Browse Topics
Truth Telling about Law School Debt
By Susan Smith Blakely • September 04, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues
Law school student loan debt. Just the mention of it can cause most newly-minted lawyers to break out in cold sweats. It is always on their minds. It is always standing in the way of getting on with their lives. My children both are lawyers, and the amounts of their student loan debt is shocking. Fortunately, our family is in a position to help them pay down a large portion of that debt. But, many young lawyers are not in that position, and I feel so bad for them. Bad because they are in situations where they cannot follow their…
Perfect Pitch for Young Women Lawyers
By Susan Smith Blakely • September 04, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
Are you musical? Have you had experience singing in a choir? If so, you probably are familiar with the concept of “perfect pitch.” For the rest of you, perfect pitch is the ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone. Perfect pitch results in great vocalists, who can land a note on the musical scale exactly and in a way that is pleasing to the ear, leaving the listener with the desire to hear more. Oddly, perfect pitch works the same in business — and especially for lawyers. Delivering the…
How to Improve Your Professional Image in a Consultation
By Anna Johansson • September 04, 2018 •Careers
Everything starts with a consultation. This is your chance to make a strong first impression with your prospective client, and your opportunity to review their case to see if it’s worth taking on. If you have several years of experience to draw on, this probably comes second-nature to you, and you can almost evaluate the potential case on autopilot. But if you’re new to the game, every consultation is a big deal, because every client matters, and your reputation is still being formed. Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to improve your image during every consultation. Do Your…
Your Clients Come To You For Answers.. What Will You Tell Them?
By Dennis Hung • September 03, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues
You are sitting in your office, surrounded by many leather-bound law books, and the air smells of rich mahogany. A client is sitting in front of you, asking what they should do to make sure their business space is protected. They want to make sure they have a low-risk environment for lawsuits, and they trust that you have all the answers. And, of course, you do. That sounds like a nice dream (with a touch of Anchorman? Weird). It’s your future, as long as you study hard and work your butt off. But what are you going to tell your…
Friend or Foe? Technology in Our Everyday Lives: Future Mobility
By Keisha M. McClellan • August 31, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues
Disruptive platforms and technologies can transform entire industries. From Airbnb and Uber, to cloud storage, 3D printing, and cryptocurrency, innovation arrives in many forms. Take the future of mobility, for example. With the world’s megacities and their populations outpacing existing modes of transportation, visionary solutions that weigh legal risks and privacy vulnerabilities are in demand. KPMG produced a video that provides a glimpse into the future of mobility: see it here. Flying-car lab opens in Paris. Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, describes the future of transportation as being “three dimensional” in that vehicles will be able to move in vertical and…
You Graduated From Law School… Now What?
By Dennis Hung • August 31, 2018 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues
One mistake you don't want to make when graduating from law school is to assume that having a major law degree will have clients knocking on your door or local firms immediately hiring you. In fact, the field of law is actually one of the most competitive in the US and law school graduates have their work cut out for them. In today's competitive climate, you have to have flexibility when it comes to geography, a fine attention to details when it comes to compiling a resume, and most importantly, a willingness to take the kind of work that's available.…
From Paralegal to Associate: How to Handle Time Constraints
By Nadia Ennaji • August 31, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers
As a new associate, what I found the most difficult to handle is my time. Especially when I am confronted with something that I am unfamiliar with, I often find myself spending hours of research. Most of the time, those hours spend on research can’t be billed back to the Client, because it will be unreasonable. And if you are a type A like me (and I suspect you are) this makes it even more difficult to put a time limit on the assignment. What I found helpful is to give myself a time window by which I will stop…
Owning Up to My Reality: I’m Disabled, and I Always Will Be
By Katherine Macfarlane • August 27, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Features, Myths & Truths
I struggle with calling myself disabled. It’s much easier to write “I’m disabled” than it is to say it out loud. I use an endless list of euphemisms instead. “I need to sit down.” “I need extra time to board.” “I’m just not feeling up to it.” "It's going to be hard for me to make that walk." I’m not sure I’ve ever said the words “I’m disabled.” I’ve had countless conversations about my need for reasonable accommodations, and my volatile health, but generally avoid claiming my status. Which is ridiculous. I've spoken at legislative hearings about the tremendous impact…
The Barred Life: A Series of Indefinite Length - Part III
By Jannet Matthew • August 27, 2018 •Ms. JD, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues
Moving Forward While Looking Back **This post is looooong overdue but in my effort to staying committed to improving my writing and self-expression, here it is... I recently met with a legal recruiter to help me navigate the legal job market. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed after unsuccessfully trying for a couple of months. I tell her a bit about myself and what I’m looking for and the conversation proceeds a little something like this… Recruiter: Great! So, what legal software are you familiar with? ...me looking dumbfounded... Me: Do Lexis and Westlaw count? Recruiter: Yeah that’s perfect but… have…