I’ve sometimes talked with lawyers (especially associates at large firms) who believe that another lawyer has stabbed them in the back: withheld critical information, misrepresented some aspect of the lawyer’s work to a more senior lawyer or client, or taken credit for the lawyer’s work. These experiences are enraging and painful, and it’s easy for [...]
I was in a Starbucks last week reading Beyond the Big Firm: Profiles of Lawyers Who Want Something More. (Review forthcoming.) A man sat down at the table next to me, carrying 3 or 4 bar review books, and looking somewhat frazzled. He kind of nodded to me, and I nodded at his books and [...]
I’m not a physicist (I can barely spell the word) but as I remember it, the second law of thermodynamics is that entropy, which for purposes of this post only might be a synonym for chaos or disorder, tends to increase. Another way of saying this is that systems tend to move from a state of higher [...]
Have you heard this old saw? People used to say that law firms need four categories of lawyers: finders, minders, grinders, and binders. It’s still true to some degree, though today’s atmosphere requires lawyers to develop their skills in each of these areas, rather than simply selecting the most comfortable skill set and roosting there. [...]
I’ve noticed that summer associate season is in full swing — not only because clients are mentioning their summer programs, but because I’m seeing more and more summer associate-related searches that people have entered before landing on the Life at the Bar blog. So, it’s time for me to trot out my favorite topic not [...]
I’ve been intending to post about a New York Times article I read a few months ago, and today’s the day. I have noticed recently that I’m receiving a lot of emails informing me that the sender is now limiting the number of times she checks email in the course of a day, and to [...]
One of the most important pieces of coaching rests in illuminating distinctions. I have several favorites that come up in the course of a great many coaching engagements: reaction vs. response, hearing vs. listening, assertion vs. assessment, interesting vs. purposeful, and so on. One distinction is particularly relevant to effective action: busy vs. productive. My [...]
Do you ever feel that you’re just one small lawyer in a large sea? New lawyers often begin their practices wondering how to distinguish themselves from the hundreds or thousands of other lawyers occupying the same niche. And that feeling isn’t limited to new lawyers, by any means. Though the question may fade, it certainly re-emerges [...]
Last Wednesday, I attended the NALP Annual Education Conference. I wish I’d planned to be there for the whole conference, because I met some fantastic people (including Steve Seckler of the Counsel to Counsel blog) and read about a number of presentations that I would have loved to attend. But, I’d budgeted only one day, and [...]
I just flew back to Atlanta from Orlando this morning and as soon as I talk with one client, I’ll be heading out to drive to Gatlinburg for a dear friend’s wedding. So, today’s post will be very brief.
I ran across a fabulous post on the PT-LawMom blog recently: The Curmudgeonly Legal Secretary. LawMom is a full-time [...]
September 10, 2007 
