Success in Scary Times
Labels: career success in the law
A forum for discussing legal career issues facing associates and partners. The focus here is on law firm life; but this blog is also relevant to in-house counsel. I have been a legal recruiter (a/k/a legal headhunter) in Boston since 1997 and currently run the Boston office of BCG Attorney Search. I have substantial experience as a coach working with attorneys to find more career satisfaction. My guest bloggers are fellow BCG recruiters who work in other jurisdictions.
Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law
There's a simple principal in saving for retirement: start early. If you begin making small and regular investments when you are in your 20's, you will be well off by the time you reach 65. Labels: career success in the law, legal marketing
Labels: career success in the law
Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law
That's the question answered in this week's career column by a New York recruiter [free subscription required.] In a nutshell, the advice is: why not? But the advice is tempered with reality. If the firm rejected you initially because you lacked experience, then why not try again once you have the experience. But if they rejected you because they only hire candidates with top academics, then maybe reapplying is not a good use of your time (i.e. since you can't change your academics.)Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law
A partner at Womble Carlyle believes that lawyers should dress like lawyers. Personally, I rarely find myself wearing a tie or sport coat. It has been over 10 years since I worked in a job where I was expected to put on a suit every day and frankly, I don't find them that comfortable; but I think this partner is on to something. Labels: career success in the law, legal marketing
Assuming you are reasonably intelligent, success in law school is largely determined by effort. If you do the work, the grades will follow. In the real world, effort matters too; but once you are in practice, there are many other variables that affect your overall success. In the real world, showing up and doing a good job are no guarantees that you will advance.Labels: career success in the law
Success is much more than the money in your bank account. While it’s nice to be well compensated for your work, there are many other important variables in measuring your success as a professional. Is the work you do challenging? Do you find it engaging and do you get good results? Do you like your clients? Are you respected by your colleagues and lawyers in the legal community at large? Are your personal and professional lives in balance?
Labels: career success in the law
Labels: career success in the law

We can learn a lot by watching politicians stumble (to wit, Eliot Spitzer.) But we can also learn positive lessons for our own careers from public figures. Hillary Clinton is a politician who offers us both (i.e. guidance on how women in particular can advance and examples of how men and women can damage their careers.) A female partner at Andrews Kurth in Dallas weighs in.Labels: career success in the law
A reader weighs in on my latest article on telling the truth in an interview. He suggests that the problem for many lawyers is that they are too concerned with their own technical qualifications when they are in an interview situation. He suggests that the key to success in any business interaction (job interview, meeting prospective clients or referral sources, etc.) is to use your listening skills:Labels: career success in the law, legal job search, legal marketing
I learn so much by watching politicians stumble. Sometimes I feel a sense of schadenfreude (i.e. rejoicing in the misery of others.) But I actually feel sorry for Eliot Spitzer (and especially his wife--who looks like she has aged years in the last month.) My take away from the whole affair (pun intended) is that Eliot Spitzer fell quickly because he did not have friends in the right places. His aggressive and muckraking style made him an easy target when it became clear that he had some skeletons in his own closet.Labels: career success in the law
Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law
Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law
The "Snark" effectively uses his sarcasm to articulate how large firm associates can move from being a "cog" to becoming a partner. The key is to try and distinguish yourself from the pack. Doing great work and billing a lot of hours will not set you apart from any of the other associates who are doing the same thing. He suggests 3 ways to effectively distinguish yourself: 1. cultivate your relationship with your rich uncle who is head of mergers and acquisitions of Ubercorp, 2. develop a marketable niche and 3. hitch your wagon to a powerful partner.Labels: career success in the law
I'm a political junkie. While I confess I am growing tired of the current presidential race (can't someone figure out how to move us out of the perpetual election campaign that now begins the day after the president is inaugurated), I find a lot of good life lessons by watching politicians. Labels: career success in the law, legal marketing

Labels: career success in the law, legal marketing
Like many lawyers, I grew up in a family where it was considered bad form to brag. I remember hearing my father (a math professor) speak disparagingly about businessmen and politicians. In his words, they were "operators". He valued achievement and in particular, academic achievement. Success that derived from fast talking was "cheating".Labels: career success in the law, legal marketing
It's that time of year again when law firms will be making decisions about who has a future. Given the way the message is often delivered (i.e. indirectly and in a manner intended not to offend the associate), not everyone understands when all signs point to the door. Sometimes, work assignments begin to dry up. Other times, the partner tells the associate that maybe the firm isn't the right fit anymore. The "Snark" in Atlanta has more on the subject here for those of you who are not good at reading between the lines. This past Spring, my colleague Carey Bertolet also had a good article on the subject.Labels: career success in the law
Labels: attorney career satisfaction, career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law

I join the 60 percent of Americans who believe that George W. Bush is not doing a good job as President of the
In short, if you can build strong relationships with your superiors, you will enjoy much greater job security. If powerful people in your organization support you because you have demonstrated a high level of loyalty in the past, then they are more likely to go to bat for you when the going gets tough.
Labels: career success in the law

Labels: career success in the law, law firm management, law firm partnership, legal careers, legal job search, legal marketing
Labels: career success in the law
Labels: alternative legal careers, career success in the law
Labels: career success in the law