Abandoning Billable Hours May Help Slow the Treadmill

If you read the Winter edition of The Philadelphia Lawyer, you might have taken note that average starting salaries for legal professionals, and particularly associates at the largest law firms, are projected to rise 4.2% on average. So it did not surprise me when I read an article that my Dad sent me, noting that at large firms with more than 501 lawyers, associate starting salaries increased to $160,000. And just today, my Dad sent me another article, Who’s Cuddly Now? Law Firms.  According to this article, many firms are starting to consider abandoning billable hours to slow the treadmill.  And it’s about time, too!  We’ve all seen statistics and heard stories about how lawyers are overworked, depressed and leaving. Thank goodness for those law firms (mine included) that have done away with billable hours to encourage work-life balance. As someone stated in the above-mentioned New York Times article, “Just because something always has been doesn’t mean that it always must be.” It’s time for our profession to rethink the way it does business and to catch up with other professions!

Insomnia

It was one of those nights. I just couldn’t sleep. Perhaps it was the butterscotch ice-cream coke float I had at midnight. Perhaps it was the excitement of working on different projects at my new job. Perhaps it was just stress. But I am sure I was not alone in not being able to fall asleep. Most adults have experienced insomnia or sleeplessness at one time or another in their lives. According to WebMD, an estimated 30-50% of the general population are affected by insomnia, and 10% have chronic insomnia. Apparently, stress commonly triggers short-term or acute insomnia. I also read recently that in a study of more than 100 occupations, lawyers had one of the highest rates of depression and reported stress. A few months ago, I wrote a blog about lawyers and drinking. I am almost tempted to write about lawyers and insomnia this time. But, nah…. I’m too wired to think straight. It’s a good thing I finished my brief yesterday!

How To Look Like a Lawyer

According to John Remsen, Jr. in ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: LAWYERS SHOULD LOOK LIKE LAWYERS!, it is no secret that people judge lawyers not only on our skills and abilities, but also on the image we project. Remsen points out that whether we like it or not, in our profession, image matters a lot, as first impressions are powerful and lasting.

Yet, according to Remsen, lawyers and law firm administrators are showing up for work dressed more and more casually nowadays. This trend is confirmed by The Remsen Report’s July 2007 Reader Survey, which asked about dress codes in the legal profession. Results from 233 lawyers across the United States who participated in the Reader Survey show the following:

How Do You Dress for the Office?
• I always wear a suit: 23%
• I prefer business casual, but wear a suit on some days: 58%
• I wear a suit only if I must: 13%
• Other: 8%

What Do You See as the Trend over the Past Five Years?
• More formal: 7%
• More casual: 71%
• About the same: 22%

Clearly, lawyers are “dressing down” these days.

But because first impressions matter (e.g., how we dress has everything to do with how others perceive our legal capabilities, and it has a huge impact on our success–or failure–with marketing and business development), Remsen gives the following tips, especially for younger attorneys:

• Pay Attention to How You Look Because Others Do
• Buy the Highest Quality Clothing You Can Afford
• Wear Colors that Look Good on You
• Find a Really Great Tailor
• Find a Good Dry Cleaner, Too
• Get Your Hair Styled on a Regular Basis
• Don’t Forget about Your Shoes (buy good quality and have them shined regularly).
• Wear Jewelry Judiciously (be classy but not showy)
• Stay Light on Perfume and Cologne
• It’s Better to Overdress than Underdress

A Lawyer’s Place on MySpace?

I am a 33-year-old attorney who has been practicing law for over eight years. I have been out of college for over eleven years. By most objective standards, I am considered a “grown-up” adult. Yet, I have a MySpace page. Heck, I even have a Facebook account. And I’m certainly not the only lawyer who is on these sites (fellow PhiLAWdelphia bloggers may be on them as well, but I’m certainly not going to “out” anybody).

Friends who are more traditional grown-ups question me on why I am involved with these online social networking websites. It’s certainly a fair question. The generalized view about these sites is that they are only for college students or those looking to date someone they meet through the sites. I don’t fall in either category. And I seriously doubt that there has ever been a recorded event in history of a lawyer securing any new clients through having a presence on MySpace.

So do lawyers, particularly those in their thirties, have any business on MySpace or Facebook? I think the best justification is that these sites help us stay connected to our friends, laymen and lawyers alike, who use them. That reason certainly is valid enough. Additionally, while our jobs take up so much of our time and energy, we really can’t or shouldn’t just focus on our jobs twenty-four hours a day. It’s nice to have a little entertainment and involvement on a website for fun. So while I don’t necessarily think that everyone should rush to sign up on these social networking sites, lawyers already on them or who are thinking of joining them shouldn’t feel out of place. Now excuse me, while I check on the status updates of my Facebook friends. . .

Submitted by John Encarnacion

Firms taking steps to achieve real results in increasing diversity?

[I've been under the weather and very busy. Here's an excerpt from an article I wrote. This article appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of the Philadelphia Lawyer. If anyone has any comments, I'd love to hear them].

“If you’re a minority lawyer today, chances are that you see few similar faces in your colleagues at work. In law firms and law departments nationally, an average of 9.7 percent of their attorneys are minorities. By contrast, other professions have far greater total minority representation: 20.8 percent among accountants and auditors, 24.6 percent among physicians and surgeons, and 18.2 percent among college and university teachers. Because the industries that we serve as lawyers show greater diversity than our employers, many firms are beginning to realize that having strong diversity numbers can improve client relationships and firm culture, and they are taking a number of routes to get there.”

In the article, I discuss how firms are taking steps to increase diversity. I’d be curious to see if anyone has additional comments as to what steps firms are taking to achieve real results in increasing diversity.

Successful Interviewing and Beyond

A compelling CLE entitled “SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWING AND BEYOND: Learning to Effectively Navigate Your Way as a Woman Lawyer to Ensure Success” was held on September 18, 2006. (Click here for a description of the program.)

The CLE was the meeting of a powerhouse of women attorneys and legal professionals – and I was both honored and humbled to be speaking among them. As was addressed at the CLE, women are leaving the profession at increasing rates. This program was one step towards both seeking a solution and providing support in the decision making process as new women lawyers enter the field and as women lawyers progress in their careers. Though I was a panelist, the program was educational for me as well. It reinforced pieces of advice I’ve received over the years and turned on a some light bulbs with new ideas. If you didn’t have an opportunity to attend here’s a brief overview of the tips that came from the various speakers:

• Don’t wait for someone to recognize your talents – demonstrate what you can do and advocate for yourself.

• Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy what you’re doing – if you’re not enjoying it, maybe you need to be doing
  something else.

• Amongst all of the advice and different opinions, don’t forget to be yourself.

• An interview is like a first date, don’t overwhelm the interviewer with questions and commentary about yourself, take a more balanced approach to highlight your skills and at the same time show that you’ve prepared.

• Know your audience – whether it be in an interview or when requesting a raise.

• Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. For interviews, for reviews, for everything.

• To prepare for an interview, research the firm or organization, etc. where you are interviewing, the person conducting
  the interview (if possible) and be prepared to discuss why you are a fit based on the information you’ve obtained.

• Mentors are important, but may come in different forms, male or female, and for different purposes, work
  and personal.

• You are the only one responsible for your own career, its beginning and its future – no school, firm, mentor, or
  even the most well-wishing individual can do for you what you can do for yourself.

• When at an event, gather business cards and follow up with people – don’t forget that meeting people is only the first
  step.

• Don’t underestimate the power of your law school acquaintances and friendships – the people you are with every dayin class will be the same people you see in your office, across the courtroom and in every day practice.

• Have outside interests, in law school and after (although I won’t insist that everyone take up my hobby that I
  shared with everyone at the CLE, which is trapeze).

• For lateral moves, don’t assume that in-house means less work and on the job training – in-house positions generally
  mean the same or more work, and upon being hired it is often assumed that you are already familiar with that area of
  law.

• For laterals or law students looking to relocate, contacting alums from your law school is a good way to start the search.

• If you are looking for a non-traditional work schedule, present your employer with the reasons that it is financially
  beneficial for them to work with you.

• Don’t underestimate yourself – reach for what you know you can achieve and then reach higher.

• And don’t forget to breathe – as important and life-altering as every event seems, an interview is just an interview, being passed over for a raise or promotion might lead to another opportunity and ultimately, you will make it to the next day.

Ultimately, the heart of the program was the participation from the audience, women law students and lawyers alike, who asked very open and honest questions and received open and honest answers. We also had the opportunity to continue our discussions at the reception following the program. Having spoken to a number of the law students and new lawyers, I am certain that our field will be enriched by their addition.

The distinguished group of contributors included, Deborah Epstein Henry, Esq. (Moderator) – Founder & President, Flex-Time Lawyers LLC; Of Counsel, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, Linda Dale Hoffa, Esq. – Assistant United States Attorney; Assistant Chief, Criminal Division, Eastern District of PA, Roberta D. Liebenberg, Esq. – Co-Chair, Women in the Profession Committee; Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C., Elaine Petrossian, Esq. – Assistant Dean for Career Strategy & Advancement, Villanova University School of Law, Sarah E. Davies, Esq. – Hiring Partner, Cozen O’Connor, Katherine Hatton, Esq. – Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sunah Park, Esq. – Partner, Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP, Molly Peckman, Esq. – Special Counsel & Director of Professional Development, Dechert , Peggy Simoncini Pasquay – Manager of Attorney Recruitment & Relations, Duane Morris LLP.

Submitted by Heather Herrington