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…
Can Art Increase Productivity in Law Firms?
By Anna Johansson • April 16, 2018 •Careers
Some people naturally assume that art in the workplace is merely decorative. But what if art is more than something we look at? What if it actually plays a role in how we think, process, and work? Well, research suggests that it does. In fact, the relationship between art and productivity is so strong that many law firms are incorporating art in an effort to boost output. The Relationship Between Art and Productivity Outside of trendy startups and tech companies in Silicon Valley, most office workspaces are pretty muted and conservative. Words like sterile, clean, and sanitized come to mind.…
How Stories Can Help You Build Your Practice
By Anna Johansson • March 27, 2018 •Careers
Reputation is a massive challenge to overcome for new law firm founders. When people seek legal counsel, they often gravitate toward the firms with the most successful track records, the most significant experience, and the most impressive name power; if you’re just starting out, you won’t have had the time or case experience necessary for any of these factors. Fortunately, there’s an unlikely strategy that can help you establish and grow your reputation from scratch: storytelling. Why Stories Are So Powerful Storytelling may seem overly basic, but it’s a communication method that works well for multiple mediums; you can use…
Social Proof: A Lawyer’s Answer to Stiff Online Competition
By Anna Johansson • March 27, 2018 •Careers
The internet has done marvelous things for small law firms and local attorneys who previously found it difficult to gain exposure on a very limited marketing budget. But it’s also had the effect of increasing competition. If you want to stand out in today’s highly competitive marketplace, you have to do two things: (1) enhance visibility, and (2) build trust. There’s plenty of advice circulating around online about how to increase visibility and generate traffic. In this article, we’re going to address the second component. More specifically, we’re going to discuss how you can use social proof to build trust.…
Looking The Part: How Important Are Lawyer Stereotypes?
By Anna Johansson • March 19, 2018 •Careers
What does a lawyer look like? In a world full of stereotypes, the word ‘lawyer’ typically conjures up images of older men in suits, holding forth in front of a courtroom or handling a tough negotiation. For young women just breaking into the legal field, then, these stereotypes pose particular challenges. How do you break old-fashioned and sexist models while still earning clients’ trust? In order to strike a balance between oppressive tradition and authenticity, your best bet is to focus on professionalism in its broadest sense. These 3 strategies can help you project that polished image, even if you…
Your Name First And Other Ways To Stand Out From The Pack
By Anna Johansson • March 09, 2018 •Careers
Look at the names of law firms. What do you notice? Generally a short list of names, they’re almost all men’s surnames – and a man’s name is always first. So for young women breaking away from Big Law and striking out on their own, branding your law firm is an exciting opportunity. It’s a chance to stand out and to put your name first. Partner Position In general, the name of a law firm is generally those of the current or original partners involved, or just your name if you’re practicing solo. And while this seems straightforward on the…
How Women Are Improving Legal Practices For Everyone
By Anna Johansson • March 03, 2018 •Careers
One of the hardest parts of being a lawyer is that you’re expected to work long hours, and while this stress has historically weighed heavier on women who are still viewed as primary caregivers, the tide is starting to turn. By fighting for greater flexibility and sustained work-life balance, female lawyers have made the law a more sustainable career path for everyone. Overworked By The Billable Hour Lawyers are chronically overworked as they try to maximize their billable hours, but that doesn’t mean every lawyer wants to work until they drop. Rather, in order to avoid functioning on overdrive, many…