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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…
Chicken or the Egg: The issue of retention starts with perspective.
By Kim Tran • April 30, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
Why can't we retain our female and minority lawyers? Last month I told you I would share my story first. The story of why I choose to stay, when a disproportionate number of lawyers like me choose to leave the traditional practice of law. I am a female minority lawyer practicing in BigLaw. I have been in practice for 12 years. I started in a smaller firm and made my way steadily through bigger more established firms. In my city, there are few lawyers like me practicing in the larger law firms. There are plenty, however, that opened up their…
Two Reasons You Shouldn’t Be Upset if You’re Struggling with Being Productive
By Kate Unfrazzled • April 15, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
Does this ever happen to you? As you’re caught up in the day-to-day of all the things you’re juggling, as you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff you have to get done, do you ever stop and wonder exactly why it’s so hard? I mean, you’re obviously smart, determined, and hard-working, so why can it be so difficult sometimes to keep everything up? It’s totally frustrating, and you may even beat yourself up a bit over it. It’s so easy to think – “Shouldn’t I be able to do all of this?” “Shouldn’t I just be good at time management?”…
The Mental Load: Unpacking the Excess Baggage
By Amy Bowen • April 01, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
The Mental Load column explores the paradoxical effects of Type A personality traits. The perfectionism, drive, and ambition that propel women lawyers up the career ladder also tend to contribute to chronic stress, burnout, anxiety, and attrition from the profession. I’m going to dive right in with this first post at what seems like the logical starting point – the actual mental load. Why The Mental Load is Extra Intense for Successful Professional Women The “mental load”, despite being a creature of recent cultural debate, is very real. Shouldering the lion’s share of a household’s innumerable responsibilities leaves many women…
Interview with Ms. JD Fellowship Mentor, Alan Bryan
By Hailey Hughes • March 12, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
Alan Bryan is Senior Associate General Counsel for Walmart Inc., an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, and a certified professional coach. Mr. Bryan is a leader in his company, community, and countless professional organizations, including Ms. JD. In 2017, Mr. Bryan received Ms. JD’s “The Incredible Men” (TIM) Award as a champion for women’s advancement in the legal profession and he has been an active mentor for Ms. JD Fellows for several years. I have had the pleasure to get to know him and to grow professionally and personally from his mentorship, and wanted to share with…
Vicarious Trauma: Do You Have To Carry Client Struggles Home?
By Anna Johansson • February 06, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
Being a lawyer is a stressful job; the hours are long, clients are in difficult situations, and every situation is an adversarial one. In certain legal specialties, though, client trauma can be particularly extreme, and this can lead to a state known as vicarious trauma. Vicarious trauma occurs when someone is repeatedly exposed to another’s traumatic experiences. Overcome by hearing about other’s experiences, you may experience PTSD symptoms similar to that of your clients. It’s an unfortunate consequence of caring about people who have been harmed. Living with vicarious trauma is overwhelming and can even make it difficult for you…
Seven Mistakes that Keep Amazing Women Stuck on the Hectic Hamster Wheel
By Kate Unfrazzled • January 16, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I often see these seven mistakes getting in the way of how focused, balanced, and in-control your days could be, leaving amazing women like you stuck in a rushed, hectic, not-enough-time way of living instead (that used to be me): “I’ll just power through.” Some women try to just put their heads down and plow through their to-dos, often thinking that if they can just get enough done, just catch up, things will get better and they’ll stay on track. Sadly, they keep trying that over and over, and it just doesn’t work. Powering through may occasionally give a quick…
Three Reasons People Stay Stuck in “Never Enough Time” Even When They Know How to Fix It
By Kate Unfrazzled • January 09, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I’ve noticed that when I talk to other women they never feel like they have enough time to get everything done. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you have even been stuck like this for years. The women I talk to say they need to fix it but they never seem to make progress. Why is that? You probably won’t be surprised to hear that if you feel like you don’t have enough time, and you want to fix it, you need to either have less stuff to do or find a way to work more efficiently. Of course, right? I…
You Don’t Own This, So Don’t Let it Own You
By Jenny Patten • December 30, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I had just arrived in the office, dumped my bags at my desk, and sprinted down the hall. I had to find my boss. I needed to tell her about a call I received from a client in the middle of the night that made my heart race and jaw clench. It involved an urgent, immediate, life-altering matter that couldn’t wait until morning, and I had to give the kind of legal advice that you ruminate about for hours after you hang up the phone. I found my boss sitting at her desk and scanning through her email. I knocked…