Beward of Casual Use of IM

Instant messaging is a very convenient way to quickly exchange information in real time without having to dial a telephone. But like e-mail, employees use this medium at their own risk. And employers who don't pay attention to IM usage or set up clear policies about usage may find themselves in the same hot water that e-mail has brought.

Warning Signs of a Bad Boss

Here is the link on CareerJournal.com.

Attention Deficit at Work

By some estimates, 8 million adults have Attention Deficit Disorder. These individuals tend to be very good at creative tasks and tend to have difficulty staying focused on more mundane tasks (think document review!) But there are many strategies that can help you cope with ADD and a lot of information now available on the subject. I would imagine that ADD could be a particularly difficult affliction in the practice of law where attention to detail can be critical.

Warning Signs of a Bad Boss

Joann Lublin of the WSJ talks about some of the warning signs of a bad boss. (In today's WSJ--subscription required--but will be in CareerJournal.Com shortly.)

If you are an associate looking to make a lateral move to another law firm, you really owe it to yourself to speak with some of the associates at the firm before accepting an offer. Also, trust your gut. If partners are rude to you and acting stressed out during an interview, imagine what they might be like once your start working there.

Beyond the Billable Hour?

More than 10 years ago, I organized a seminar for MCLE on alternatives to hourly billing. The panelists pognositcated that value billing would slowly begin to replace hourly billing. But as In-House Counsel notes, the shift has been glacial and hourly billing still rules.

Click here for a quick history of hourly billing and some predictions about the future.

Excelling at the Mundane

An article in CareerJournal.Com is a reminder that it is important to do a good job on your assignments--even if they are mundane. Junior associates can be tasked with some pretty uninspiring work. Most of us did not go to law school in hopes that someday we would be placed on a large due dilligence project. There is nothing glamerous about spending two weeks reviewing documents for a large anti-trust litigation. But it is still important to do your best on these assignments because senior associates and partners will be judging you and forming lasting first impressions. Do a good job and you will be rewarded with more interesting and challenging work; show a lot of attitude and you may soon be shown the door!

Unsustainable Growth in the U.K.?

A law firm consultant argues that fast law firm growth in the U.K. is unsustainable. He predicts that U.S. firms will continue to outcompete U.K. firms for a variety of reasons including: a preference by multinational corporations for using American legal structures, cherry picking of lucrative M&A deals in Europe by U.S. law firms, a lack of growth of U.S. style litigation in Europe, etc.

Handwritten Notes?

A marketing consultant suggests that handwritten notes remain an excellent way to stay connected with clients and professional contacts. I think she overstates the case (e.g. I think certain clients appreciate getting articles by e-mail so they can quickly forward them to others.) Also, some people's handwriting is so poor that there is little likelihood that a handwritten note will be appreciated (I speak with authority on this subject.) But there is no question that handwritten notes will stand out in our increasingly impersonal world.

One way to achieve the same result is to write a brief handwritten note on an otherwise printed letter. Using this technique, you can customize your direct mail marketing with less effort and still achieve the "personal" touch.

Developing a Backbone

Ellen Ostrow talks about why it is difficult for women to advocate for themselves in the workplace (and why it is critical to do so.) She offers some good tips for being assertive without becoming hostile.

Supervising Former Peers

Here is the link from my earlier post on how to supervise former peers. You don't need a WSJ subscription to read this version.

Learning to Be a Manager

Lawyers, like most professionals, receive little training in how to manage others. But even a junior associate has to know how to manage a secretary and delegate to paralegals. In today's edition, the WSJ observes (subscription required) that even in corporate America, soft skills training is often simply "trial by fire" or "on the job". Here are some of the most common mistakes that new managers make when they are suddenly placed in a position of authority. The article suggest that new managers err when they: (1) want to stay pals with former peers (2) assert authority too harshly (3) don't give a problem employee honest feedback (4) want to keep doing all the work themselves or (5) assume that employees know what they want without giving employees specific direction.

In a law firm partnership, the problem can be particularly bad since partners have limited authority over other partners at the firm. David Maister and Patrick McKenna have written an excellent book on the subject entitled First Among Equals. Here is my book review.

No Room for Advancement but Happy

Corporate Counsel magazine has conducted its annual survey of in-house counsel. The findings are consistent with prior years--i.e. that overall, in-house counsel are very happy with their jobs. The survey did find, however, that many in-house counsel do not seem room for advancement in their jobs.

Maybe one weakness of the survey is that it does not include in-house counsel who have lost their jobs and are now in the job market. Obviously, anyone who is unemployed (and wants to be) is not happy with their career. But the risks of losing your job seem far greater for in-house counsel and should be considered in evaluating what path you want your career to take.

Need New Skills? Hire a Coach

Marketing, management and organization are generally not subjects taught in law school. Many lawyers still enter the practice ill-equipped to supervise support staff, manage a lot of paper and deadlines and develop a book of business. Hiring a coach can help to bridge the gap.

Get referrals from other professionals you trust. Make sure the coach knows a lot about the area where you need the help.

Leaving a Job w/Grace

What's the best way to leave a job you don't like? Hint: don't say f.u. to your boss even if you are thinking it. You may need him as a reference some day.

For lawyers, the benefits of a graceful exit extend beyond maintaining your references. Lawyers from prior firms can become good referral sources for conflicts work and matters that are not appropriate for the old firm.

Ways to Build Business Relationships

My article on ways to develop business relationships was republished in Rain Today.

Don't Hyperfocus on Your Resume

I often tell candidates that their resume is the least important part of their job search. Of course you want to have a strong resume that accurately reflects your experience (and why it is relevant to the position that interests you.) But many jobs are lost at the interview stage. So if you are in a job search, spend more time preparing for interviews. I would add that an effective job search should include a lot more than sending out resumes in response to job postings. Get out and meet people who may be in a position to give you information about the job market (a/k/a informational interviewing.)

Tips for Working With a Mentor

Many successful professionals will tell you that a key to their success was having a good mentor. Catalyst, an organization that promotes the advancement of women in corporations and professional service organizations, has done research on the importance of the mentors in the lives of successful women. Here are some tips for working effectively with your mentor.

Blogging Opportunities

Lawyers have been blogging back since the early days of the medium (i.e. 3 years ago). While many lawyers are beginning to embrace the medium as a good marketing tool, opportunities still abound to make a name for yourself in the blogosphere.

Emotional Inteligence in the Law

Dealing effectively with difficult people requires a high level of emotional intelligence. An article in the Boston Globe suggests that emotional intelligence can be learned.

If you work with other lawyers, then it probably makes sense to invest some time and energy learning these skills.

Burnout at the Top

Burnout is not only something that can occur on your way to success, it is something that can happen after you reach the "top" (for lawyers in a law firm, that means partnership.) Professionals and executives who reach a point in their life where they have accomplished their goals but are now feeling "is this all there is?", may be experiencing burnout. The Career Journal gives some tips for recognizing the symptoms and offers some constructive advice about how to combat these feelings.

Second Tier Partnerships for Another Large Firm

Gibson Dunn has announced that it is adopting a two tier partnership. I predict that in the next ten years, law firms will follow the lead of the large accounting firms and insert several new steps between associate and partner. In many ways, it makes no sense for a large organization to have so few opportunties for advancement. But law firms are conservative by nature and change is slow in this profession.

Are We Heading Towards One Megafirm?

Ward Bower of Altman Weil doesn't see this happening any time soon.

Teamwork Actually Matters

It seems obvious that good teamwork can affect the quality of professional services. New research by Harvard Business School shows that surgeons who work in more than one hospital have better outcomes in facilities that demonstrate a higher level of teamwork. Could the same be true for lawyers and law firms? Career lesson: choose a work environment that fosters good teamwork.

How to Consolodate Your Student Loans

If you are thinking about consolodating your student loans, here are some tips for choosing a lender.

The Mechanics of Creating a Podcast

If you are interested in learning more about the mechanics of creating a podcast, click here.

Don't Forget About Marketing

It is much easier to see a return from business development activities than from marketing activities. After all, no one is going to hire you just because you were quoted in the New York Times, wrote an article for a trade association publication or spoke at a client seminar. But marketing activities play an important role in keeping up your visibility and in raising your credibility. If you spend some of your time marketing over a long period of time, then prospective clients will take you more seriously when you meet with them.

Are podcasts the next wave of legal marketing

We have come a very long way since lawyers first embraced direct mail marketing. Websites are almost ubiquitous (or at least the absence of a website probably sends the message that a law firm is behind the times.) E-mail marketing is now being widely used by major law firms to supplement (or in some cases to replace) U.S. mail and blogs like this are becoming increasingly common.

It seems that podcasts may be the next wave. It is very logical that lawyers should turn to this medium. While lawyers are supposed to be masters of the written word, increasingly, we live in a multimedia culture where busy professionals do not have the time to read. Podcasts provide a very inexpensive way to basically create a private radio broadcast (in the same way that a blog creates a private newspaper.)