Career Management
The 2016 LAWPRO Magazine student issue is out
The 2016 Student Edition of LAWPRO Magazine (“Moving Into Practice”) is now online and will be arriving in Ontario law schools in the next few weeks. Its the fourth LAWPRO Magazine issue focused on providing students with resources to make the transition from student to lawyer. It also serves as an introduction to LAWPRO and… Read More »
Categories: Legal Technology, LAWPRO Errors and Omissions Coverage, Practice Aids, Career Management, Wellness and BalanceYour workplace: Being happier where you are, or getting to a better place.
Lawyering is stressful. Lawyers expect to handle the pressures of solving individuals’ high-stakes, emotionally charged problems. What lawyers don’t necessarily anticipate is that they may suffer stress from being stuck in a work situation that is not their first choice. Competition for jobs may mean that a lawyer needs to accept work outside his or… Read More »
Categories: Career Management, Wellness and BalanceLAWPRO Student Magazine: What do law firms look for?
Law students – like all students – are prone to anxiety about their career prospects. High-profile news about the employment challenges faced by new grads in the U.S. and changes in the articling requirements for Ontario have combined to create a climate of worry. But worrying about trends and generalizations can obscure the fact that… Read More »
Categories: Career Management10 Things No One Tells You About Hanging Out Your Shingle
Lee Rosen is a North Carolina lawyer and law practice management blogger. After leaving a firm in which he was an associate, he left to start his own practice. He has found success, but not without bumps along the way. He describes these challenges in 10 Things No One Tells You About Hanging Out Your… Read More »
Categories: Career ManagementParadoxically, pessimism leads to happiness
Can pessimism lead to happiness? Conventional wisdom says no: “Research shows that an optimistic outlook is good for your mental health,” said Patricia Spataro, director of the New York State Lawyer Assistance Program, a resource for attorneys with mental health concerns. “But lawyers are trained to always look for the worst-case scenario. They benefit more… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Career Management, Wellness and Balance, Law Practice ManagementInside the Lawyer’s Mind Part 6 (Conclusion): Managing Our Traits
We have seen in this 6-part series that we, as lawyers, exhibit a number of traits that help us in the practice of law but hurt us in the management and business of a law firm. Lawyers tend to score high on measurements of skepticism, autonomy, and urgency, while scoring low on measurements of sociability… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Career Management, Law Practice Management, DiversityInside the Lawyer’s Mind Part 5: Resilience
The last trait we look at in this series is resilience. A lawyer high in resilience is receptive to criticism and feedback and is not defensive. He is less likely to take criticism personally and is better at focusing on accomplishing the task at hand. If he suffers a loss or is rejected, he will… Read More »
Categories: Risk Management Strategies, Career Management, Law Practice ManagementAre You Being a Lawyer or Building a Practice?
Jay Harrington, writing in Attorney at Work, describes the journey from student to lawyer as a “well-lit path”, while figuring out the direction of one’s legal career is like venturing off into uncharted territory. There can be many routes to get where you want to be, as long as you have a clear destination in… Read More »
Categories: Career Management