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Corporette Roundup
By Anonymous • November 08, 2008 •Other Career Issues
Recent columns and polls at Corporette: Patterned Tights Dressing Professionally if You’re Busty Professional Women and Tattoos Knee-high Boots in a Professional Capacity?
The Passing of Lorraine Power Tharp, NYSBA’s 105th President
By Ms. JD • October 29, 2008 •Other Career Issues
It is with sadness that Ms. JD, and the New York and American legal communities have learned about the passing of Lorraine Power Tharp, the New York Bar Association's 105th President and only the third women to hold that position. Lorraine Power Tharp was an active and engaged member of the bar, committed to her practice and to making a difference in others' lives. As president, and among other things, she created the Task Force on Increasing Diversity in the Judiciary and the Presidential Summit. This Summit continues to occur annually, where experts and legal professionals meet to discuss important…
Alternative Legal Jobs Clearing House and Legal Recruiter Calls: Really? In this Market?
By Anonymous • October 23, 2008 •Other Career Issues
So, the market is in a downward spiral that seems to come up for air every so often but then turn-around and head right back down. A lot of law firm associates that I know are worried. They are worried about "stealth layoffs" and about head-count reductions and generally about the fact that work is REALLY slow these days. They are worried because they have huge law school debt and are also losing thier shirts in the market turmoil. Yet, among all of this concern I received two calls from a legal recruiter yesterday looking to set me up with…
Part III in Series: A Junior Associate’s Networking Plan
By Peg Johnston • October 14, 2008 •Other Career Issues
Okay, so now to Part III: Law School Network and Alumni Groups. I have found that the typical advice, both formal and informal, to a junior associate trying to start building her professional network is that she should start with keeping in touch with law school classmates. Therefore, I have built that into my networking plan. How to keep in touch, is the real question. Afterall, personal emails and phone calls eat into billable hours. Nights at the club or hanging out on the weekends, cuts into family or "me" time. So far, I have tried a three-pronged approach to…
Working Moms as Role Models: Part II - Role models for other women?
By Peg Johnston • September 25, 2008 •Other Career Issues
Intro to Part I: A long while ago I wrote a post about the idea that working moms are role models for their children and about the judging that goes on between women including the battles being fought in the, so called, "mommy wars". Well, I have some updates and some additional insight on the issue that I'd like to share. Here is the second insight that I would like to share and it is about the fact that we may be role models for other women. My kids attend an elite private school -- the kind that has a…
Part VI in Series: A Junior Associate’s Networking Plan
By Peg Johnston • September 11, 2008 •Other Career Issues
I am short on time and energy today so I am skipping to Part VI of my seven part networking series to share with you today, my Online Networking Plan. I'll have to admit upfront to be woefully behind the power curve on on-line networks. As a member of Gen X, I missed the boat that was MySpace and was a late joiner on other online networks as well. I reluctantly became a member of facebook in 2007 just because I repeatedly got friend invites from it and signed up just to have a shell of a presence so that…
Speaking Salary
By Janet Wallace • September 01, 2008 •Other Career Issues
In her recent New York Times article, Girl Power at School, but Not at the Office, Hannah Seligson discusses the "new arsenal of skills" that women need to succeed in the workforce. She suggests that letting go of perfectionist tendancies and creating professional networks are two critical skills to success. Additionally, to keep up with the old-boy's club, women need to start "speaking salary." Young women also need to learn how to speak salary, a language that many men already seem to know. Coming into the work force, I thought that, just as my professor had given me the grade…
A Book Review on a Great Find: “View from the Top: Q&A with Legal Women Leaders”
By K Hernan • August 25, 2008 •Other Career Issues
I was in the firm's library the other day looking for a securities law practice guide when my eyes were drawn to the following title: View from the Top: Q&A with Legal Women Leaders. It is a book in the Vault Career Library and just happened to be on the shelf across the aisle from the corporate securities collection. What a lucky find! This book was published in 2007, so it is current and relevant. It consists of interviews with over 100 women at the top of the legal profession, leaders at law firms and as general counsel at companies…
The Power of Storytelling in Your Legal Practice
By Ms. JD • August 19, 2008 •Other Career Issues
[Ed. Note: Paramjit Mahli, of the Sun Communications Group, and author of this article, is a former journalist who has worked with international news organizations including CNN Business News, and now helps small to mid-sized law firms get in front of their target markets effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously. Her job is to let the lawyers do what they do best – practice law – while she takes care of all their public relations.] How do attorneys connect with their audience without losing themselves in legal-speak? The art of story telling can help lawyers communicate in a way that is captivating…