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Problems to Solve, or Tensions to Manage?
By Jenny Patten • August 11, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
A few days ago, I ran into a colleague that I hadn’t seen in a few weeks at our company café. As we caught up while standing in line to order our lunches, he commented on the fact that I carry two phones with me and asked why. I explained that I try to keep my personal and work communications separate, and this allows me to “put away” my work texts and emails when I’m spending time with my kids by physically placing my work phone in my purse for a few hours. I admitted that while this tactic had…
Lawyers of the Sandwich Generation
By Susan Smith Blakely • August 08, 2019 •Careers, Other Career Issues
I know a little bit about the Sandwich Generation. I was 30 years younger than my mom, and, at the same time that she was becoming aged, my own two children were teenagers. It seemed like everyone needed help --- or tending --- and I knew that I had to find a way to be there for my mom. So it goes. If you ever have found yourself in that situation, you know that you are caught between two devotions just like a big ole piece of bologna is caught between two delicious pieces of bread with no way out. …
The Mental Load: Unlock the Golden Handcuffs
By Amy Bowen • July 31, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues
Feeling trapped in a job, career, or any other aspect of your life can be crippling. For a handful of years, I felt trapped in the BigLaw life. We all know the “golden handcuffs” analogy, but viewing things now “from the other side”, I’m here to tell you that you are not imprisoned. Unless you truly are in prison, you have a choice every morning when you wake up about what you’re going to do that day. No really, you do! You’ve heard the saying “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” Whatever type of…
Something Blue: Bringing Blue-Collar Roots to the Legal Profession - Finding Purpose and Giving Back
By Molly Timko • July 29, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest
As I continue to move forward in my career and slowly chip away at my student debt, I feel more compelled to pay it forward. I often wonder whether us “Straddlers” and first generation lawyers have a greater propensity to engage in volunteer work, perhaps as a way to reconcile the duality of gratitude (for how far we have come) and guilt (for what we may have left behind). I attended a pro bono training several years ago, sponsored by an area bar association. At the time, I had been feeling a little uninspired by the daily grind of my work in healthcare…
Interview with Deborah E. Johnson, Entertainment & Sports Lawyer - On the Field: Women in Sports Law
By Tatum Wheeler • July 24, 2019 •Ms. JD, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Women and Law in the Media
Please welcome Ms. Deborah E. Johnson, an entertainment and sports lawyer from the Dallas area and Texas A&M University School of Law graduate. A solo practitioner for over five years specializing in entertainment and sports law, Ms. Johnson runs her own company, teaches government at a local college, and serves as in-house counsel of a construction company. Ms. Johnson has experience in diverse practice areas including compliance, education, juvenile representation, in-house practice, and transactional law. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me! Let’s get started. I enjoyed your post, How to Survive Law School, in which…
Something Blue: Embracing Your Blue-Collar Roots and Overcoming Self-Doubt
By Molly Timko • June 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers
For this month's post, I wanted to write an article about "impostor syndrome." While scrolling through LinkedIn, I noticed a recent post referencing "imposter syndrome." Cue feelings of self-doubt. So I quickly did a Google search of "impostor or imposter" and discovered that both versions are acceptable. Nevertheless, my inner critic started questioning whether I should do more research (out of fear of making an egregious grammatical error) or, just select one way to spell it, be consistent throughout the post, and move on with my life. Oh the irony! By now, you're likely familiar with impostor syndrome and its prevalence in the legal profession. In the 1970s, two clinical psychologist coined the phrase “impostor phenomenon” to describe…
You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone: Top Ten Pieces of Wisdom from In-House Mentors
By Jenny Patten • June 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues
As I come up on ten years of in-house practice, I’ve started to reflect on my legal practice journey up to this point. From the time I had to hide in the restroom to make a quick call to my outside counsel for confirmation on a particular point of law, seconds before I had to walk into a board meeting, to the closing where I was so exhausted I tripped over my own feet and faceplanted into the floor in front of about 20 executives, I’ve had a lot of memorable moments. Most memorable, though, are the lessons I’ve picked…
Women Lawyers Could Use Golf “Fore” Business
By Susan Smith Blakely • June 26, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
This is where I tell you to do what I say and not what I do. I am not a good example of what I am about to tell you. I was raised in a family of golfers. My grandfather was a par golfer plus and designed a few courses. He taught my mom to play golf when she was a teenager --- long before there were many women on the links. My mom was a good golfer, better than my dad, if truth be told. She loved the game and played at least three days a week during the…
Announcing the Winners of the Ms. JD Summer 2019 Public Interest Scholarship Competition
By Sonya Rahders • June 19, 2019 •Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Law School, Internships and Clerkships
Ms. JD is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Public Interest Scholarship Competition! The four scholarship recipients were selected from a large pool of highly competitive applicants. Ms. JD appreciates the level of passion and personal conviction that was exhibited in the application pool, and we are thrilled to support these students in their pursuit of public interest careers. Royse G. Bachtel is a rising 2L at Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, PA. This summer Royse will be working as a summer legal intern at the Women’s Law Project, a public interest legal center that…