Tag: articlingstudents

Categories
Law Firm Management

Yoga, Mental Health, and Law Firms

Woman doing yoga in front of her computer.
Photo by Antoni Shkraba at Pexels.

If any among you have not yet happened upon the writings of H.L. Mencken, you should correct that. Among his many pithy quotes are the following gems:

  1. Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.
  2. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.
  3. Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.

One of H.L. Mencken’s quotes that seems particularly apt for law firm management is this one: “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”

read more about simple solutions to complex problems “Yoga, Mental Health, and Law Firms”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Welcome to the World of Clients

A man covering his face and looking upset while staring at his computer.
Photo by Alex Green at Pexels.

Back when I practiced law, it had been drummed into my head that every mistake was a potential catastrophe and a source of shame. I was a perfectionist and proud of it.  I was also a little bit intense and not particularly healthy. I taught my Associates and Law Clerks to be just like me!

read more about why perfectionism can be a bad thing “Welcome to the World of Clients”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

Justifiable Paranoia – Nothing New Under the Sun

Woman sitting back to back with herself. The second version of herself is whispering to her.
Photo by Cottonbro Studio at Pexels.

“All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.”

Battlestar Galactica, Peter Pan, and Ecclesiastes 1:9

It is not often that I quote the Bible, but when the Bible is validated by both Peter Pan and Battlestar Galactica, it has to be right.

In 1994, which may as well be back before the beginning of recorded history as far as people entering law school now are concerned, the Los Angeles Times ran an article written by Amiram Elwork under the following title, “‘Justifiable Paranoia’ Afflicts Lawyers, Psychologist Says.”

read more about mental health and the legal profession “Justifiable Paranoia – Nothing New Under the Sun”
Categories
Client Development

Never Trust a Lawyer Who Doesn’t Make Mistakes

A sign which says, "Work Hard, Stay Humble."
Photo by Maddie Freddie at Pexels.

Back in the day, I would have an Associate join a client meeting with instructions to speak up if they thought I was getting something wrong. Of course, they would only do so occasionally because I was not wrong all that often. When they did, if their point was not so great, I would respectfully acknowledge it and move on, but if it was valuable, I would say so and say to the client something like, “that’s why I had her sit in.”

read more about being humble to win clients “Never Trust a Lawyer Who Doesn’t Make Mistakes”
Categories
Client Development

Bah, Humble

Serious looking young woman whose face is partially obscured by a tree trunk.
Photo by Amirr Zolfaqari at Pexels.

I spoke to a young lawyer the other day who hails from another country. I will call her Natalie.  Natalie explained to me that where she comes from, the culture is such that self-promotion is frowned upon.  In her country, people do not think much of braggarts and blowhards. They respect people who are humble.

read more about self-promotion “Bah, Humble”
Categories
Mentoring

To Thine Own Self Be True

Woman packing a box marked "Fired"
Photo by ANTONI SHKRABA at Pexels.

“This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” 

Hamlet – William Shakespeare.

I drove into the Big City the other day and had brunch with an old friend who I will call Sandy, because that is her name.

read more about being an employee or a business owner “To Thine Own Self Be True”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

What Danger Lurks in the Shadow of Brilliance?

Yellow Dead End sign.
Photo by Dustin Tray at Pexels.

Now that I have been retired for a few years, I sometimes wonder whether my experience as to how law firms work remains valid. Also, since I spent my days with medium-sized firms and not in Big Law, I occasionally worry that my view of what goes on in Big Law is not correct.

But then I speak to lawyers working in Big Law and they invariably confirm that Big Law is exactly what I always thought it was (which is just Medium Law on steroids, with worse side effects), and nothing has changed, and likely never will.

read more about the danger of working in the shadow of brilliance “What Danger Lurks in the Shadow of Brilliance?”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

A Good Day at the Office

Aerial photograph of a maze made of bushes.
Photo by Tom Fisk at Pexels.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” 

Yogi Berra.

I was speaking to an unhappy lawyer the other day, which is typically the only type of lawyer that calls me.

This particular fellow has been practicing law quite a long time and makes decent money. His unhappiness stems from his insecurity, that so many of us share, about whether the clients will continue to come, and the fact that his work is too easy. He needs to develop his reputation so that he is in demand. He must also attract some more complicated stuff to sink his teeth into so that he is intellectually challenged and feels that he is doing something valuable for his clients.

read more about planning your career “A Good Day at the Office”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Keep it Stupid, Simple

A skeleton wearing a wig and sunglasses.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.

Back in 1996 my sister became a doctor. No, not the type that the cabin crew calls for desperately at 35,000 feet when some overworked lawyer has a heart attack. One of the other kinds. In my sister’s case, she holds a Doctorate in Psychology, which is often quite useful given the level of crazy in my family.

For her doctoral thesis, my sister designed an experiment which examined, among other things, the effect of gender on the diagnostic process. She sent a questionnaire to medical doctors and psychologists describing the symptoms of a patient and asking them to suggest a diagnosis. The description of the symptoms received by each clinician was the same, except for one tiny discrepancy. In some cases the patient was described as a woman with certain symptoms typically associated with premenstrual syndrome and which she reported experiencing over several days before the commencement of menstruation. In the others, the patient was described as a man who experienced the same symptoms every four or five weeks.

read more about confirmation bias “Keep it Stupid, Simple”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Look Before You Leap

Man stepping off a cliff.
Photo by João Gabrie at Pexels.

In the early 1980’s, just about the time that I was looking for my first permanent job in the legal profession, someone had called a recession and everyone had shown up. The pickings were slim for first year lawyers. Luckily for me, there was Don, a lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in the profession, who was being let go by the firm that hired me. 

read more about why you should look before you leap “Look Before You Leap”