Legal puberty is real. I am not referring to one of those laws in the South regarding 12-year-olds getting married and when you can buy alcohol. I mean that, just as in your real life, you'll go through certain developmental stages in your ...
William Melater - May 15, 2012Most lawyers eventually supervise other lawyers. How you handle this new responsibility can make all the difference in the quality of work you get and in your relationship with lawyers you may work with your whole life. Here are some tips on ...
Richard Hunt - April 5, 2012If you have been away from the workplace for an extended period of time, re-entering the job market can feel overwhelming, even frightening. People returning to work normally experience myriad emotions, both positive and not so positive. It is ...
Marcia Pennington Shannon - February 21, 2012Yes, we can hear the jokes now. A lawyer who is afraid to speak is like a vegan at a steakhouse—not only rare (no pun intended) but also a bit laughable. But wait. To many a lawyer, fear of speaking is not funny, it is an unhappy reality. But ...
Mary Ellen Sullivan - February 9, 2012I have a friend who is a gifted planner. We often get together near the end of the year, and I find her scheduling her professional development activities for the upcoming calendar year, and her vacation. She finds that doing so means that both ...
Wendy Werner - January 30, 2012Does the thought of a business lunch terrify you—even just a little bit? Do you have visions of making an etiquette faux pas at your biggest client’s dinner function? Does the well set table look more like a minefield than a ...
Mary Ellen Sullivan - December 1, 2011It’s become an article of faith that lawyers are poor writers. That isn’t really fair. The problem is not with lawyers’ writing, I think; the problem lies with lawyers’ tendency to overwrite. Ask a lawyer for a tune and she’ll give you a ...
Jordan Furlong - July 13, 2011Today’s idea, especially for small-firm lawyers, is this: revive your law school study groups. Not literally—your original classmates have long since moved on to other practices and careers. But set up a private study group with between five and ...
Jordan Furlong - May 23, 2011Some people are born schmoozers and like nothing more than to meet and mingle at professional events. But for others, this is about as painful as watching a "Kardashians" marathon at gunpoint. If you fall into the latter category — and most of ...
Mary Ellen Sullivan - April 26, 2011