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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…
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…
Everything Nobody Ever Told Me: How to Stop Office Gossip in Its Tracks
By Paula M Jones • November 29, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Other Issues
“What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth.” -Jewish Proverb My friend Jen used to describe her best friend since childhood, Tracy, as a complete screw-up. Every time she would mention her, she would roll her eyes and bring up Tracy’s latest failed relationship or the crazy man in her life. I had never met Tracy and I have to admit, without any other evidence to the contrary, I began to think of Tracy as a screw-up too. I attended a social gathering at Jen’s house one evening and was speaking to a woman who was…
Everything Nobody Ever Told Me: Dealing with Difficult People - The Provocateur
By Paula M Jones • October 30, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
Just because other people are fueled by drama, doesn’t mean you need to attend the performance. – Cheryl Richardson I was busily working away at my new firm when the head of my department crept into my office, eyes wide. She hunched her shoulders down, looked around to make sure no one else was within earshot and said in a hushed tone, “Do you have a second? I have to tell you something.” She closed my office door. She proceeded to tell me that a colleague had a problem with some work that I had done. Her story didn’t ring…
This Is What Happens When Your Employees Become Brand Ambassadors
By Anonymous • October 12, 2020 •Careers, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
We live in a technological revolution. The majority of the masses are on their smartphones, browsing through different social media platforms. Social media has taken the tech world by storm. Using social media to gain traffic is not a foreign concept. In fact, it is arguably the most favored mode of content marketing. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of leveraging Employee Advocacy as a new means of social media marketing, and living in a world where peer influence is predominant, a company’s employees are the avenues to engage and interact with the consumers. We have shifted from…