Tag: lawstudents

Categories
People I Met Practicing Law

Who Do You Want To Be in the Legal Profession?

Woman pulling a suitcase on a country road, seen from behind.
Photo by Ivan Aguilar at Pexels.

There was once a mid-sized law firm that wanted to develop a specialty in a niche area of litigation.

At the bottom level of that specialty, there were general commercial litigation lawyers who wrongly thought that they knew enough to be competent. One step above, there were lawyers with a decent reputation who gave good, creative, advice and achieved decent results most of the time. And then there were the Tier One superstars. Big reputations, high billings, and in demand for the most difficult assignments.

read more about who you want to be in the legal profession “Who Do You Want To Be in the Legal Profession?”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

C’s Get Degrees

Woman looking at grade on paper at school.
Photo by Rdne Project at Pexels.

I was spending time with some young folks the other night. I heard a phrase which was new to me, but apparently not to the rest of the world. “C’s get degrees” has something to do with prioritizing the enjoyment of life, and physical and mental health, over stressing out to achieve high grades. Are the people who live by this adage low on ambition or high on life? I really don’t know. I suppose that it depends on your perspective.

read more about being careful where you get your advice from “C’s Get Degrees”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Being Smart is Not What it is Cracked Up to Be

Man with glasses in a formal pose.
Photo by Elsimage at Pexels.

You, who are on the road; must have a code you try to live by; and so become yourself; because the past is just a goodbye; teach your children well.

~ Graham Nash

Parents teach their children about success by reference to how things were during their productive years. To my grandparents, success was a job in the front office at the factory, rather than on the production floor. My parents hoped that their children would become professionals. I wanted my children to achieve some work/life balance.

read more about whether being smart is the key to success “Being Smart is Not What it is Cracked Up to Be”
Categories
The Mentality and Attitudes of Lawyers

Shit Rolls Downhill

legs on a bobsled going downhill
Phto by minan at Pexels.

Out here in the country where I now live, it is a good thing if your septic tank is located on a lower elevation than your house. If it is not, you need something called a macerator to grind up the poop so that it can be pumped up to your septic tank, because as we all know, shit rolls downhill.

To put this in the context of a law firm, one might note that the most senior partners are usually on the highest floor of the office building.

read more about hierarchy, delgation, and teamwork in a lawfirm “Shit Rolls Downhill”
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Law Students and Young Lawyers

Let’s Kill Their Ambition and Blame it on Them

Runner in the start position.
Photo by Nappy at Pexels.

This is my very first article that is not about the legal profession – but it might as well be.

I know a recently graduated professional, finally free to make his mark on the world, and eager as hell to go out and make something of himself. It is not an easy job market out there, as we have all heard. It apparently has something to do with us evil Boomers having ruined the world, but that is a topic for another day.

read more about how employers kill the ambition of young people “Let’s Kill Their Ambition and Blame it on Them”
Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

The Implications of My Ice Cream Diet for Law Firm Management

The author eating an icecream cone at a cafe in Pars.

I have been over-weight for a good long while. My wife, Maureen, is not shallow. She loves me exactly as I am.  But she is smart, beautiful and talented, and her marketability far exceeds mine, so why take chances?

For about 15 years, I stopped eating chocolate, cake, pie, muffins, ice-cream, fudge, etc., etc., but I substituted bread, goat cheese, nut butter, and organic honey, and kept gaining weight.

read more about my diet and what it might suggest for law firm managers “The Implications of My Ice Cream Diet for Law Firm Management”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Observing Plans For Your Demise

A sad looking dog
Photo by Alexandru Rotariu at Pexels.

My friends Jim and Sheila love dogs.  They used to share their residence with a rescue dog named Henry. Dragons live forever, but not so little dogs. So when Henry got sick and his demise was imminent, Jim built a coffin for Henry so that it would be ready when needed to carry Henry to his final resting place in the woods.

While Jim was building his coffin, Henry would see him working on it. After it was finished, Henry could see the coffin, just sitting there and waiting for him.

read more about knowing when the end is coming “Observing Plans For Your Demise”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

A Sad Tale of Love Gone Bad

Two hands, each holding half of a broken heart.
Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com at Pexels.

Many years ago, I knew a young couple who were very much in love. The young lady loved the idea of pleasing her parents and impressing her friends by marrying a good-looking boy with a promising career. The young man was in love with the idea of having a pretty girl on his arm who would respect and adore him. They were both in love with the idea of moving on to the stage of life that today’s young people call “adulting.”

read more about newcomers to the legal profession being ill-equipped to decide where to practice “A Sad Tale of Love Gone Bad”
Categories
Legal Tech

Where There’s A Will

Woman working at computer.
Photo by Rdne at Pexels.

This Article is about what lawyers need from LegalTech providers. I use Wills and Estates as an example, but the principles apply to many areas of practice.

You can read the article here: https://appara.ai/news-and-insights/where-theres-a-will

Categories
Mental Health and Work/Life Balance

An Action Plan for Becoming Less Miserable

Poster on a theatre for Les Miserables
Photo by Martino Battista at Pexels.

I understand that newbies to the legal profession who have student debt and no client base often feel locked into jobs that they hate.

I do not understand mid-level and senior lawyers who are financially stable and have a client base who stay in law firms that make them sick. I should understand them because I was one of them, but that is another story. Do as I say, not what I did.

Read more about reclaiming control over your life “An Action Plan for Becoming Less Miserable”