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The Happy Lawyer: A Year-Long Experiment
By Kate Miceli • May 05, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, •Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
My last year of law school, I took a seminar class called “The Happy Lawyer”. The concept was simple; ten law students, one dean, and one professor read six books about happiness and discuss them over dinner throughout the school year. Full disclosure, I took this class because it was at the dean’s house (who doesn’t want to see their law school dean’s house?) and was taught by one of my favorite professors. The happiness and mindfulness aspect of the class was secondary at best. Over the course of the year, we read six books including; Happiness: A Very…
Defying Gender Norms and Becoming a Better Advocate
By Anjel Bonilla • April 30, 2019 •Ms. JD, Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination, Other Issues
Think back to a time when you experienced bad customer service. Perhaps the waiter was slightly rude, or an agent charged you more money than they originally stated. What did you do? Did you complain or haggle for a better deal? During my undergraduate studies, after we examined the wage gap between men and women, the class noted that men are also more likely than women to challenge things. Women are less likely to complain about bad service, are less likely to ask for raises, and are less likely to speak their concerns. This is partially because of the desire…
Chicken or the Egg: The issue of retention starts with perspective.
By Kim Tran • April 30, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
Why can't we retain our female and minority lawyers? Last month I told you I would share my story first. The story of why I choose to stay, when a disproportionate number of lawyers like me choose to leave the traditional practice of law. I am a female minority lawyer practicing in BigLaw. I have been in practice for 12 years. I started in a smaller firm and made my way steadily through bigger more established firms. In my city, there are few lawyers like me practicing in the larger law firms. There are plenty, however, that opened up their…
The Mental Load: I Couldn’t Care Less About My Job
By Amy Bowen • April 29, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Other Issues
Caring drives success in any endeavor. And caring, by its nature, requires emotional investment. While some career guidance cautions that “emotional investment is normally a stigma you want to avoid in the workplace”, an authentic caring-based approach to your substantive work, your relationships with colleagues, and your personal goals can not only steer you clear of the emotional turmoil caused by acting in discord with your true instincts, but also pay off in spades. Caring helps a lawyer empathize with clients to provide meaningful insight and guidance. Caring leads to identifying and inventing deeper and more creative arguments and solutions.…
Health(s)Care: Provider Consolidation
By DeJeune O'Garro • April 28, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Other Issues
In Short In recent years, the U.S. has seen an increase in hospital mergers and acquisitions and in hospitals acquiring physician groups. This wave of provider consolidation led to measurable operational efficiencies but has possibly exacerbated the preexisting lack of access to care and removed incentives on providers to decrease the cost of care. Through it all, patients are caught in the cross-fire without much say in the matter. Fortunately, a few non-traditional health care entities are bringing care closer to the patient, and giving more traditional health care providers a run for their money. In Full The number of hospital…
Square Up Imposter Syndrome
By Helen Osun • April 19, 2019 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Other Issues
Quick tips for young minority lawyers who question whether they belong or are qualified. How do you “square up”[1] against an intangible phenomenon? My name is Helen Osun, a graduate from the Howard University School of Law. I am currently a junior associate at Crowell & Moring in D.C. and with all of my achievements and past successes, I still struggle with imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is described as a “psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their accomplishments… despite external evidence of their competence, those experiencing this phenomenon remain convinced that they are frauds, and do not deserve all…
Health(s)care: An Introduction
By DeJeune O'Garro • March 29, 2019 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Other Issues
Hi, my name is DéJeune, and I’m a health care enthusiast. Ironically, I don’t like hospitals. I never have, and I probably never will. As a pastor, my father frequented hospitals, visiting members of his congregations, sharing communion, and praying for their families and wellbeing, but it wasn’t until my mother suffered a fatal heart attack that I really started avoiding hospitals. Whenever possible, I stayed with an older sibling or asked my dad to schedule his “sick and shut in” visits during after school events. I was woefully unsuccessful because, my newly widowed father brought me almost everywhere he…
Interview with Ms. JD Fellowship Mentor, Alan Bryan
By Hailey Hughes • March 12, 2019 •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
Alan Bryan is Senior Associate General Counsel for Walmart Inc., an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, and a certified professional coach. Mr. Bryan is a leader in his company, community, and countless professional organizations, including Ms. JD. In 2017, Mr. Bryan received Ms. JD’s “The Incredible Men” (TIM) Award as a champion for women’s advancement in the legal profession and he has been an active mentor for Ms. JD Fellows for several years. I have had the pleasure to get to know him and to grow professionally and personally from his mentorship, and wanted to share with…
Why Women Lawyers Should Consider Service on a Public Board or Commission
By Claire E. Parsons • November 09, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Politics and Government, Issues, Other Issues
This week, a historic number of women were elected to Congress and a record number of women ran in and won other races nationwide. If I had to pick a single word to describe this situation, it would be this: awesome. We need more women and diverse voices in government. But what you may not have heard about in the coverage of the recent elections is that the need to increase the representation of women extends to unelected government positions as well. In particular, women do not make up a fair proportion of the people serving on state and local…