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Dear Future Lawyer: Advice for Minority Women Law Students From Author Neena R. Speer, Esq.
By Roberta O. Roberts, Esq. of Grace for the Grind™ • January 17, 2019 •Careers, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Features, Guest Bloggers and Profiles of Women in the Law
In 2018, the American Bar Association reported that less than 40% of lawyers in the United States are women, and that less than 20% of lawyers in the United States are people of color. As the statistics make clear, women of color are overwhelmingly outnumbered in the legal profession. Having experienced this isolation herself, lawyer, author, speaker, and nonprofit founder Neena R. Speer, Esq. seeks to help provide solace for this underrepresented population by sharing her experience with other women of color on their journeys to becoming lawyers. As a minority woman lawyer myself, I am happy to share this…
Women Lawyers Must Retain the Law Profession’s Foundational Values
By Susan Smith Blakely • January 15, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
In case you missed my recent article in the ABA Journal, I am including some of it here. The content is very important to all women lawyers as women rise in the profession to levels of supervision and management. They must be cheerleaders for each other, and they must not give into temptation to right the sins of the past leveled by male practitioners against women in the profession. To do so would be to unwise and shortsighted. Here is some of what I wrote in the ABA Journal article: The senior women need to remember the words of former U.S. Secretary of…
How to Become a Medical Lawyer
By Dennis Hung • January 11, 2019 •Careers
Medical malpractice lawyers are responsible for representing clients who sustained injuries due to the negligence of a doctor. It may include injuries sustained from mistakes made during surgery, injuries from the use of inappropriate therapies, and trauma caused during birth. As with other legal professionals, medical malpractice lawyers work in their offices, but sometimes they might need to visit their clients at the hospital or their homes. Their work hours fall under the regular working hours, but some cases can demand long hours and attention than others. These legal professionals may either work for an insurance firm or private companies.…
How to Develop Stronger Client Relationships
By Anna Johansson • January 10, 2019 •Careers
As an attorney, you’re only as good as your relationships. If you have the right relationships with the right people, you’ll always have business coming your way. And with that being said, one of the best things you can do for your business is develop a strategy for maintaining healthy client relationships. 4 Tips and Tricks for Better Client Relationships It’s been said that the client is often the most neglected party in civil or criminal litigation. As attorneys, we spend so much time focusing on strategy, communicating with other lawyers, reviewing paperwork, and interacting with the court that we…
Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks: Practical Advice for New Lawyers
By Grover E. Cleveland • January 04, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Happy New Year! This month, I am going to ask the questions. With the start of a new year and the conclusion of the annual associate evaluation process at many firms, it is a great time to take stock. The questions below are designed to help you reflect on the past year and get off to a strong start in 2019. What were your work highs and lows last year? Start with a high-level “fly-over” of the past year. What stands out? And are there any trends or patterns that warrant a closer look? Think about successes and what you…
Four Expenses That May Not Be in Your Law Firm’s Budget
By Dennis Hung • January 02, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Running a successful law firm requires you to attract and retain clients as well as to provide exceptional service on a consistent basis. More than that, you need to properly manage your law firm’s budget and finances so that you regularly operate in the black. Unfortunately, there are several expenses that are common in law firm operations and that may be easy to overlook. As you review and update your law firm’s budget, consider if these commonly-overlooked expenses may need to be incorporated in your firm's financial plan. Equipment Repairs and Replacements A typical law firm has many types…
Interview with Jacques Anderson, Counsel at The Players’ Tribune - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • December 31, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Women and Law in the Media
I’m excited to introduce Jacques Anderson, Legal Counsel at The Players’ Tribune. A graduate of Harvard Law and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, Jacques Anderson worked as a Mergers and Acquisition Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates prior to joining The Players’ Tribune in 2018. Welcome, Jacques! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I was hoping you could share with me your path to The Players’ Tribune. Did you have an interest in sports during your undergraduate and law…
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…
Best Career Advice for “Becoming” My Best Self
By DeJeune O'Garro • December 29, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues
During her Becoming book tour, First Lady Michelle Obama chronicled her career and professional and personal challenges. Though in a large arena, her deeply personal stories, which usually ended in sage advice, felt like they were spoken directly to me. One such piece of advice is actually the #1 piece of career advice I ever received. After sharing that she brought her four month old daughter to an interview in which she unapologetically negotiated for the salary and benefits she desired, she admonished women in the room to stop hiding everything about ourselves and start bringing those things to the…