Women Lawyers: LOVE YOURSELVES!
By Susan Smith Blakely • February 14, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues
Today, Valentines Day, is a day for celebrating love. We buy cards with red and pink hearts and poetic verses expressing our love, we share classic red (the color of love) roses with our loved ones, we have intimate candle lit dinners demonstrating our love, and we thank the powers that be for the opportunity to love whomever we wish. Oh, wait a minute .... you say you are caught in the office and not able to participate in the Day of Love? You cannot see yourself clear to taking a few hours off in the name of love? And…
If Notorious RBG Is Encouraged about the Future For Women Lawyers, I’m ALL IN!
By Susan Smith Blakely • February 13, 2018
By all accounts, the appearance of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg yesterday at NYU Law was a huge success. As always, she had interesting perspective on the past and future of women lawyers and on workplace dynamics. Here is a link to coverage of the event. I heard Justice Ginsburg speak at a law banquet years ago, and I found her completely believable, entertaining and without a scintilla of hubris. What you see is exactly what you get with her. Her sense of humor alone is so charming when combined with the realization that she is one of the most powerful…
Women Lawyers Beware: Social Media Posts Could Cost You Your Job
By Susan Smith Blakely • January 31, 2018
From time to time I write about the use of personal social media and the caveats for women lawyers. In fact, my recommendation consistently has been that you get off personal social media all together. But, I know how attached some of you are to instant feedback and gratification, so I continue to write about it. You need to be reminded about the pitfalls of using social media on a regular basis. Eyes and ears are everywhere. Here is a scenario and question posed on a website addressing this issue. The answer to the question may surprise you because many…
Not Just For Women Lawyers——All Women Must Use Power Responsibly
By Susan Smith Blakely • January 26, 2018
If you have not seen the video of CNN journalist Ashleigh Banfield responding to the accusations from an anonymous source of sexual abuse by comedian/actor Aziz Ansari, you need to. Here's the link, as presented by newsweek.com. The accusations and the response have given rise to a lot of impassioned discussion and controversy, and women across the globe need to sort out the facts. The point of your inquiry should be not whether the events took place but whether the events amount to the kind of sexual harassment that is the benchmark of the #MeToo movement and the #TimesUp movement…
Looking Back at 2017 at Best Friends at the Bar
By Susan Smith Blakely • December 01, 2017 •Careers, Other Career Issues
The Best Friends at the Bar year is about to come to a close. Yes, I know that the entire month of December lies ahead before the Big Ball drops in Times Square and that you still have time for holiday shopping, holiday cards, holiday decorations, attending parties, giving parties, baking and cooking ... and the list goes on. Do not panic, you have plenty of time to accomplish all this and more. You are young and energetic and incredibly resourceful. I have complete faith in you. I, on the other hand, have the luxury of taking the month of December off…
Women Lawyers Must Be on the Lookout for Sexual Harassment
By Susan Smith Blakely • November 10, 2017 •Issues, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, and Other Forms of Discrimination
You all need to be aware of possible sexual harassment in your offices. These allegations are surfacing across all industries today, and none of us can act like it is not a problem in our profession and in our offices. We all know that it is. It was a problem when I first started practicing law in 1979, and it is still a problem today. If you see something, say something. Sexual harassment can be blatant or it can be subtle --- like when a woman refuses advances from a supervising male colleague and ends up losing support for her…
Mentoring is Critical to Career Success for Women Lawyers
By Susan Smith Blakely • October 26, 2017 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector
I write a lot about leadership in law firms. In fact, my last book, Best Friends at the Bar: Top-Down Leadership for Women Lawyers, is all about that subject. In that book, I address the elements of effective leadership by presenting examples of good leadership and bad leadership. Unfortunately, there are a lot of examples of bad leadership to fill those pages. An important part of effective leadership in law firms revolves around mentorship. Mentoring young lawyers and helping them to develop their career paths and identify and maximize on their talents is key to career success for the young…
Best Law Firms for Women Lawyers——How Reliable Are the Lists?
By Susan Smith Blakely • October 12, 2017 •Careers, Other Career Issues
I know that I have published list after list of the "Best Firms for Women Lawyers" over the years in my blogs and on my website. It seems like the right thing to do for someone who has been devoted to the retention and advancement of women lawyers for more than a decade. But, honestly, I did it with some reluctance. I always was a little skeptical about how those lists were compiled, whether the research was based on an even playing field for all contenders, and the nature of the relationships between the ranking entities and the firms ranked…
It is NOT OK For Women Lawyers to Cry at the Office
By Susan Smith Blakely • October 05, 2017 •Careers, Other Career Issues
If you have followed my writing for the last ten years, it will not surprise you that I do not advise crying at work --- unless it is behind closed doors and the telltale hints of crying are erased before you re-enter the office common space. Or unless you are facing some devastating personal loss. So, when I saw the article "It's Okay To Cry At Work" on Above the Law recently, I had a visceral reaction. Visceral because I am trying to help you become the most competitive and highly competent and regarded professionals possible --- and crying…