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What’s Happening in Law Firms Today?
By Susan Smith Blakely • April 08, 2021 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Law firms are changing. The pandemic has changed just about everything in business, and law firms are no exception. So what are the big changes that law firms and their members are experiencing these days? The biggest news involves bonuses. The Internet is jumping on an almost daily basis with news of the ongoing bonus war and one more BigLaw firm added to the big bonus list. Even big signing bonuses for associates, sometimes up to six figures. All of this bonus activity has caused me to wonder what is driving it. After all, the law business has just come…
Welcome 2021!
By Susan Smith Blakely • January 07, 2021 •Careers, Other Career Issues
Below is an excerpt from the November/December Best Friends at the Bar Newsletter published just in time to say goodbye to 2020. The newsletter publishes bi-monthly, and you can receive it by signing up on the website or e-mailing me at susansmithblakely@gmail.com. You will be joining more than 800 lawyers and law firms that receive the newsletters and rely on it for updates on news about millennial and women lawyers. As we bid an enthusiastic farewell to 2020 and look forward to the new year, the challenges of 2020 have focused my thoughts on the importance of empathy and caring for the less…-100x100.jpg)
Practice Pointers – Charting Your Own Path
By Natasha Alladina • December 31, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers
My first post of 2020 was about avoiding a haphazard career. Kind of a strange blog post title and topic for someone who’s changed jobs and even careers a few times over… But to come full circle, there’s a difference between haphazard and intentional career moves. What may seem haphazard to others is far from that if your career decisions all align with what YOU want and need. The more you experiment and iterate, the better you get to know yourself, and the more intentionally you can chart your own career path. Take me, for instance. I started out in…
Into the Legal World: Deciding What Type Of Lawyer Will You Be
By Anonymous • December 30, 2020 •Careers, Legal Academia, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
It's your first day at law school, you have a lot in mind but your pure goal is to become a successful lawyer. Law aspirants and even established lawyers may struggle to decide what area of law they want to be an expert in. Going to law schools may spark your thoughts that you will eventually work in renowned and large firms practicing corporate law but the truth is that may not happen and you might be directed to another path. We need to remember that all areas of the law are important and it comes in handy in different…
Everything Nobody Ever Told Me: People Skills Make All the Difference
By Paula M Jones • December 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues
Yesterday my colleague called me up for a vent session. She had prepared a really complicated tax filing for a client and the client responded by sending a list of about fifteen things she thought was wrong with it. Well, the clients concerns were all unfounded and my colleague patiently and politely addressed each and every complaint. The client apologized for her snippy e-mail and stated that taxes made her anxious. It was really nice to get an acknowledgement from the client that her behavior was unacceptable. Everyone gets snippy once in a while and its entirely forgivable. Unfortunately, this…
5 Reasons Why Women are Effective Leaders
By Anonymous • December 29, 2020 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues, Features, Myths & Truths
Diversity in gender is still a debatable topic especially when it comes to leadership positions. We've known that women made tremendous efforts and tons of work to be where they are currently, yet some are still struggling in proving to the world that they are equally smart as men and that they also deserve to be leaders. Take Sabahat Akhter for example, she is the Project manager for leading printing companies like Imprint. Imprint produces promotional products like custom coffee mugs, yard signs, etc, whether it's for advertorial, marketing, business, or personal use. She has experience in data management and product…
Facts to Remember To Guarantee Your B2B Success
By Anonymous • December 28, 2020 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
If you’re a business owner, have you had your company’s down moments? Like debts, client dissatisfaction, and even reported bankruptcy? You see, every business has its strategy of cutting the costs and gaining the profits. When a plan does not go accordingly, they even remove people just to regain their loss. This thing happens to ensure the success of the company and not the other way around. Being in a competition, everyone strives to be on top. Businesses like Ford use all their resources with a variety of strategies. But with the proper use of technology through digital marketing, the…
It’s All About The Women
By Susan Smith Blakely • December 10, 2020 •Careers, Other Career Issues
I am always advocating for capable women, and I love doing it. That includes not just women lawyers, but also women doctors, women business owners, women sales clerks, women astronauts, and women who teach our children. Women have been overlooked for too long, and they deserve the recognition. But right now, I am particularly enthused for the future of women lawyers. I am seeing women advanced in the judiciary in increasing numbers. I am seeing unprecedented percentages of women lawyers elevated to cabinet positions, and I am seeing women lawyers step up in leading roles in Congress. For example, earlier…
Desi Advocacy: Spotlight on Juvaria Khan, Founder of The Appellate Project
By Prianka Misra • December 03, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Other Career Issues, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
This month, I had the opportunity to interview Juvaria Khan, founder of The Appellate Project. Ms. Khan's nonprofit aims to empower law students and lawyers of color in the appellate field through educational outreach, a Civil Rights Clinic at Howard University School of Law, and a summer fellowship incubator program. Prior to her role at The Appellate Project, Ms. Khan clerked for the Honorable Michael P. Shea in the District Court of the District of Connecticut. She also worked at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, maintaining a heavy pro bono practice focusing on racial and religious discrimination claims. Finally, she has served as…