10 Tips For Making Change

While I am on the subject of change, JD Bliss blog has linked to some very good tips on how to explore changing careers.

The Challenge of Making Change

Just before the New Year, Ellen Ostrow had a great piece on change. She discusses some of the barriers we all have to making change and talks about the importance of confronting our resistance to change.

When you choose to “not rock the boat” you stop growing personally. Inaction leads to stagnation. Your internal voice tells you that something needs to change but the risks of doing so loom too largely to allow you to see what you risk by staying tied to your established patterns.

(I delayed linking to it because until recently, it was not on her website.) Several years ago, I also wrote a piece about change and discussed the role that ambivalence plays in helping us to avoid change. While the New Year is already a month old, many of us are already working on the changes we pledged to ourselves; but it's not too late to may your Groundhog Day resolutions. There are still 2 more days to go!

Conducting your job search at the office?

If your last few Monday mornings at the office have consisted of pouring over the latest postings on lawjobs.com or Law Crossing while sipping your latte, you might want to think twice about making it a routine practice. I've had several candidates who found themselves jobless after their firms found out they were looking around.

In most cases, word of mouth was the culprit. A secretary hears a voice mail that was not intended for her ears and then gossips to others. Or word gets out after an attorney goes on an interview because an imprudent interviewer mentions it to someone at the attorney's firm. However, occasionally you hear about a firm that reads employee e-mails, or worse, monitors your internet activity.

I advise my candidates to use a personal e-mail address for their job search correspondence. I also recommend that candidates put their cell numbers on their resumes instead of their work numbers. The New York Times has a recent article on the perils of using the workplace as a venue for your job search.

A Dilemma for Non-New York Firms

This post on the Greedy Boston Board of Greedy Associates highlights the dilemma that the New York salary wars has created beyond the Big Apple. To the junior associate or law student, it is difficult to justify accepting an offer from one top firm if another top firm is paying a higher salary (or paying a higher salary in their New York office.)

But the economics of New York practice are not the same in other markets. Larger deals enable firms to operate with greater associate leverage (i.e. more associates per partner) and billing rates in New York tend to be higher as well. Most businesses recognize that they need to pay more for talent in New York than elsewhere in the country so why should the practice of law be any different?

Several of the New York firms have purportedly raised salaries in their Boston offices (e.g. Weil, Proskauer and Skadden will pay their new Boston associates $160K.) I imagine that fear and a robust demand for legal talent will ensure that within a few months, firms like Wilmer, Ropes and Goodwin will do something as well for their Boston hires.

But what if you have accepted an offer from a firm that decides not to budge? What if you work for one of those firms and know that one of the higher paying firms is hiring in your practice area?

As I said a few posts ago, I strongly believe that it is important to stay focused on the big picture when analyzing this situation. Intangibles are far more important in the long run and if you are in an environment where you are thriving, think twice before chasing the money.

I do think that firms who choose not to raise will need to articulate a good rationale for paying "below market". But a number of firms successfully did this during the last boom by demonstrating what the firm has to offer beyond a very large paycheck. In addition, some of the firms that chose to follow the market are no longer in business. So just remember that maximizing your income today, may not serve you well in the long run.

Thinking about Legal Recruiting as a Profession?

On a weekly basis, attorneys ask me about making the transition from practicing law to legal recruiting. Here's an article I recently wrote that should give you a good insight into the reality of legal recruiting.

http://www.lawcrossing.com/article/index.php?id=2402

Mr. Smith's Rules of Driving

When I took driver's ed in the 1970's, our teacher introduced us to Mr. Smith's Rules of Driving. It was a quaint film done in the 1950's and had the feel of Father Knows Best (i.e. it was clearly lacking the whiz bang production qualities that a younger generation would expect.) But to this day, I still remember those rules (at least some of them--1. Keep those eyes moving 2. Keep the big picture, and my personal favorite, 3. leave yourself an out.)

As I think about the latest salary wars that are raging in New York (and likely to catch fire in other major legal markets) I suddenly realized that those driver's education rules have direct relevance to the associates who are receiving (or not receiving) these pay hikes.

Salary is obviously a very important reason we all work. But it is important to "Keep the big picture" when thinking about salary. Sure it is nice to have another $15,000 in your pocket after working hard. But keep in mind that depending on your tax bracket, $15,000 is probably less than $10,000 after taxes. More importantly, how much difference will this $10,000 make in your life in 5 years (even if you earn this additional sum for 3-5 more years?)

IMHO, it is more important that you are laying a good foundation for your future success and career satisfaction. If you like your current firm and think you have a shot at partnership (or at least believe that you are developing the skills you need for success) , does it make sense to make a lateral move just to increase your income in the short run?

Of course no one wants to get paid less for equal work so undoubtedly, the wave that began in New York will continue to spread around the country. But if you remain at a firm that elects not to follow suit, consider whether making a lateral move now will do anything for you in the long run. I wrote about this 6 years ago when Testa Hurwitz (which dissolved a couple of years ago) started driving up salaries in Boston.

If your only goal in working for a top firm is to pay off debt, then by all means, "Keep those eyes moving." But just remember that the good times that are driving this salary war will not last forever. We only need to look back to the earlier part of this decade to know that building good relationships with partners in your firm is the best way to "Leave yourself an out" when work slows down.

The New $100,000

I remember, and not so very many years ago, when the associates' committee I served on had to convince our firm to bring first year salaries up to $100,000 to be in parity with the market. Our firm wasn't a market leader, but we definitely tried to keep up. Of course, by the time you read this post, two or three other firms will have already followed Simpson Thatcher's lead in bringing first year salaries up to $160,000, and perhaps beyond it.

I am not a number-cruncher so I don't have any gee-whiz statistics to wow you with. Nor do I think $160K is going to bring the legal community to its knees. Neither is it really that remarkable. Simpson's move is just one more step in the direction of an important trend.

Of course law firms need to keep attracting strong talent, of course rates are continuing their march toward the infinite. Frankly, the big boys can afford $160K, and more. But there is a catch. No, it is not just "more hours." Associates and partners alike are already putting in "more hours." What this really signifies is that the "class" distinctions between lawyers are widening, and there will be no reversal of that trend.

Higher salaries are an easy call for an economist. Market conflation means that fewer firms are market leaders on an increasingly shrinking planet. When attorneys from Atlanta can represent Norwegian interests in Costa Rican factories for products distributed in Africa, under Singapore law, you know that you are working in a global market. This means that fewer firms competing for a large, and increasingly sophisticated pie of high-quality work.

So what?

Well. This means that competition for the best talent will only continue to spiral. But more importantly, there will be less and less room for error. Associates at premier firms are already walking across a tight rope. That won't change--although the wire is getting higher and higher. The real, rubber-hits-the-road change, is that the safety net for those who falter is getting smaller, and farther away. Why? The largest firms are not only international powerhouses, of course, but they are grabbing up the premier domestic work. The market of "safety-net" firms has, and will continue to shrink. Bottom line: blink and you will be out of the promised land, your salary will shrink by a third, perhaps more, and the doors to ground-breaking work will be increasingly closed to you. You'll be on the outside, looking in, and the glass is getting thicker.

Enjoy the money. No pressure.

Leading a Sustainable Life

Julie Fleming Brown has a nice post on sustainability. How do we lead lives that are "sustainable"? Julie discusses the problem of "burning on both ends of the candle" and suggests a number of practical steps to reduce stress and decrease the chances of burnout ("focus your attention and practice on what is meaningful to you," "delegate those tasks which negatively impact your energy level", "connect with other people," etc.)

Although I am in the search business and only earn fees when lawyers decide that it is time for a change, I think it is important to first apply some of Julie's suggestions before throwing in the towel. Maybe you can get more of the technology work you like and spend less time working with the banking clients who are less interesting to you. Maybe you can delegate some of the drafting you don't like to a skilled paralegal. Perhaps you can make more effort to leave work early on Fridays.

If you find ways to make your work more "sustainable", you may just find that it is not necessary to change firms in order to increase your career satisfaction.

Time IS Money

New research by Stanford Business School demonstrates that for individuals who bill by the hour, the world can turn into a 24 hour clock divided by dollar signs (I discovered this link courtesy of Stepanie West Allen who writes the blog Idealawg.) Of note, the study talked about lawyers who "admitted to mentally ticking away lost income for each minute they stood on the sidelines while watching their kids play soccer admitted."

What this highlights for me is how easy it is for your life to get out of balance if you bill for your time. Lawyers who live by the billable hour should set aside breaks in their day/week/month/year when the clock is not running. This can't be done informally. It must be deliberate. And so as I sit here on a Sunday blogging away (and I don't even bill for my time), I realize it is time to sign off and go eat lunch and play with my kids (and get ready for the AFC playoff game!)

How Do Recruiters Get Paid?

I get a lot of questions about how the legal recruiting business works. My latest article in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly is an attempt to answer some of the more common questions and point out some of the risks that are part and parcel of being in the search business.

Frankly, I think recruiting is a great way to earn a living and I feel very fortunate that I discovered this business. I also feel very fortunate that I now get to work with a great group of recruiters (i.e. my colleagues at the other BCG offices.) Like any business, recruiting has its moments. But the rewards of helping people with their careers far outweighs some of the real frustration that we all experience.

BCG is actually looking to add recruiters in virtually every office. So let us know if you are interested!

Take the time to write a good bio

A few minutes ago, I was reviewing some senior associate biographies on a law firm website. I was pretty surprised. They all said the same thing: where the person went to law school, when they graduated, and any activities they did in law school. Some of the biographies ended with sentences such as, "Jim was involved in the urban housing clinic during his second year of law school."

Despite the fact that many of these associates were 5, 6, or 7 years out of law school, the bios barely discussed their current practice, other than saying "Joe Smith practices in the area of complex commercial litigation." The bios did not mention their strengths as an attorney, what makes them capable of doing a good job, or provide any other information that would make a client feel comfortable that they were hiring somebody that was guaranteed to do a good job. They were extremely bare-bones, and hardly compelling or interesting. It was as if the attorneys didn't care enough to make their biographies interesting.

Attorneys are trained to be persuasive communicators. Especially in terms of persuasive writing. Especially litigators. But why do so many litigators have biographies that are completely unpersuasive about their skills as an attorney? Don't you think it would make sense for attorneys to illustrate and highlight their persuasive skills when it comes to advocating for themselves? If associates can't advocate for themselves or make a compelling case whey they have something to offer their clients, what impression does this leave potential clients who are reviewing the firm's website?

When the Relationship is Based on E-mail Alone

E-mail has been a fabulous addition to the communication tool box that we use in the work place. It's efficient, it creates a simultaneous record of our communications and it is easy to forward. But many associates I speak with are missing out on important nuances by overly relying on e-mail.

Many partners now enjoy communicating with associates by e-mail precisely because it is so efficient. But as an associate, you need to look out for your own career and try to encourage some of the face to face communication that will help you build your internal relationships.

E-mail is a good way to exchange objective information. But how likely are you to get mentoring through e-mail?

CareerJournal suggests some ways to get a boss to communicate more directly (which is what put me onto this topic today.)

If a partner always communicates with you by e-mail, you still have the option of stopping by the partner's office to get clarification on an assignment. By doing this periodically, I believe that you can foster much stronger bonds with partners; and in turn, you will increase the chances that a partner will help you avoid career pitfalls and guide you in what you need to do to increase your prospects of getting the brass ring.

Don't forget your Rolodex

Increasing your circle of contacts can make a big impact in increasing clients, widening job opportunities, and raising your local profile. Always, always have your business cards on hand and offer them to the business contacts you meet.

When you do meet new contacts, take their business cards and jot a quick note to the person the next day without fail. Personalize the note, and then stay in contact with that person. Countless times, I have seen a great networker get the job or obtain a new client over others who might be more qualified. They weren't always the best attorneys, but they knew the most people.

The Career Journal has some excellent tips for networking.

Getting your brain around "happiness"

Every day of my working life I talk to attorneys who are looking for something to make them "happier." Mostly they think that a new firm will get them "there." And sometimes they are right. Even if they aren't, usually when attorneys have picked up the phone to initiate a relationship with a recruiter, they have "crossed the Rubicon" and have no intention of staying at their current position. It then falls to me to find the gig that is going to get them what they want: more money, better work, more prestige, a chance at parnership--happiness. Thus, I always, always, always try turn the recruiting experience into something more than musical chairs. The "more" part is a process by which the candidate will really evaluate his or her past successes and failures and delve in to that part of the mind that holds dreams, pet projects and wild fantasies about a future practice.

I do all this because I do not believe that happiness comes from "work-life balance." There is no such thing. I do not believe that working more or less, harder or easier, upside down or backwards is going to make anyone happier. Rather, I believe that happiness comes from an ordered mind. And the only way to get to that state of orderliness is to start rummaging through the detritus that accumulates there. We have to sort through the nagging little thoughts here and there that pull us toward something new and different. If we can take control of that mess, that protoplasm of thought and angst, and really look at it all, structure it, corral it, we can start a rational process that will help us get our actions into line with our dreams. If you don't think that will get you to happiness, maybe you've never experienced it. Ecstasy? I hope so. Joy? Surely. But happiness?--that state of calm pleasure, of contentedness with one's life, an absence of unreasonable fear, a state of habitual clarity of thought and unhurried productivity? Think about it.

It's Never too Early to Start Marketing

David Maister continues to amaze me with the quality of materials he puts out for free. If I were running a large law firm and had a budget to hire a management consultant, he would be first on my list. He is prolific, generous and right on point.

His latest podcast is a good starting point for any associate who wonders how to get started with marketing. If you work in a large law firm, and you are a junior associate, you are probably getting the message that you should focus on delivering high quality legal services. That is what the firm expects from you and that is how you will advance your career.

The problem with this message is that it is only partly true. As you get more senior, the firm will begin to look at your future potential for generating work.

David eloquently (and succinctly) makes the point that if you focus now on relationship building (he calls it friendship skills in his podcast), you job of generating work for your firm will be much easier down the road. It's a good overview for any associate who is concerned about his or her long term security in the practice of law.

Shattering Someone's Career Identity

A talented litigator came into my office yesterday and reported that despite great performance reviews and an impressive track record of business development, the firm was letting her go. The pain in this associate's face was palpable and although I know this individual will thrive in another setting, I was reminded of how much power partners wield over associates. It is a power that can be used in very positive ways (e.g. to boost the ego of an aspiring young professional or to mentor an up and coming star .)

But all too often, it is a power that is misused. In this case, it sounds like the partner felt threatened by the associate's success and decided to "eliminate" the threat. Nice!

This individual will be back on her feet shortly. What a way to treat good talent, though. And what a waste of the investment that the firm made in this individual.

Is your career on course?

If you are like most attorneys, the thought of planning your career past the next few months can be daunting. However, those that do plan their careers--and take the time to periodically evaluate whether they are on track--are much more likely to have a satisfying career.

Here's a recent article I wrote on this subject, which provides four quick questions you can ask yourself to determine whether your career is on track. http://www.lawcrossing.com/article/index.php?id=2356. I hope you enjoy.

7 Habits for Rainmaking Success

Marketing and business development is an important career issue for attorneys. While not everyone is destined to generate millions of dollars in originations, I truly believe that most lawyers have some ability to bring work to their firm. I also know that at most law firms, it is the lawyers with their own clients who have the most influence.

Becoming a great lawyer is a good place to start. Being a great lawyer won't necessarily turn you into a rainmaker. But delivering great customer service to your clients is a great first step in the road to generating repeat legal work. Sara Holtz offers the following suggestions: it helps to have a plan, make business development a priority, do a lot of listening and follow up consistently.

Time Management Reminders

In today's Career Journal some good reminders about time management. Nothing particularly new here but it is always good to be reminded of some of the fundamentals as the New Year starts (i.e. know when you work best, set deadlines, control your environment, eliminate unessential work, work on the go.)

For associates, controlling your environment is probably the hardest (it's hard to tell a partner to go away.) But getting drafting done in the early hours before partners arrive is one way to limit interruptions. Similarly, associates may not alway get deadlines from partners (particularly partners who are disorganized); but nothing stops you from asking for deadlines. Getting clarification can help you better plan your own time.

New Year's Resolution: Happiness?

Over the holidays, I arrived at my brother-in-law's house to witness a truly massive pile of presents waiting under the Christmas tree for all of us to open. Once the wrapping paper was off and the gifts were in hand, I wondered whether the expense we had all gone to was merited by the enjoyment we would receive from the abundance of consumer goods. Was the toil and hard work worthy of the gifts we had in front of us?

The most recent issue of The Economist explores the concept of happiness and how it can be empirically measured. The article mentions John Maynard Keynes, famed macroeconomist, who "imagined that richer societies would become more leisured ones, liberated from toil to enjoy the finer things in life." But Keynes found that in richer societies, people continued to work very hard. "They work hard to afford things they think will make them happy, only to discover the fruits of their labour sour quickly. They also aspire to a higher place in society's pecking order, but in so doing force others in the rat race to run faster to keep up. So everyone loses."

As the new year begins, many lawyers find themselves wondering how they can enrich their lives. Taking stock of activities that enhance your life and identifying activities with a deleterious effect can be a useful exercise.

Do you have a beautiful home, but spend an hour of your day commuting to its suburban location? Do you spend your lunch hour eating heavy meals instead of improving your health by joining the gym next door to your office? Could you possibly work "smarter" instead of longer, and give yourself a chance to go one of your son's baseball games? Are you staying in your high-paying job in order to afford the luxury car and the expensive house, but at the cost of your health and happiness? Come to think of it, there is a 6 o'clock yoga class today. I think I will go.

Learning From Partner Mistakes

Working for a difficult partner can make your life hell. I spent many years working for a boss who routinely yelled at employees in front of their colleagues, blamed subordinates for his mistakes and placed a high premium on "face time". While I would never want to repeat an experience like that, I did learn a lot by watching a bully in action. In a strange way, taking mental notes on how he treated the people he worked with taught me a tremendous amount about managing people effectively (or in his case, ineffectively.)

Hard driving partners can teach you a lot of substance in your practice area; but they can also teach you how to be more successful in the future when you are running the show. Here's a piece in today's Career Journal on the subject.

Digital is Forever

In the last post, I mentioned the duel hazards of fabricating information on your resume or omitting material information. There is a very real and related career hazard that comes to us courtesy of the internet: making unflattering personal information available to prospective employers through the internet.

In a nutshell, job seekers are increasingly finding out that employers are learning personal information about prospective employees on websites like MySpace and YouTube . The pie eating contest may be funny; but what might a law firm think if they learned about your deep love of heavy metal, the costume party where you dressed up as a giant sex toy, etc.

As we will all surely learn in years to come--digital is forever!

Honesty May Prevent Suspension

The D.C. Bar's Board on Professional Responsibility has recommended a 30-day suspension for an attorney who fabricated academic achievements on his resume. While most of us are savvy enough not to outright lie on a resume (would you want to hire a lawyer who lacks basic integrity?), beware of omitting material information as well. I cannot think of a scenario where a overseeing agency would suspend a lawyer for omitting information on a resume (though I'm sure someone out there can come up with something.)

But last year, I worked with a candidate who omitted her last place of employment from her resume. On poor advice from another recruiter, she neglected to report that she had worked at a large firm for a couple of months and had been fired for taking too much medical leave.

While the large firm may have been in the wrong, leaving this information off the resume (or at the very least, not flagging it in a cover letter) was clearly the wrong thing to do. The firm who hired my candidate fired her on the second day when they found out about the previous employment. Try explaining that one to a third employer!