Editor's note: The following excerpt is from Women in Law by Dr. Cynthia Fuchs Epstein. The thirtieth anniversary edition is now available in paperback from Quid Pro Books, with a new foreward by Deborah Rhode. It is also available for Kindle and Kindle apps, Nook and Nook apps, and direct on Apple iBooks and iTunes (search by title or author name).  We applaud Harvard Women, Class of 1968, who helped Ladies’ Day become a memory.

Some law professors called on women in their classes with an eye to singularly embarrass them. … And all women students knew they would be asked to recite on “Ladies’ Day,” an institution common in many schools. Harriet Rabb recalled that at Columbia,

I heard of Ladies’ Day here when the professor would say, “Will all the little virgins please come to the front of the room.” Of course the women didn’t know whether to go or not. And when I was in school here between 1963 and 1966 there was one teacher who was known for his “Valentine’s Day massacre.” The women were obliged at the beginning of the hour to stand up at their seats and remain standing through the hour and get called on … and that would be the day when he did all the embarrassing and difficult-to-discuss problems.

Best Friends at the Bar: Pearls of Wisdom About Women in Leadership

From time to time I read something that I do not even want to try to summarize here.  It is just too good, and I do not have anything to add that would improve it.  This is one of those times.

Here is a reprint of an article from yesterday’s Huffington Post on line that you will want to read.  It goes way beyond women in the law, and that is what I like about it so much.  It is a call to action for all women.  I hope you enjoy it and share it with your friends—both females and those valued males who are supportive of women in leadership.  After you read it, ask yourself what you can do to advance this cause.  The possibilities are endless.

Leadership: It’s a Female Thing, Huffington Post on line
By Monika Mitchell, CEO, Good Business International Inc.
Posted: 02/22/2012 4:10 pm

Best Friends at the Bar: Good News for Women Lawyers - More Best Friends at the Bar Coming Your Way!

Friday the 13th in the first half of the first month of the new year seems as good a day as any for a Best Friends at the Bar “Shameless Plug”. So, here goes!

No black cats here! Just excellent news for improving the lives of young women lawyers and law students.  More help is on the way!  The second Best Friends at the Bar book has been accepted for publication by Aspen Publishers and will be at your bookstores and available online by the second half of 2012 or sooner.  (Drum roll, please!!!!!!!!)

Best Friends at the Bar: Good News!

For me, 2012 is starting out with a bang.  My publisher, Wolters Kluwer/Aspen Publishers has announced that it will publish my second book. This is particularly good news for the Best Friends at the Bar project and for you, I hope. This new book will give me an opportunity to share much more information with my readers about work-life balance and will provide a vehicle to present excellent role models of women who have successfully transitioned from one practice setting to another. I am very excited about the new book, and I expect it to be released in the first half of 2012.