To Stay or Not to Stay, That is the Question: How to Handle a New Career Opportunity Shakespeare did not have to deal with this, and my father's generation rarely did either. During my father's working days, employees basically had one option: stay. Much like Major League Baseball players used to be, employees in the 50s, 60, 70s, and 80s rarely left one organization to go to another. Today that concept seems antiquated. (6 views)
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel In recent days, Arkansas's Office of the Attorney General has launched a new unit targeting child pornographers and sexual predators. (6 views)
The best attorneys want information Introduction As a legal recruiter, I am often quite surprised by the differences among attorneys in their receptiveness of information presented to them. When associates are called by a recruiter out of the blue, they are often extremely suspicious, declare they are not interested in speaking with the recruiter at all, brag about how happy they are, and then get off the... (6 views)
Judy Clarke, Defending Jared Lee Loughner Jared Lee Loughner, the gunman accused of killing six and wounding 14 in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011 will be represented by court appointed attorney Judy Clarke. Clarke has spent most of her career in public defense and has an impressive record of high profile cases in belt. The San Diegan represented Unabomber Ted Kaczynski in 1998, Susan Smith, who drowned her two... (6 views)
Former Attorney General Janet Reno - America's First Female Attorney General Janet Reno was the first woman to become attorney general for the United States. Nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993, Reno was officially confirmed March 11. This week, we focus on the works, controversies and accomplishments of Janet Wood Reno. (6 views)
Mentoring a Procrastinator Alike other fields of work, it is quite common to find talented people procrastinating on legal jobs. Sometimes, it seems to be a conflict between priorities, sometimes, just lack of interest, but whatever be the cause, procrastination kills a career and snuffs out talent every day. (6 views)
Lawyers Are Not Without Heart This article talks about Law Firms and how they are responding to the economic crunch in an unusual way and the public applauds their efforts. Law Firms are lending out new hires who are coming on board to wait it out for a year doing public interest work by consulting for non-profit corporations or an advocacy groups. In some cases the lawyer can choose the community... (6 views)
Don't forget you are an Attorney just because you joined a Board of Directors There seems to be an ongoing debate of perspectives both among businesses that hire corporate counsel and among in-house counsel themselves about their true roles with regard to the business, though there is no doubt as to their functions. There is one camp that views the role of a corporate counsel as a ‘gatekeeper’ with the duty of acting as a voice of caution that... (6 views)
Stage for Collecting Legal Fees All of the marketing tools we have discussed are designed only to provide the lawyer with the opportunity to close a "sale." Marketing brings inquiries. After that, you have to get the representation, and set the stage for collecting a fee. Different techniques will work in different situations. There is no one rule, nor a single style of selling legal services. (6 views)
Beginning Your Search for a Career in a Non-Legal Field By now you probably have a feeling that obtaining a non-legal position that will allow you to utilize the skills you have acquired in law school is going to require a different approach than you would use if you were seeking a position in legal practice. You are right. However, in both areas, more positions are probably lost through failure to do adequate homework than for... (6 views)
Long-Term Planning For a Successful Non-Legal Career Search Once you have tested your ideas about your job search through the networking process, you will want to put together an overall job hunting strategy. (6 views)
Time Management While Working At a Law Firm Dear Lawcrossing, When I graduate, I want a job that comes as close to a 40-hour work week as I can reasonably get. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I have a family and I don't want to be penalized for it. Is there such a thing in the legal field? (6 views)
A Career Audit for Associates In the nine years that I have been in the recruiting business, I have spoken to literally hundreds of associates about their careers. Through these conversations, I have noticed a number of repeating themes (concerns about how to achieve work/life balance, decreasing interest in partnership, etc.). (6 views)
What Attorneys Need to Learn to Manage the Media When media coverage is likely but not desired, the attorney is well advised to be prepared to respond to the media and even to initiate contact with them. The media are not always hostile but will print or broadcast information of interest to its audience. Since accuracy cannot always be ensured, the attorney can protect his or her interests through cooperation. (6 views)
Raising the practice standards - On clients evaluating attorneys Considerable research has been conducted concerning the criteria used by business and retail clients when evaluating attorneys. Since clients buy legal services from attorneys, not firms, an understanding of clients' evaluation criteria can contribute to shaping a practice development program. In a paper entitled "Business Executive Evaluations of Various Aspects of... (6 views)
How Can I Best Utilize Personal Contacts at Other Firms? How Can I Best Utilize Personal Contacts at Other Firms? (6 views)
Listening Is A Great Source For Learning: Utilize It There is another form of networking listening - listening for learning. We're talking about listening to audio tapes on subjects pertinent to networking and listening to speakers whose topics address some aspects of the networking process. Some of the time you can use to listen to audio tapes is really free time. It's the time you spend driving - to work, for pleasure or... (6 views)
Networking Databank: Remember It’s Your Most Valuable Asset In today's marketing jargon, you'll frequently hear about data base marketing. Direct marketers invented the concept specifically for direct mail purposes. Lately telemarketing has also benefited from database marketing. Your database is basically your mailing list. The list could (and should) be expanded to include more than just the names and addresses of customers and... (6 views)
Money, Lawyers and Law Schools Lawyers praise the law for giving them a way of making a lot of loot. As the saying goes, money is the root of all wealth. But here, too, the news is not all good. (6 views)
What do you think is the Strangest American Law? We asked attorneys and legal professionals throughout the U.S. what they thought was the strangest American law. Their answers will generate more debate, but we wanted to share their responses with our readers, as we found them interesting and enlightening. Here is what they had to say. (6 views)
Treating Your Legal Career Like a Small Business At the outset, it is important to realize that much of what I am saying goes against the ''traditional'' view of the law as a profession. Obviously, the law is a profession. Notwithstanding the use of the word ''profession,'' though, you can still get fired, not advance, or find yourself in a dead end job. Your skills or specialty can quickly become irrelevant in the... (6 views)
Training on the Job: Ask Your Law Firm About Your Options A new job can be a little daunting. Getting to know the inner workings of the firm and being the awesome worker your legal employer recognized during your interview can be stressful if you don’t have a solid support system behind you. But companies understand a need for new employee training. (6 views)
Legal Practitioner Advocates I have already had quite a long career in the legal profession, whether as a legal recruiter or someone who provided and needed legal representation, so I like to think I know something about this industry and have legal experience. It does not matter what law school or law firm you work for; there is one thing essential to success in this industry. All of the most... (6 views)
Physical Issues That Affect Our Health, Happiness, and Success: Understanding, Preventing, and Managing Them Physical health is a crucial element of our overall well-being and quality of life. Unfortunately, several physical issues can impact our health, happiness, and success. Some of these physical issues can be preventable, but others may be unavoidable. These issues can arise in various settings, such as at home, work, school, community, and the environment. In this article,... (6 views)
The True Cost of Interruptions for Lawyers Managing varying office cultures is a crucial aspect of expanding your law firm to multiple locations. With each office having its own unique dynamics and work environment, it is essential to actively monitor and address the differences that may arise. By doing so, you can ensure consistency and fairness across all locations while promoting a unified firm culture. (6 views)
Law Firm Marketing: A Comprehensive Guide Law firm marketing is an essential practice for attracting new clients and ensuring the growth and success of your legal practice. This comprehensive guide covers various aspects of law firm marketing, from digital marketing and SEO to networking and technology utilization. (6 views)
Mastering Focus: Navigating Distractions for Increased Legal Productivity Embarking on the journey of a blog post, I found myself face to face with the quintessential struggle—distractions. Whether it's the cries of a baby or the ceaseless notifications from technology, legal professionals grapple with the challenge of staying focused. The 2017 Legal Trends Report highlighted the shared sentiment among legal experts: 68% feel there aren't... (6 views)
Lawyer Depression: Recognizing the Signs and Dealing With It Depression is pervasive within the legal field, casting wide-ranging implications. Attorneys grappling with this mental health challenge face profound personal and career-related consequences, impacting not only themselves but also clients, partners, staff, and the overall business. (6 views)
A Guide to Legal Mentors and How to Find One Success in the legal profession is a moving target that expands with time, experience, and proper guidance. By learning from a legal mentor who has already tread the path you’re on, you can streamline and strengthen your personal and professional development as a lawyer. (6 views)
AI in Law: Transforming Legal Practices Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming an integral technology that streamlines both our personal and professional lives, providing enhanced ease and convenience. Whether consciously acknowledged or not, AI has a pervasive impact on daily activities, ranging from the ChatGPT feature in live e-commerce site chats to facial recognition unlocking smartphones and... (6 views)