I’ve run across two interesting blog posts recently that cast work/life balance as a fad or misnomer rather than as something that’s important to lawyers. First, a recent post (no longer available) on Bruce MacEwen’s Adam Smith, Esq. blog quotes a 10-year old McKinsey study that places “acceptable pace and stress” as an important contributor to […]
It’s probably no secret to those of you who read my blog on even a semi-regular basis that I enjoy the WSJ.com Law blog. Interesting info, with generally good comments. And that’s where I found the grist for today’s post. Yesterday, the Law Blog posed the following hypothetical (subscription required): You are taking a three-hour plane […]
One of the most challenging parts of practice is figuring out the business end of being a lawyer. In a midsized or larger firm, that usually boils down primarily to client development. And associates frequently view client development as an activity for partners and senior associates. It’s pretty common to hear more junior lawyers saying […]
For most of the people in the United States, today is just Monday, July 24. But for thousands of would-be practitioners, today is something far more sinister: the day before the bar exam. Assuming you’re a member of the group sitting on the other side of the bar, the Promised Land of Practice, the bar is […]
You’re probably running all day, trying to handle conflicting requests from multiple clients, colleagues, and/or opposing counsel, managing staff, facing deadlines, and hoping to maintain your personal life, perhaps wanting to address family needs as well. Law practice is a breeding ground for stress. And we’ve all had days that just start off wrong — […]
Is “Fun Monday” an oxymoron? Thought I’d share some humor today… Most of us can use it on Mondays: Legal Humour is just what it says — good legal humor, no lawyer jokes. Law Ha-Ha is Andrew McClurg’s brainchild. Love it. And then there’s Law Laughs, which is more of the same. For dark non-legal humor, visit […]
We all go through periods when we just aren’t that efficient at work. Maybe there’s something personal going on that’s distracting you, maybe it’s been a beautiful summer week and you want to be out in the sun, maybe you have a cold and just don’t feel good but also don’t feel bad enough to […]
One of the top concerns for most lawyers is time management. We all have so much to accomplish in so little time, and it often seems that we’re always trying to cram more activities (whether professional or personal) into the non-negotiable 168 hours we have each week. Most of my coaching clients bring time management […]
This is off the ordinary topic, but today cannot be overlooked. As readers likely know, women voted today in Kuwait’s elections for the first time in a national poll. Without delving into the politics (or the socio-religious implications of the politics, or any combination thereof), this is a red-letter day for women in Kuwait and […]
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the “soft” skills on which law firms can profitably offer training to summer associates. Networking was on that list, and it’s probably my top pick for the hands-down most important soft skill. I received a number of questions about what I mean by teaching networking. So, here’s […]