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Five Tips to Maximize Your Efficiency When In-House
By Jenny Patten • September 01, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues
When someone asks what in-house practice is like, I often reply that it is like drinking from a firehose. The legal department is the starting and ending point for a lot of projects and issues, and tackling everything that hits your desk without a game plan can feel daunting. While everyone takes a different approach to managing their workload, I’ve outlined a few tips that I’ve initiated during my in-house practice that help me maximize efficiency while in the office. 1. Keep Organized. Staying on top of your various task lists, emails, meeting invites, updates and follow-ups can feel like…
Something Blue: Bringing Blue-Collar Roots to the Legal Profession – On Foie Gras & Food Faux Pas
By Molly Timko • August 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues
As I mentioned in my first blog post, I experienced heightened self-awareness about my blue-collar roots once I entered the legal profession. For this month’s blog post, I wanted to share some of my awkward workplace encounters involving food. I am fully aware that these awkward food encounters are trivial in comparison to larger socioeconomic issues such as structural inequality. However, I think it’s important for us first-generation lawyers to share our personal experiences, frustrations, and lessons learned. As a newly minted lawyer, I found that the majority of my coworkers appeared to possess sophisticated palates and expansive culinary vocabularies. Casual lunchtime conversations typically revolved around food (in addition to work…
Understanding Your Duty of Care as a New Lawyer
By Anonymous • August 21, 2019 •Issues, Other Issues
As a new lawyer, you have a certain responsibility to your clients. Failing in that duty could leave you open to claims of professional negligence. It’s important to understand what professional negligence is, how it differs from ordinary negligence and what it means to you as a lawyer. Understanding Professional Negligence Professional negligence occurs when professionals fail to take proper care when working with their clients. In terms of your working relationships, clients expect you to keep them from financial, physical and/or emotional harm. If you fail to do this, you may be accused of breaching your duty of care.…
Protecting Client Information from Cybersecurity Risks
By Anonymous • July 08, 2019 •Issues, Other Issues
Lawyers, whether you have your own firm or are working in a firm, have an ethical obligation to keep client information confidential. Digital data, often stored online, is also the obligation of the firm. Law firms need to have security measures in place, starting with the very basics of password protection to using encryption. Password protection, especially for laptops, is required, but one report found that only 94% of lawyers in firms that have 10 – 49 attorneys have their laptops password protected. If the laptop is stolen and client data is on the laptop, a lack of a password…
The Lingering Effects of Student Loans on Women
By Jolevette Mitchell • July 04, 2019 •Issues, Other Issues
You might remember my colleague (who is also my bar exam coach and business coach) discussing her struggles with student debt. We got an inside look into life after law school – the pile of debt that comes knocking on our door every month just like the Red Queen. But unlike the Red Queen, which stops visiting after menopause, student debt can haunt us for years to come…even into retirement. Why are we women so inundated with this form of debt? Because women are still struggling economically. It is a known fact that economics works against women in almost every country- including the…
Tips from Jill McBride Baxter, Sports Agent - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • June 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media, Other Issues
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jill McBride Baxter, a sports lawyer, and certified CFLPA and NFLPA sports agent. A graduate of University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law, Jill has worked as a sports lawyer for over thirty years, representing professional athletes—including those in the NFL and MMA—athletic administrators, coaches, and media personnel. Ms. Baxter also runs a blog and podcast featuring sports law topics and helpful advice for those interested in sports law. As someone who’s had a successful career as a sports agent for over thirty years, Jill has a wealth of lessons about…
Millennial Women: Estate Planning is for You Too!
By Iffy Ibekwe • May 10, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues, Features, •Myths & Truths
Millennial Lawyers are Powerful. I can say that because I too am a millennial lawyer. We are highly educated (sometimes in the school of hard knocks), talented, committed, innovative and ready to take on any challenge head-on. Watch out! The world is changing for women and millennials are leading the way for future generations: Around 72% of millennial women are in the workforce. [i] Although a gender pay gap still exists but is narrowing. [ii] More than 28% of millennial women start a business because they see an opportunity. [iii] Millennial women are more likely to have bachelor degrees than their male…
The Happy Lawyer: A Year-Long Experiment
By Kate Miceli • May 05, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, •Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
My last year of law school, I took a seminar class called “The Happy Lawyer”. The concept was simple; ten law students, one dean, and one professor read six books about happiness and discuss them over dinner throughout the school year. Full disclosure, I took this class because it was at the dean’s house (who doesn’t want to see their law school dean’s house?) and was taught by one of my favorite professors. The happiness and mindfulness aspect of the class was secondary at best. Over the course of the year, we read six books including; Happiness: A Very…
Defying Gender Norms and Becoming a Better Advocate
By Anjel Bonilla • April 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Other Issues
Think back to a time when you experienced bad customer service. Perhaps the waiter was slightly rude, or an agent charged you more money than they originally stated. What did you do? Did you complain or haggle for a better deal? During my undergraduate studies, after we examined the wage gap between men and women, the class noted that men are also more likely than women to challenge things. Women are less likely to complain about bad service, are less likely to ask for raises, and are less likely to speak their concerns. This is partially because of the desire…