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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…
Ethics and the Burden of a Criminal Lawyer
By Anonymous • August 30, 2019 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
Defense lawyers have a difficult job. While these lawyers work in the confines of the law, and they work similar hours to other lawyers, they carry an ethical burden that a lot of other lawyers do not. A criminal lawyer may defend a murderer or rapist. They can be ethical, or they can be unethical attorneys. You can work helping inmates on death row clear their names, and this can be a tremendously rewarding experience. But a criminal lawyer may need to live with the fact that a guilty man is going free. There's also the issue of an innocent…
Why An Attorney Is Essential When Starting A New Law Firm
By Alex Newman • August 29, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Every business needs a lawyer. Be it simple management of accounts or complex procedures of handling a new law firm, the necessity of lawyers are imminent. With the help of attorneys, you can get assistance and advice regarding compliance with the rules and regulations surrounding the formation of a firm or institution. Before going into the details, let us take a look at the types of attorneys. Contracts: Here, you will get the support regarding the contracts that you will need for the various suppliers, customers, and clients. These contracts can be pretty tricky, and getting the advice of an…
Law Firms Should Follow Corporations In Looking Beyond Self-Interest
By Susan Smith Blakely • August 28, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Law firm greed. I have been writing about the negative impact of greed in the law profession since 2016. It was then that I first discussed how the greed manifested by large law firms is undercutting the professionalism of the business of law. Those comments appeared in an article I penned for Corporate Counsel in its September issue that year, and I have discussed the concepts many times since in articles and remarks to legal audiences. In essence, I argue that it was the greed of Wall Street that brought our economy to its knees in 2008, and it will be the…
Interning at a Personal Injury Law Firm: Etiquette Rules to Follow
By Anonymous • August 27, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Legal internships provide a valuable opportunity for networking and can be a significant resume booster. But in order to maximize the benefits of this opportunity, it’s important to act with professionalism at all times. If you’ve secured an internship at a personal injury firm, keep these etiquette rules in mind. Make Punctuality a Priority Punctuality is crucial in the legal field. Courthouses run on tight schedules. Judges have many cases to hear. There is no room for tardiness. Showing up late to a courtroom proceeding could cost the personal injury lawyer the opportunity to challenge the case or a motion.…
Family Planning For Women Lawyers
By Susan Smith Blakely • August 21, 2019 •Careers, Other Career Issues
Last week's blog addressed the realities of non-equity partnership. As pointed out in that blog, there is a lot of difference between equity partnership and the increasing non-equity partnership cohort. If you have to refresh your memory, this might be a good time to do it because family planning for women lawyers builds on some of the themes of that blog. For example, even though non-equity partnership may not include all that women lawyers are seeking, it could be a fine landing place for them while they are trying to make motherhood and lawyering work. When making that decision for…
The Reality of Non-Equity Partnership
By Susan Smith Blakely • August 19, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Lawyers at all levels of practice can be valuable members of the profession and can find satisfaction in their work. That is a given, and the decision where you want to fall along the gamut is up to you. But, before you put that decision in motion, be sure that you understand the terms. For law firms, that includes being familiar with the ins and outs of non-equity partnership. Non-equity partnership sounds good to many young lawyers who think they understand the demands of equity partnership and want something less. The thinking goes something like this: I will still have an…
3 Branding and Promotion Strategies for Small Law Firms
By Jacob Maslow • August 15, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Building a law firm is difficult, and even as a promising lawyer, it can be difficult to brand and promote yourself. Younger firms have less of a reputation than established firms, making it harder to bring in new clients. The key for new firms is to start branding and promoting immediately. Waiting to jump into branding and promotion is asking for failure. Simple strategies can be employed, even on a low budget, that will allow you to propel your law firm forward. A few key strategies that budding law firms can implement today to build their brand are: 1. Leverage…