Browse Topics
In Praise of Lawyer Moms
By Susan Smith Blakely • October 11, 2018 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I am a lawyer/mom. Although my children are grown now and have become lawyers themselves, the memories of struggles as a lawyer/mom are still very vivid for me --- as well as the joys and the successes. It is not an easy "row to hoe" as my own mom would have said. So, when I read several articles about another lawyer/mom, including one on Above the Law by Grover Cleveland, author of Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks, I surely identified with it. I found, however, that my identification with Michelle Travis, the woman lawyer/professor of law/mom in these articles, ran deeper than…
Pushed & Pulled: The Kavanaugh Effect
By Katherine Macfarlane • September 30, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Politics and Government, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
It was not an easy week, last week. I don’t have it in me to tell you how my disability affected my work, because though it certainly did, as it always does, I was pulled in multiple directions by something else. I was both teacher and witness, professor and person. It was not an easy week to be all of those things. It was not easy to decide what to do on the day of the hearings. Should I cancel class, encouraging my students to watch history unfold, a history that speaks to their future as members of the legal…
You’re Writing Your To-Do Lists Wrong
By Kate Miceli • September 19, 2018 •Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
When I was 9, I tried to learn to juggle. After several dedicated minutes of tossing and dropping the pins, I gave up and declared my career as a juggler was over. 16 years later, it was reborn. But, instead of tossing brightly colored objects in the air I was tossing classes, extracurricular’s, and sleep. Although I’m still no juggling expert, here are three strategies that helped me keep all my balls in the air. Swallow Your Biggest Frog First There’s nothing worse than staring at a long to-do list not knowing where to begin. You become filled with dread…
A Career Planning Primer
By Diana LaMorie • September 05, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking
Estate planning. Retirement planning. Trip planning. Family planning. Business planning. Anything worth doing is worth planning. Rarely is anything accomplished overnight. In fact, I don't think there's such a thing as overnight success. Behind the hit song, hit movie, or ascension to CEO (or fill-in-the-blank top of your chosen field), came a lot of hard work, sacrifice and dedication. Success in your profession doesn't happen on its own either. A little bit of deliberation can help get you where you want to go in a more organized fashion and help keep your eye on the prize when you're feeling disoriented…
5 Things Busy Lawyers Can Do to Find the Time to Exercise
By Claire Parsons • August 22, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
Late last year, I started exercising regularly again after a long period of doing hardly anything at all. It wasn’t until this happened that I realized how much I missed physical activity. Law practice, after all, is not something that lends itself well to movement or even sensory stimulation. Instead, lawyers often spend long hours cooped up in an office and huddled over a computer or stacks of documents. We also tend to keep long hours, have little control over our schedules, and may feel at the end of the day like we have little else to give.…
Five Small Ways You Can Combat the Motherhood Penalty
By Amanda Norris Ames • August 20, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
The ABA recently released research from its inquiry into why women leave the law. The study revealed issues all too familiar to many practicing female attorneys--discrimination, salary dissatisfaction, caregiving responsibilities that are incompatible with the pace of practice. And while the ABA’s efforts are ongoing, I was surprised to see a lack of focus on what numerous other studies have dubbed the “motherhood penalty”--or the earnings (and corresponding promotion) gap between mothers and non-parents in the workplace. Research shows a significant decline in a woman's earnings after the birth of her first child, with that disparity continuing throughout her career.…
5 Ways To Bond With Your Law Firm Coworkers
By Dennis Hung • August 15, 2018 •Careers, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
Whether finding a new job or being moved through an acquisition, the process of starting anew is always met with some anxiety and anticipation. There are new people to meet, different workflows to learn, and a new work environment to get accustomed to. To help ease this transition, here are five ways to bond with your coworkers. 1. Talk New employees often make the mistake of laying low and keeping quiet for the first few months. The desire to go unnoticed and blend-in is strong when starting a new job. Whether it’s a fear of confrontation or making a…
Obtaining Accommodations at Your New Law Job
By Katherine Macfarlane • July 29, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
Now that the bar is over, many of you will soon head off to your first post-law school job. Congratulations! You’ll be making choices about healthcare, retirement savings and life insurance. If you’re disabled, it’s never too soon to start thinking about the accommodations you’ll need to work efficiently. What follows are some tips to help ensure that your accommodations are in place as soon as you need them. Don’t Wait to Ask for Accommodations To qualify for reasonable accommodations at a new workplace, you’ll often be required to fill out a stack of paperwork and obtain medical documentation of…
8 Potential Barriers to Women Taking the Bar Exam
By Megan Kelley • July 26, 2018 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
8 Potential Barriers to Women Taking the Bar Exam By: Megan Kelley Women. We can do it all. Apparently, we have to nowadays. From bringing home the bacon, to being the perfect spouse, the perfect mom, the perfect parent, the perfect supportive friend. With all of these responsibilities and obligations, things we do for ourselves often get pushed aside. Our dreams often get put on hold to plan for the future of our families. You have a dream of going to law school and becoming a successful attorney. In order to do this, one test stands between you and your…