Why You Should Think Twice Before Quitting Any Legal Job If you go into any firm that has been around more than 20 or 30 years, you will inevitably find a handful of attorneys who have been there from the very beginnings of their careers. These well-adjusted souls will typically report to work each day at a similar time and will have managed to be the only ones left in the law firm after generation upon generation of attorneys... (15216 views)
Electronic Communication 101 The director of human resources requests that you provide your new address for personnel record updating. You just learned that your long-standing and trusted contact at the courthouse broke his leg while skiing. You need to update a high-maintenance client on a recent legal development that will favorably affect her case. You cannot locate a file. The seminar has been... (500 views)
Interviewing — Part I: Preparation Interviews, in and of themselves, are almost as complicated and detail-oriented as the documents that get you them in the first place. Between questions of dress, conduct, question responses, and materials, there are so many ways a person can take a wrong turn on the path to employability. However, there are also more ways to drive that incredible first impression home... (21 views)
Ian Thompson Enjoys Helping to Plan and Execute Strategy as General Counsel for SeaMobile, Inc. When Ian Thompson joined SeaMobile as general counsel last year, he had an extensive and variegated work history. In addition to practicing law at several different firms, he had also worked as a paralegal/legislative analyst and as a sales representative and assistant winemaker for a winery. (3 views)
Do grades matter if you have good litigation experience? Question: I am a fourth-year litigator at a small firm that focuses on criminal defense (DUI, street crimes, etc.). I'm the only associate, and there are two partners. I love being in court practically every day and think I can run circles around my friends who are litigators in the big firms (and have never been in court!). However, none of the big firms in... (56 views)
Attorneys Kick Addictions with Help from The Other Bar Stress is a routine part of lawyers' work. In fact, 20 to 25 percent of lawyers suffer from stress so severe it impairs their practices, according to an American Bar Association (ABA) survey. Such extreme pressure sometimes leads lawyers to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. (2059 views)
How to evaluate if the offer is good? Question: I need your help with how to best negotiate an offer I have. I am a third-year corporate associate focusing exclusively on mergers & acquisitions. I have an offer from another firm to join their corporate securities practice. Because I've focused on M&A, I don't have any real securities experience yet, but I think I can get up to speed pretty quickly, and based... (16 views)
The Life and Career of Richard Costigan of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Rose to the Challenge as One of Governor Schwarzenegger's Top Aides When Richard Costigan graduated from Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Alabama in 1991, he never dreamed that a mere 12 years later he would be one of the top aides to the governor of one of the largest states in the union. From November 2003 to November 2006, Costigan served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Affairs Secretary for California Governor... (760 views)
Calling All Psychic Employers There are millions of possible ways for any candidate to phrase descriptions of past positions, and most of them are perfectly acceptable when taken at face value. Unfortunately, sensible grammar and solid phrasings do not always equal a strong sense of cognitive understanding on the other end. As I have said before, everything in your resume and cover letter should be... (8 views)
Protecting Your Privacy in Law and the Judiciary Privacy protection has been an issue on everyone's mind for years. But for lawyers and judges, it can be an even more serious issue—especially when you have scorned criminals, felons, and other courtroom losers displeased with their verdicts on the prowl. With invasion of privacy and violent threats rampant in the judiciary and legal world, certain measures must be taken... (14 views)
Lerach, Coughlin, Stoia, Geller, Rudman & Robbins, LLP Lerach, Coughlin, Stoia, Geller, Rudman & Robbins, LLP, is comprised of 180 members located in numerous cities across the United States, including New York and Los Angeles. The firm has several practice areas, including securities, antitrust, insurance, consumer, environment, and public-health class actions. The firm boasts a varied staff that includes attorneys ''who left... (419 views)
Taming the Corporate Sharks: Securities-Law Master Bill Lerach ''I suppose everyone would love to be loved, but I gave up on that a long time ago,'' said lawyer William S. Lerach, who goes by Bill. Criticized for being one of the ''most loathed men in Silicon Valley,'' he has built his entire law career on fighting for the little guys and bringing corporate cheaters to justice. As one of the country's leading securities lawyers,... (79 views)
See Opportunities Where Others See Obstacles If you are looking for a job, one of the most important things you can do is see opportunities where others see huge obstacles. Most of the world sees huge obstacles to everything. There are always obstacles to anyone and everyone doing the absolute best that can be done. If you want to get the best possible job and go as far as possible in your career, then you need to... (319 views)
Stephen Martin Thinks Outside the Box as General Counsel for Corpedia, Inc. Stephen Martin believes that a successful general counsel needs to have the ability to think outside the box and to be proactive. (5 views)
The Life and Career of Mario Torres of Torres Benet, P.A. When controversial and risque photos of now-former Miss Nevada Katie Rees were leaked to the press late last year, her attorney, Mario Torres of Torres Benet, P.A., in Tampa, FL, was catapulted into the spotlight. After Donald Trump's recent decision to grant a reprieve to Miss USA Tara Conner, who admitted to underage drinking in New York bars, Torres is determined to get... (703 views)
Should a resume be only one-page long? Question:I am a second-year associate, and I want to find a new job. I've always read that resumes should not exceed one page. Do you agree? (B.A., Washington, DC) (44 views)
Avoid the Dangers of Getting Jobs Through Friends and Family ''Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude is a burden and revenge a pleasure.'' —Tacitus (c.55-120 A.D.) (8869 views)
Following Up on Your Career First impressions can be everything for any employer, but that does not mean, under any circumstances, that additional contact is worthless. It is time to discuss how to keep that amazing first impression going—or even improve upon the image of yourself you have already created in the eyes of an employer. (9 views)
''Coming Out'' Before the Courtroom Although acceptance of homosexuality has come light-years since the period before the 1970s, many existing social stigmas still stand in the way of the realization of a completely equal and nondiscriminatory society and workplace. (170 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)
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, prides itself on offering boutique-type, specialized services with a commitment to clients. In addition, the firm is ''deeply committed to diversity, to public service, to involvement in the communities [it] serves, and to excellence in all [it does].'' (841 views)
Wasser, Cooperman & Carter You can't say the name ''Wasser, Cooperman & Carter'' without envisioning images of Hollywood's most glamorous and highly publicized couples. The firm, which was founded in 1984, is located in Los Angeles and specializes in family law, divorce, custody, marital property settlements, support, and jurisdictional family law. Some of the 10-member firm's high-profile clients... (463 views)
Lorraine Koc Does a Lot of Everything as Vice President and General Counsel of Deb Shops, Inc. Lorraine Koc has spent almost her entire legal career working in-house. For more than 20 years, she has served as General Counsel for Deb Shops, Inc., a national retail clothing chain for teenage and pre-teen girls. Koc decided early on that building an in-house career would be more satisfying than working at a law firm; she left prominent law firm Fox Rothschild, LLP, in... (24 views)
Employment Patriotism For years, applicants have been utilizing objectives at the tops of their resumes or cover letters in attempts to grab organizations' attention and create appeal. Unfortunately, with advances in the hiring process and the large growth of the population in general, those doing the hiring have a lot more applicants to pick from, and an objective for career growth just will... (7 views)
The Life and Career of Laura Wasser: Divorce Attorney to many Hollywood Stars She's served celebrity clients ranging from Britney Spears to Angelina Jolie to Nick Lachey. Yes, when the million-dollar wedding and honeymoon buzz are over and US Weekly starts running photos of your beloved hanging out with 20-year-old starlets in New York nightclubs, you might want to consider calling up Laura Wasser. Wasser, a hip, high-profile Los Angeles divorce... (3621 views)
Extra! Extra! Law Firms Battle For Top Pay Hike As Giddy Associates Cheer Them On Biglaw starting salaries flatlined over the last five years but recently have begun showing signs of life. Last year, top New York firms raised salaries by roughly $10,000 to $150,000, with many DC firms boosting salaries from $125,000 to $135,000 or $140,000. While not a substantial increase, the ripple effect was felt as far away as Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville, as... (16 views)
Trial Attorney Glenn V. Whitaker Takes Charge as Partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, LLP Cincinnati-based trial lawyer Glenn V. Whitaker has had a long and distinguished legal career and is recognized as one of the top litigators in his field. He worked as Special Litigation Counsel for the United States Department of Justice for four years and has litigated a broad spectrum of cases over the course of his career. He is also a member of the American Board of... (417 views)
Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro, LLP Located in sunny Southern California, the law firm of Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro, LLP, is home to about 110 attorneys who practice in the areas of general civic litigation, corporate, real estate, technology, tax, environmental, entertainment, and land use/government relations law. (307 views)
J. Bennett Clark brought courtroom savvy to his intellectual property practice at Senniger Powers When J. Bennett Clark joined St. Louis-based Senniger Powers , the largest intellectual property firm in Missouri, he had very little knowledge of intellectual property law. (58 views)
Nothing about you can be kept hidden from your employers For some reason, there is this crazy idea floating around that portraying yourself in the best possible light also means saying whatever you need to say to get the job. I would like to submit that this idea could not be further from the truth. (7 views)