“Live the life you dreamed of before law school
Envision new possibilities for your life
It's time for a life worth more than the billable hour.”
The typical law school curriculum does not include training in the development of leadership skills. Without adequate preparation, the transition from an exclusive focus on your own technical competence to motivating others to do their best work can be quite stressful. This issue offers ways to ease this passage and help you become an effective leader…
Read MoreOver the past few months, I've participated in three outstanding conferences: The National Association of Women Lawyers' Taking Charge of Your Career: Best Practices for Women Lawyers and Their Firms; the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession's Women in Law Leadership Academy; and ThirdPath Institute's Redesigning Law Conference…
Read MoreThe expressions of incredulity as I delivered my presentation at a law firm retreat several years ago are vividly engraved in my memory. It was the period in the history of the legal profession in America when firms so feared losing their associates to Silicon Valley that salaries had sky-rocketed and retention initiatives were de rigueur…
Read MoreHere are 20 ways to develop attorneys’ leadership competencies, which will increase attorneys’ job satisfaction, and improve business outcomes. Research on leadership indicates that 50 to 75 percent of organizations are currently managed by people lacking in leadership competence. [1]…
Read MoreNothing makes us feel more out of balance than spending ten or more hours a day doing something devoid of meaning. When we lose sight of our purpose, our activities become meaningless…
Read MoreSelf-awareness, self-management and empathy skills are defined. The effective use of these abilities in your dealings with clients and colleagues can make the difference between being a competent attorney and achieving extraordinary success…
Read MoreMany women lawyers appear to lack confidence because they require too high a level of confidence before holding forth. They are not used to experiencing temporary setbacks (partly because few of them participate in competitive sports, where loss is not seen as catastrophic)…
Read MoreThe assumption that work should always come first, and the pressure on women attorneys to prove their commitment, can make it difficult to set appropriate boundaries around work. This issue offers new ways to think about and respond to law firm culture to ease the guilt that often accompanies limit setting…
Read More“I really do my best under pressure. I love that adrenaline rush. When I don’t feel it, I feel bored. I don’t really feel like I’m working unless there’s an urgent deadline.” A woman attorney recently expressed these sentiments to me. Have you heard yourself say or think something similar?
Read MoreCountless women attorneys have described to me their ongoing concerns about being harshly criticized by angry partners—not necessarily men—in their firms. Some women were dressed down, loudly and harshly, in front of other lawyers in the firm…
Read MoreMany of the lawyers I coach feel stymied in their efforts to successfully market their services. Some are blocked by the perception of what marketing entails…
Read MoreOne might think that women whose most finely developed skill is advocacy would be wonderful advocates for themselves. But in reality…
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