Legal Commentary

What to Do If We Enter a Recession?

Posted on February 06, 2008
The media has an uncanny way of playing on our collective psyches. All the doom and gloom about the economy and the dreaded "R" word is enough to make anyone expect a pink slip. But the reality is far more complex. Even in a recession, there are winners and losers...

Do You Have an Entrepreneurial Intch?

Posted on February 04, 2008
Are you eager to give up your high paying law firm job for the chance to earn a salary that is based 100% on commissions? Would you like the chance to have your income depend on highly irrational decision making over which you have very limited control? If so, then a career in legal recruiting may be just what the doctor ordered...

How Cogs Can Distinguish Themselves

Posted on January 31, 2008
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...

What's Up For 2008?

Posted on January 29, 2008
Consulting firm Hildebrandt International has teamed up with Citi Private Bank to provide interesting predictions about the legal profession in 2008. You can download the report for free by clicking here. Basically, the message is that the legal profession continues to be very profitable; but 2008 may be a slower year of growth...

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Positive Work/Life Signs in Today's NY Times

Posted on January 24, 2008
Work/life balance is not all doom and gloom in the practice of law. The New York Times documents some of the positive developments.

In Uncertain Times, Think Like Mac

Posted on January 22, 2008
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...

Misinterpreting Silence

Posted on January 17, 2008
One of the biggest mistakes I have made in my professional and personal life is misinterpreting silence. While I have gotten better in dealing with silence in my personal relationships , it is something that I continue to struggle with as a recruiter...

More on Accomplishing Your Goals

Posted on January 15, 2008
David Maister has a new book out on the subject of strategy. His basic premise is that most of the money that companies spend on consultants is wasted. That's because coming up with a strategy is not the problem for most companies. Sticking with the strategy is what really counts and it is where most companies fall down...

New Year's Resolutions for Cynics

Posted on January 14, 2008
Maybe I'm being a fuddy duddy, but I really don't understand what the Snark hopes to accomplish by writing a column like this. Okay, maybe finding time for yourself (or for your loved ones) is a major challenge if you work at a large firm. Perhaps it is unrealistic to undergo major life change if you are billing in excess of 2200 hours a year...

Taking the Silver (and Running With It)

Posted on January 09, 2008
Mitt Romney and I now have something in common. We both took the silver. But I have a hunch that I am a lot happier with my silver than he is with his. In total, 694 individuals voted CounseltoCounsel best in the Lawyer's Toolkit category in the ABA Journal Blawg100 competition...

It's All Relative

Posted on January 07, 2008
We all need a certain amount of money to be happy. Without income, we cannot provide ourselves and our families with food, shelter, clothing, entertainment, etc. But how much is enough? For most of us, it is all relative. If we feel like we are being treated like our peers, then we are content...

Just Pick Up the Phone

Posted on January 03, 2008
There are many paths to building your own practice. Some lawyers like public speaking or professional writing. Some like to get involved in bar association activities or become active in trade associations. Others enjoy leisure activities that put them in frequent contact with potential clients and referral sources (e...

A Radio Interview With Yours Truly

Posted on January 02, 2008
Well, I'm back. In case you were wondering why this blog has been inactive since mid-December, I have been busy following my own advice (i.e. taking a 2 week vacation and NOT checking in.) Although I am severely jet lagged today, and somewhat depressed to leave behind a tropical paradise in exchange for the crappy weather that comes in January in Boston, I can honestly say that I am completely converted! Two weeks away in the sun in a different time zone is a very healthy way to end the year...

Surviving the Holiday Season--Joyfully

Posted on December 16, 2007
I always find this time of year to be very stressful, though not for the reasons you might think. Being Jewish, I don't have a large x-mas shopping list. In fact if anything, this is the time of year when I am happiest not to be a Christian (too much shopping pressure...

A New Model of Flexibility

Posted on December 13, 2007
While I would echo the sentiments of Suzanne's post (i.e. that on a practical level, it remains difficult for women to find alternative path's to success in a law firm) there are some very good ideas floating around out there. For example, Deborah Epstein Henry of Flex-time Lawyers, has proposed an interesting model called F...

One partner's thoughts on balancing motherhood with law firm life

Posted on December 13, 2007
I first stumbled across Kathleen J. Wu's article in the Texas Lawyer almost two months ago. In the article, Wu, a partner with large law firm Andrews & Kurth, was curious as to the effect that now larger law firm salaries would have on practicing attorney mothers in Texas...

Tell the World About Your Successes

Posted on December 10, 2007
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...

Holiday Parties and Relationship Building

Posted on December 05, 2007
December is a good month to focus on business relationships. There are many opportunities to attend parties and socialize. During this time of year, there are more chances to meet potential clients and find out their legal needs. And if you are a good listener and ask good questions, you will land your next client, right? Wrong! Good business development does require good listening skills...

Hobbies are Good For Your Career

Posted on December 04, 2007
If the demands of work and family leave little time for personal pursuits, should you squeeze in time for a hobby anyway? "Yes" writes a career columnist in the New York Times. Even if you only have a few minutes a day, there are strong arguments in favor of taking a break in order to pursue an interest...

Reading the Tea Leaves

Posted on November 30, 2007
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...

We've Been Nominated By the ABA!

Posted on November 29, 2007
The ABA Journal has named CounseltoCounsel to the ABA Journal Blawg 100 (100 best blogs for lawyers by lawyers.) The editors are now voting for the best in each category. Our category is "Lawyer's Toolkit". We need your vote! If you like Counsel to Counsel, please vote for us by clicking here .

Don't Accept a Counter Offer (but if you do...)

Posted on November 27, 2007
There is a good article in CareerJournal.com today on accepting a counter offer. But anyone contemplating this strategy (i.e. using an offer from another firm in order to get what you want from a current employer) should beware. My BCG colleagues have written about the perils here and here...

Rating the Rankings

Posted on November 20, 2007
The American Lawyer has published it?s Annual Summer Associates Survey . Although I?m a firm believer that these rankings are of dubious value, I must admit that I always read them. (I also read tabloids in the checkout line at the supermarket.) It is hard not to at pay attention when rankings are published, even if you dislike/distrust them...

Beware of the Pigeon Hole

Posted on November 15, 2007
No one wants to say "no" to a partner who needs help. But working on a project can turn you into the "go to" person in a relatively short period of time. And that reputation can be hard to shake.Lawyers who work under a "free market" system (where associates get to seek out work and keep themselves busy), are probably least at risk for getting pigeon holed in an area that is not of interest...

Why Associates Bail Out

Posted on November 14, 2007
The fact that 80 percent of associates leave their big firm job within 5 years has been well documented by NALP. There are many theories about why most associates leave and even some controversy about whether large firms actually rely on associate attrition to ensure that partner profits are not diluted...

What's Your Elevator Pitch?

Posted on November 07, 2007
Can you tell someone what you do in the time it takes to ride 10 floors in an elevator? If you can, then you've got what is sometimes referred to as "an elevator pitch". No one wins legal business by simply delivering an elevator pitch to a stranger...

Make Sure to Read Past the Headlines

Posted on November 06, 2007
Thirty years ago, long before the internet had arrived, I remember seeing a tip sheet on how to read a newspaper if you are short on time. One of the tips was that you can learn a lot just by skimming the headlines. To this day, I rely on this technique to decide which articles I will actually read...

State of the Legal Market

Posted on November 01, 2007
The BCG Fall 2007 Newsletter is out. It contains market reports about the state of lateral legal hiring around the country (and international markets as well.) My BCG colleagues around the United States have put together information based mainly on first hand conversations with lateral recruiting coordinators at major firms in their respective markets...

In-house Counsel Want More

Posted on October 31, 2007
In-house counsel are using fewer law firms and investing more time in managing their relationships with outside counsel. In addition, more than half of in-house counsel have terminated at least one relationship with outside counsel in the past year. These are some of the findings of a recent survey conducted by the Association of Corporate Counsel...

Baseball as a Metaphor for Life

Posted on October 30, 2007
As my children have moved through grade school, I've rediscovered one of my own childhood interests, baseball. And being a resident of Massachusetts, it's hard not to love the Boston Red Sox, especially today, as we celebrate our second World Series victory in four years...

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