Beware of "Chicken Little" Pundits

It's easy to read a well crafted article and conclude that 2008 will be a terrible year for most law firms. Maybe it will. But the problem with articles like this is that they are widely circulated in the legal press and you end up with the equivalent of the CNN effect (i.e. something must be true because you hear it so many times in a 24 hour news cycle.)

In fact, many firms are reporting that 2008 has not been as strong as 2007. But is this really the worst market for legal services since 2001? If you want to know the answer, wait until 2009. Economists are much more accurate looking in the rear view mirror then they are in predicting the future. Until then, make sure that the facts show a dramatic slow down in your firm before you conclude that it is time to think about your options.

Best Firms for Women

The results are in. Working Mother Magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers have released their second annual report on the top 50 best law firms for women. As I've written in the past, I do believe that rankings should be kept in perspective. Large law firms are complex institutions that offer many different realities to individual attorneys (i.e. depending on which office you work in, which department you work for, what deals or litigation matters you get staffed on, how busy your practice area may be, the personalities of the partners you report to, etc.)

Over time, look for the firms that appear on these lists year after year. Appearing once means something. Appearing consistently is worth noting.

Don't Ask "Why"

On the eve of the Beijing Olympics, my local public radio station interviewed a sports psychologist, JoAnn Dahlkoetter, on the subject of achievement. Dahlkoetter, who won the San Francisco marathon in 1980, had numerous interesting things to say about achievement. Most of what she said has relevance to being a successful lawyer--whether you are striving to develop a high level of competence in your practice niche or trying to build your own practice through effective marketing . You can catch it on the WBUR website at your leisure.

She was particularly insightful on the subject of overcoming adversity. One strategy that she suggested struck a chord with me. She indicated that in the face of failure, don't ask yourself "why" it happened. You can always come up with reasons to blame yourself (and being a lawyer where you are paid to identify how things that might go wrong, this is particularly true.) Instead, she suggests that after a set back, ask yourself, "what" should I do next or "how" can I get past this. I guess this is another way of saying focus on the present or on your future actions rather than dwelling. Now I just have to figure out "why" this has been hard for me in the past!