Attorney depression

One of the interesting things about blogging on WordPress (and, I presume, other platforms) is that my nifty stats area shows what search terms lead readers to my blog. Sometimes it’s clear how someone followed the trail to get here, and sometimes I couldn’t be more puzzled.
I had not expected to have one of [...]

More on work/life balance… Is it just a fad?

I’ve run across two interesting blog posts recently that cast work/life balance as a fad or misnomer rather than as something that’s important to lawyers.
First, a recent post on Bruce MacEwen’s Adam Smith, Esq. blog quotes a 10-year old McKinsey study that places “acceptable pace and stress” as an important contributor to job satisfaction for [...]

Good use of time or double billing?

It’s probably no secret to those of you who read my blog on even a semi-regular basis that I enjoy the WSJ.com Law blog. Interesting info, with generally good comments. And that’s where I found the grist for today’s post.
Yesterday, the Law Blog posed the following hypothetical:

You are taking a three-hour plane trip [...]

Can associates engage in client development?

One of the most challenging parts of practice is figuring out the business end of being a lawyer. In a midsized or larger firm, that usually boils down primarily to client development. And associates frequently view client development as an activity for partners and senior associates. It’s pretty common to hear more [...]

Remembering the bar exam and considering your own life at the bar.

For most of the people in the United States, today is just Monday, July 24. But for thousands of would-be practitioners, today is something far more sinister: the day before the bar exam.
Assuming you’re a member of the group sitting on the other side of the bar, the Promised Land of Practice, the bar [...]

The top 5 ways to manage stress in the office

You’re probably running all day, trying to handle conflicting requests from multiple clients, colleagues, and/or opposing counsel, managing staff, facing deadlines, and hoping to maintain your personal life, perhaps wanting to address family needs as well. Law practice is a breeding ground for stress. And we’ve all had days that just start off [...]

New lawyer skill focus: How to deliver bad news.

This is one of the most challenging communications issues that new lawyers face — really, that any of us face. Something has gone wrong, there’s an adverse ruling, or someone made a mistake. How do you deliver that news?
Whether you need to inform the client or a more senior lawyer, the process is [...]

From the ABA Journal: Life in Question

If you’re interested in work/life balance issues, you must check out this month’s ABA Journal, which features a 5-year retrospective on 5 lawyers who appeared in the Journal in 2001 with their stories about their attempts to find work/life balance. The original article is here, and this month’s article is here.
What’s so fascinating about [...]

Fun Monday

Is “Fun Monday” an oxymoron? Thought I’d share some humor today… Most of us can use it on Mondays:
Visit Dissociate.net for a daily laugh about some aspect of firm life. The voice behind it says he likes his firm but wants to put the fun back into practice. I think he’s onto [...]

Increase your efficiency by cutting the time you spend in the office.

We all go through periods when we just aren’t that efficient at work. Maybe there’s something personal going on that’s distracting you, maybe it’s been a beautiful summer week and you want to be out in the sun, maybe you have a cold and just don’t feel good but also don’t feel bad enough [...]