#MeToo Meets Big Law: How Gender Imbalance Shapes The Workplace
By Anna Johansson • August 18, 2018 •Careers
Women have long struggled to find equal footing in the legal profession, but despite growing numbers of female lawyers, gender imbalance in the workplace continues to put us at a disadvantage. In light of the recent #MeToo movement addressing sexual assault and harassment, however, female lawyers are beginning to address the ongoing harassment that is often part and parcel for women in law practices, courtrooms, and other legal settings. But will these efforts create change? Imbalances In Big Law Law firms are unique relative to many other professional settings because the hours are long, individuals in the same practice may…
5 Things to Consider About Potential Clients
By Anna Johansson • August 18, 2018 •Careers
Client acquisition is one of the keys to being successful as a lawyer, but be wary of moving too fast. Before bringing on a new client, there are some important things you need to consider. 5 Things to Think About Consultations are part of being a lawyer. If your practice or firm is like most, you offer free or low-cost initial meetings to get to know prospective clients and discuss their options. In these consultations, you’ll want to spend time feeling out the individual across the table. Here are a few specific things to consider: 1. Common Client Questions Once…
Advocacy In The Age Of Addiction: Insights For Layers
By Anna Johansson • July 09, 2018 •Issues
As advocates for justice, the current opioid epidemic has put lawyers in a challenging position: is our job to defend patients or drug makers? Is there room to seek justice when the law isn’t oriented towards justice? There are no easy answers. Instead, we’re all required to consider what our position is relative to the law, our clients, and our communities. And what you decide can determine the shape of your career. Addiction Justice And Advocacy For some lawyers, the decision to focus on justice and advocacy work for addicts, rather than to pursue exclusively punitive outcomes, is an easy…
Is It A Fit? Finding A Firm That Works For You As A Working Mother
By Anna Johansson • June 30, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues
You’ve made it out of law school. You’ve passed the bar. Now, you’re ready to practice – but where? The fact is, as a woman in the legal profession, finding a position where you’ll have opportunities for growth can be a real challenge. The fact is that as a woman, you can get in the door, but, as a study by the American Bar Association demonstrated, women make up 45% of associates in private practice, but only 18% of equity partners. Something is keeping women from successfully climbing the career ladder. Luckily, finding a practice that’s a good fit for…
4 Conflict Resolution Tips for Lawyers
By Anna Johansson • June 20, 2018 •Careers
Naturally, your profession as a lawyer puts you in the middle of a lot of conflict. Sometimes this conflict is indirect, while other times it directly involves your clients. Knowing how to resolve conflict successfully is integral to success. Conflict Management Tips and Strategies Whether you work in family law, business law, criminal law, or any specialty in between, conflict is a major part of what you do. There’s almost always some sort of problem that your client is dealing with and it’s up to you to help them identify a solution and proactive strategy for pushing forward. The problem…
Is Personal Injury Law the Right Specialty for You?
By Anna Johansson • June 18, 2018 •Careers
Law is an exciting field if you enjoy championing a cause and exacting justice. It also provides a comfortable living for attorneys who are good at their job and have a passion for it. It’s essential to select a specialty of law that you really enjoy. Many law students consider personal injury for their practice. This is opportunity to work closely with people and, though it’s not without its stresses, the issues in personal injury law are often simpler, more clear-cut, than those in other specialties such as criminal defense or tax law. But is it the right profession for…
How To Help A loved One Understand The Benefits Of Estate Planning
By Anna Johansson • June 07, 2018 •Issues, Other Issues
Being a lawyer means you have an advantage when it comes to offering suggestions to friends and family. Understandably, you may not want to give your friends legal counsel, but when a friend is confused, it’s hard to stay completely silent. Okay, the situations portrayed in Hollywood movies regarding friends annoyingly asking their lawyer friends for advice aren’t that far off. You’ve probably had more than your fair share of friends asking you for advice, even in areas of law you aren’t even familiar with. Somehow, when people know you’re a lawyer, they think you can get them out of…
Fighting The Wage Debt After Debt: A Look At Wrongful Death Suits
By Anna Johansson • May 02, 2018 •Careers
As women in the legal profession, wage inequality is a familiar concern. But what role does the wage gap play after death? In cases of wrongful death and in the subsequent lawsuits, our current system of wage inequality disadvantages women and minorities even in death. The Face of the Wage Gap Though the standard description of the wage gap is that women make about 78 cents for every dollar a man makes in a comparable role, the reality is much more complex. Rather, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the highest paid occupations also have the greatest pay…
Delaying The Bar? It Could Reduce Your Debt
By Anna Johansson • April 18, 2018 •Careers, Other Career Issues
The bar exam: in many ways, it’s the culmination of your law education. Pass, and you get to start your career. Fail, and you’ll be sidelined. So if the bar is so important, are there any good reasons to delay? One of the leading reasons for postponing the bar exam among graduates is feeling under-prepared. In recent years, a spate of predatory and often for-profit law schools have left students loaded with debt and lacking sufficient knowledge of the law. And considering the price of taking the bar, and the time lost to test prep and job searching, delaying could…