P/T Legal Work Still Largely for Women

No surprises in a recent NALP report.

A Little Holiday Cheer

From sock puppets!

Don't Repress Your Feelings

My BCG colleagues and I have been trying to offer suggestions to help lawyers get through the current recession. For some tips that we have all missed, here is my latest post on BCG's Lateral Attorney Report.

Overseas Slowdown?

Practicing in the Far East or Middle East may not be as easy as I previously reported.

These Are a Few of My (Least) Favorite Things

Business pitches on the golf course, surprise $35,000 bills for legal memos and lawyers who discuss cases with the company's executives without keeping in-house counsel in the loop are just a few of general counsel's least favorite things. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Be Successful at Something

I am pleased to report that CounseltoCounsel has been selected again for the ABA's Blawg 100 (the top 100 websites by lawyers, for lawyers as determined by the editors of the ABA Journal). If you would like to vote for CounseltoCounsel for best in the Careers category, please click here and scroll down.

Things have been pretty slow in the recruiting business these last few months. For me, blogging has been a way to feel successful at something that I enjoy. It was nice to be recognized by the ABA particularly at a time when my work has slowed considerably.

If your work has slowed down or if you are unfortunate enough to be in the job market already, it is easy to fall into a depressed stupor. But keeping a positive attitude is important as you look for work (or while you ride out a slow down in your department). One way to keep up your spirits is to make sure to carve out time to do something you enjoy.

There are many ways to do this. What is most important is that you find ways to reinforce your own self worth by doing something and being successful at it. For some, this might be doing volunteer work (helping the homeless, providing pro bono legal services to an arts organization). For others, it might be playing music with friends, writing poetry, visiting museums, reading spy novels, running or playing tennis.

For me, it is spending time with my children (I really enjoy cheering them on when they play sports or perform in a play or concert). And it is also writing this blog. So go do something that you enjoy and be successful at it. Your success may not necessarily put food on the table; but it will feed your ego and ensure that you keep a positive outlook when it is most important to project optimism.

The Walking Wounded

The phone calls and office visits are increasing. Like recruiters all over the country, I am spending an increasing amount of my time counseling associates who have been "let go".

The effects are visceral. I can see it in their faces and hear it in their voices. "How can this be happening to me? I did everything right." I reassure them that they will get another job. I also point out that it might take some time. It is clear that not everyone believes that someone else will hire them.

Getting laid off or fired is one of life's most stressful events. For most of us, it raises immediate financial concerns. For lawyers and other professionals who define themselves by their careers, the psychological damage can be profound.

If you are in this situation, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• You are in good company. Getting "let go" in a major downturn doesn't require a lot of explanation. Everyone knows that law firms are slow.
• Be honest. You will hurt your credibility with a future employer if you allow your current employer to pretend that you are still employed when in fact, you have been asked to leave
• You do not need to explain everything that led to your demise. Just tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
• Get exercise to combat stress.

Terror in Mumbai

It is ironic that that just as I was blogging about the coming wave of legal process outsourcing in India, Mumbai was hit with a horrible wave of terror. These attacks are a painful reminder that wherever opportunity exists, it is accompanied by risk.

Of course in business, we usually think about more mundane risks (will the marketplace buy my service, will I be able to finance my expansion, etc.) The threat of terrorism is not usually high on the list of things to factor in when considering doing business with India. Will that now change?

Undoubtedly, business in India has been disrupted by the events of last week. But I deliberately waited a few days before commenting on the attacks because I wanted to see how the ordeal would unfold. While I'm sure that all over India, there is a heightened sense of vulnerability that did not exist prior to November 26th, I'm confident that LPO will continue to grow and thrive. Maybe companies will be revisiting issues like data security and the physical security of employees; but November 26th does not fundamentally alter the strong economic forces that are fueling this trend.