Power Of Attorney: Not Happy Hour At The Bar

Still More Alternative Jobs for Lawyers

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Now I know that some of you are looking on the sly because you fear being perceived as ungrateful since many consider you "lucky" to be among the employed. Others of course are not so circumspect because like you they wish to find a way to earn a living outside of law. On the other hand unlike you they have probably been ~~dumped~~ laid off, blown off, downsized or reduced to pursuits hitherto considered embarrassing. Regardless of the reason, I aim to satisfy your urge to explore more ideas for alternative jobs for lawyers.

Alternative jobs

Interior Decorator: How many of you take pleasure in decorating your space? Whether its your work space, study or home office, some of you have displayed unbridled creativity as you engaged in this activity. Now come on don't express surprise at lawyer's creative talents. Who do you think devised those attractive contracts or ingenious defenses (depending on the angle from which you are looking of course)? If you think you can't make a living being creative, banish the thought as you take a look at this Censational part time attorney and this internationally renowned designer/former lawyer.

Educator: With the skills you learned and honed in the courtroom don't you think you could condition the minds of some lawyer wanna bees or paralegals or high schools students in a positive way? You have many options here (community college, law school, night school, high school, CLE, LSAT) although depending on your choice you may have to get certification. My son's high school teacher was a lawyer who in addition to using his expertise to impart his knowledge of ethics and philosophy to youngsters, trained the school debating team. So too was this former asst. district attorney and senior vice president at Merrill Lynch.

Political Scientist/Analyst: How many of you studied political science before entering law school? I bet there are quite a few. Even if you didn't, how many of you are sensitive to current events, workplace issues, work/life balance concerns etc.? Or how many of you have something else to say in this politically charged climate? While you may not want to jump on the lawyer turned politician train, you could transform that sensitivity and political awareness into a new career. Make your opinions known. Write letters to your local newspaper, guest columns for online magazines or blogs, articles in ezines or even a book. Call talk radio or make your own video blogs and let your name be known ,your voice be heard and hopefully a new job be offered.

Marketing Professional: Those of you who have worked in law firms (big or small) or as sole practitions know the value that is placed on soliciting new business. Marketing is key to building a law practice and while some of you might find it burdensome (you just want to do the work and go homw) others have a knack and love for it so much so they claim to only work 3 days per week. This has very broad potential you can actually have the freedom of leaving your law firm and still having a relationship with them by offering your marketing talents or you can leave completely and become a full time network marketer.

E-business Owner: Lots of you out there have been dreaming about having a business that you can run from home with no overheads, employees or boss to contend with. The E-business option is ideal for this. You may be racking your brains trying to figure out what kind of business you could venture in and succeed. You may have heard horror stories of trying to navigate the online world, of learning the myteries of SEO and of getting virtually no traffic. On the other hand you may already have a website or blog and haven't really treated it as a potential money earner. This could be a mistake as there are enough success stories and reputable businesses that could allow you to achieve your dream. With the right tools and attitude you can turn your hobby, your interests or even your area of specialty into a profitable and relatively stress-free work from home business.

Now with all the hours of learning to which you lawyers have subjected yourselves surely you recognize that you are among the most educable people on the planet. The above merely represents areas into which lawyers have transitioned successfully because they had the necessary drive, ambition, know how, support and will. You can do it, you already have the basic skills it is up to you to use them.

Source: The Ladders

The Day I Crashed the Car

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:13:00 +0000

The day I crashed the car in front of the law school was one I perhaps should have recognized as a communiqué from the gods, but no I resisted the implications and look at where I am today.

You see I was driving this Old Datsun 120Y which (due to my ignorance or my total devotion to all things legal – never mind traffic violations) boasted non-functional indicators. As I turned right to enter the law school (oh did I mention the absence of wing mirrors?) an equally ignorant non-law student who failed to recognize my swinging to the left for the superior driving skills they evidenced, plunged into my side. This brilliant piece of vehicular manipulation took place in full view of the occupants of the glass walled law library.

Covered in splinters, I negotiated my way out via the passenger door and proceeded to launch an attack on the ignorant sinner.

Didn’t she see me indicate to turn right? Didn’t she appreciate that I was priming myself to become a law(yer) against law breakers? Didn’t she realize that I was maneuvering to access the narrow driveway reserved for those putative righteous defenders of the law?

How dare she assume that I was turning left toward the Medical Faculty!

How quickly would I learn that lawyers-to-be weren’t anxious to don the robe of the Good Samaritan!

So as I performed the usual routine (identification, insurance, registration blah, blah) I realized that subconsciously I was expecting some support from my witnesses, my school mates, my future colleagues. Instead, those latent ~~ambulance chasers~~ jurists just watched. No doubt my self centered future money grabbing ~~rivals~~ friends were either too busy

curry favoring for potential recommendations or standing, or
lingering for my departure in the hope it would spark some enthusiasm for the upcoming Probate lectures, or if I am generous
being too befuddled by the recondite material congesting the library to recognize the potential case study before their eyes.

Nevertheless dear departed Dee was not to be. I knew deep down that I did make a contribution to my predicament but despite that fact I avoided looking like a sheepish Bill Clinton, instead I guess I looked like a crazy ~~Hillary~~ termagant who just yearned to one day drive European.

By the time I parked the Japanese trick I was exhausted. I sat for a while to let the shock wear off and to harvest the glass from my leg hairs. Lo and behold I heard an exclamation, it was a man, an actual law student someone who was actually willing to commiserate. Could this be for real?

I married him.

I Should Have Gone To Med School

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:06:00 +0000

As I shared over at my other blog, my son will be starting his freshman year at college next week. One of the many topics of discussion we've had this summer relates to his possible major. It is early days yet and so his admission to ~~wanting to become a lawyer~~ not having a clue is met with ~~stern disapproval~~ appropriate sounds of parental understanding.

To be sure, the first and second semester at this gorgeous institution of higher learning will be taken up with satisfying certain mandatory subjects such as a foreign language requirement and the like, but surely this child whose education is no cheap undertaking needs to understand early that an education is all about learning to think, learning to understand life and of course learning from the triumphs and mistakes of ~~his parents~~ others. Surely he needs to take stock of the state of the economy. Surely he needs to read my blog.

How can I blame the poor child however? Our house has the unmistakable flavour of a court room. Virtually every discussion is conducted like a rowdy debate. There is never one side, especially since his father's favourite word is "NO". There is the need to define, prove and convince and eloquence is admired and commended. I often find myself playing several roles at a time most often arbitrator and/or prosecutor because the father is usually unyielding and in many cases inconsistent or even hostile. The technique of cross examination therefore comes in quite handy and of course my formidable memory gives me an advantage allowing me to score a point or two, but really after a day in my life in the law I'm not exactly thrilled to think my son could end up re-living same.

So when I saw a bright red star in the college course book beside the course "Public Speaking" I caught myself plotting some miserly revenge - no food, no money, no return fare - unless the child who views himself as a modern day Clarence Darrow immediately registers for engineering or pre-med. My husband sought to restore some balance however. He reminded me that Public Speaking was an excellent course. It builds confidence, helps one to communicate clearly and would be useful in any field. He reminded me that this college experience was just a first degree and it would give our offspring the opportunity to think, to grow, to appreciate different disciplines and to truly become an independent individual with his own ideas and opinions. He reminded me that this would take four years.

Thank God for small mercies. Four years to remind of the horrors of the bar exam, the tediousness of preparing briefs, the long long hours of slave labour expected of associates, the layoffs and dismissals, the limitations of precedents, the unfairness of loopholes and more. Of course if he grows to like that "thinking thing" he's supposed to be learning at college he just might decide to ignore my reminders and find out for himself. The thing is, law school is one of those places where learning is an unparalleled experience and he might truly enjoy the preparation it offers.

So I can only wish him well and if he chooses to ~~self inflict pain and suffering~~ practise law, I can only say, thank God he won't have to tell the senior partner or associate or anyone else that he's pregnant.

Source: Stu's Views

What Would Dexter Do?

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:58:00 +0000

Lots of us who have worked in law firms have probably met a lawyer, whether it is a fellow associate or partner or mentor who stirred in us our basest instincts. Of course we wouldn’t act on these primordial impulses nor would we advocate it but we have harbored the dirty little notion because we couldn’t help but think, that without the offending fiend life would be so much more pleasant.

Consider if you will life in a law firm with no dirty looks or recrimination when:

You arrive late, say 9:30 am after a morning or tears and promises (your husband admitted to having an affair)
You leave early, say 5:00pm in order to meet certain family obligations (your husband’s punishment)
You refuse to go in on a Sunday due to religious reasons, evening you don’t actually go to church and pray. Your religious observation is limited to the He rested part.
You produce records (including notes and tape recordings) to demonstrate the extent of your participation and your crucial contribution to resolving that matter for which the senior partner is taking credit.
You draw ~~smiley faces~~ frowns on the archaic time sheets that you are compelled to complete
You declare brightly that you are pregnant
You announce fearlessly that you wish to take 3 months maternity leave.

In my experience, the law firm environment is not one where sensitivity usually governs staff relations and so these fanciful thoughts will likely remain a figment of the imagination, forever a dream requiring more than a MLK Jr. type to transform the dated law firm orthodoxy. This system has existed for years and it will require a revolutionary kind of disturbance to effect any real change.

As I take pleasure in my latest addiction I ask myself,

“is it any wonder that we root for fictional characters that beat the system?”

My latest addiction is Dexter, the show about the blood splatter specialist for the Miami Metro Police who moonlights as a serial killer, a one man vigilante who rids the tropical paradise of bad guys. I an officer of the court, who was taught to respect the justice system, love this show. I find myself with my heart in my throat praying that the murderous Dexter never fails to honor the 1st rule of the Code taught by his adopted father:

"Don’t get caught!"

This summer I watched every single episode of the 3 seasons and am waiting eagerly for Season 4 which begins in September. Could it be that I - like so many who have experienced various frustrations in “the system” - find it irresistible to see someone taking things into his own hands.

Dexter with his unimposing and almost placid manner at work in the police department and then as the fiancé of a sweet divorcée, never fails to impress. His ability to fake being normal as we know it and then transform into a murderous beast is scary and gripping. Sure he gives us some insight into his chilling childhood experiences which contributes to our feelings of empathy but on the other hand the guy is seriously lovable. Weird I know but this isn’t like those evil guys on death row whose lawyers (got to stick with the theme here) fall for them. I think this character has a following because he is perceived as having noble objectives which he achieves in an unconventional manner, never mind that such is illegal. True he could lead the authorities to the criminals but then the system wouldn’t necessarily work and anyway his urge to kill wouldn’t be satisfied. Oh yeah, did I mention that he is a sociopath?

If you have Showtime, you have got to tune into this show. You can watch the episodes online too. Then when you encounter one of those evil lawyers at work just smile and ask yourself:

“What would Dexter do?”

Fertile Imagination or Mom Foolery

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:07:00 +0000

One of the benefits of having my own practice is that I don't have to answer to a senior partner or anyone else for that matter. So when faced by a prospective client who in my opinion is on the far side of sane or who just freaks me out I can just say with minial explanation: "thanks but no thanks".

Now I have had my share of weird clients. I have had clients who:

refused to deal with me yet remained affixed to my office chair - I fled
reminded me gleefully and in writing of the murder of fellow counsel - Yes it was a threat
despite my reluctance but since I fear suffocation, drove me to instruct [her] in a course on personal hygiene - Secret strong enough for a man but made for a woman.

So when I read about wacky lawsuits I sometimes wonder whether the client is unrepresented or if the lawyer involved just couldn't get out of it. I so pondered this notion as I read this:

Is this just another Polish joke? I can understand Magdalena Kwiatkowska's anguish on discovering her 13 year old daughter's pregnancy but to sue the Egyptian hotel on the basis that her daughter was impregnated by a stray sperm floating is likely to have the same result as a sterile man claiming paternity of the octomum's kids: unfruitful, unproductive take your pick. You would be more successful getting a dead man walking off death row than a stray sperm floating in a pool declared a putative father. As one poster asked,

"Is this mother in De-Nile?"

This just boggles the mind. If Kwiatkowska has a lawyer he or she should advise her that she would be better off getting in touch with the police and another lawyer, namely a prosecutor as it is highly probable that a male had sex with a minor and while I know nothing about Poland's or Egypt's criminal law I'd like to believe that is a crime. Instead the mother is claiming negligence against the hotel and so wants compensation. For what? Did this so called sperm commit an act of trespass preventable by the hotel? Was the temperature of the water too warm mimicking body temperature and providing the ideal conditions for conception? Was the chlorlne too weak to combat super sperm?

What should the hotel have done? Maybe they should have erected a disclaimer:

and then the small print.

In consideration for your participation in swimming, soaking or even hanging your feet over the side of the pool or merely dipping a toe (hereafter called "the activity"), even if you are alone for as long as 60 minutes you do hereby release and forever discharge [insert name of hotel here] and its officers and employees jointly and severally from any and all actions, claims and demands upon or by reason of any loss of hymen, virginity, (even if hymen is intact) wholesomeness, sanity or otherwise or other injury not limited to but including pregnancy which may hereafter be sustained by the participating in the activity.

Any judge who does not strike this out for abuse of the process of the court should be forced to pay costs, take a course with the mother and child in biology 101 or better yet how about if he accepts paternity?

The Day I was Disorderly at the Office

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:20:00 +0000

In light of the articles and commentaries regarding the clash between Dr. H. Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley I have decided to divulge my own story about the day I was disorderly at the office. Why not join the fray? Seriously, tumultuous behaviour ought not to be reserved for Ivy League professors. Surely lawyers are entitled to be elite too. Indeed it is for many what is so attractive about the profession. We are losing our six figure incomes and our year end bonuses anyway, so we simply cannot let our hard earned status as the cream of the crop professional fritter away. So I’m reminding lawyers to watch it, your reputation is at stake. If all else fails however you can try your hand at a professorship (add to alternative jobs for lawyers); it can’t be that hard after all seeing as Dr. Gates himself dropped out of law school.

Some background: You see parking at my office - as it is at so many commercial places in the city – is limited. However my spot is my spot. I paid for it, it is right there in my lease and by God I am going to defend my right to park there like a black man his right to his white plantation house in Martha's Vineyard.

There is however a sense of decency among tenants. If one tenant rushes in and parks in my space, I can park in his and vice versa. And you jokesters thought that civility was an aberrant quality among lawyers:). As long as there is reciprocity, there is no problem. Let selfish self-importance enter however and civility ends. Effrontery is thereafter allowed to roam freely.

You will recall that I said decency among tenants. Employees of the landlord company are not tenants. They therefore are not allowed to park in my paid for space and surely they are supposed to know this. If not, one reminder is all that it should take, shouldn’t it? That is what I thought until I met a lady I will call “Puffy”. This is not due to any relationship or resemblance to Sean Combs previously known as Puffy, but rather as a consequence of her hairstyle. Don’t get me wrong, some of you would think Ms. Puffy hot. She has a predilection for black spandex and a body as voluptuous as J-Lo’s – hey maybe there is a connection – so she gets attention. But the hair is her identifier for me. You know women and hair. Some days she blows it or otherwise straightens it but most days she doesn’t and lets it puff out in a huge arc on the top of her head, hence Puffy.

So one day Puffy parked in my spot and as drove in I asked the attendant firmly to call her down to move her vehicle. This she did with not a word to me. I however gave her a hard stare. I noticed that she had moved her car to another tenant’s spot but I didn’t regard that as my problem. Hey courtesy only goes so far!

I was incensed a few months later to find Puffy once again in my space. This time I did not get out of my car, I merely honked my horn for an extended period until the attendant got Puffy to descend, spandex and all, rather quickly. I noted that her manner was somewhat pissy: long mouth, cutting eyes and words thrown at the attendant (about me I’m sure). What amused me however was that once again she purported to move to another tenant’s spot just at the time that the tenant drove in. She then had to manoeuvre her vehicle without hitting mine (as I had not given her much room) all the way around the back of the building where the employees are supposed to park.

By this time I figured that Puffy would have realized that I was unyielding when it came to defending my territory. Did she seriously think that I would just surrender my spot? Apparently she did. Subscribing to the “if at first you don’t succeed try try again” school, Puffy was about to score a 100% failure rate. When I saw the black Toyota Rav 4 ensconced snugly in my space a few months later, well gentle readers I simply lost it.

I barely heard the excuses of the attendant who claimed she reminded Ms. Puffy as I positioned my car and blocked the single entrance. No one in, no one out, this was war! Puffy was summoned quickly and by this time I was out of my car. Dear readers I would have been prepared to climb on top of my ~~vehicle~~ soapbox and orate on the merits of honoring the sacred parking space of female lawyers but seeing Puffy caused me to make a beeline. Was I about to jump her? No, no, there was no cat fight, she was just a tad too quick. I did however lash her with my tongue and it wasn’t pretty. Sgt. Crowley would no doubt have found cause to detain me for tumultuous behaviour in a public place. Puffy meanwhile was getting the heck outta Dodge as my less than ladylike language sliced the already tension filled air. A small crowd gathered but heck if I cared. At least I would have witnesses to the lesson - no one messes with my parking space.

Don't you know who I am?

Now don’t be bothered with the educated professional who should know better bit. I don’t drink and don’t smoke so allow me to enjoy my little vice. Warning her among other things to “cut out this sh*t or else” felt just right that day. I doubt whether an explanation of the mathematical impossibility of finding a free spot when every single tenant was in office would suffice. On that day profanity superseded reason and won. As for Puffy I see her sometimes but never has she set foot again in my inviolable spot.

Source

Some Happenings in (and out) of the Blawgosphere

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:58:00 +0000

It's been awhile I know but I've still been taking note of the happenings around here. My readings alerted me to many changes that have taken place: upheavals, departures, losses and gains here in the blogosphere. To be sure too, I made new friends and lost a few too.

Former Law School Sucks now Tranny Head passed the bar in one go, welcomed home her military hubby and got pregnant. Her insight and approach on dealing with the cost of higher education is worth a read.

David continues to inspire us with his adventures. Yes we grappled with him as he struggled through cochlear implant, moved with him from Life in a Cone of Silence to a Five Stringed Guitar, cried with him as he and his beloved Janet fought valiantly and in the end futilely against leukemia and stuck with him as he is still here keeping us hooked on the adventures of a deaf guy... in liminal space. Can't wait to hear about the Dominican Republic.

Women Lawyer remained on Track by branching out and taking new paths giving us a peek into her other interests: technology, food and teaching. Lawyers are an eclectic bunch. and Nicole the Epicurean Esquire is no exception.

Wicked Legal shared her unemployment woes and her wedded bliss to JB and opened up about her Disturbed Universe . Then she left us all wondering whether she continues to lack inspiration. Let's hope she keeps holding on to hope.

Monica the Career Coach went awol after telling us to Ditch Our Lawyer Friends. Hmm guess there is a message in there somewhere.

Law students jacked up their support for each other as they continue to ~~update on life~~ struggle in law school, internship and beyond. There's Cee, Lag Liv, Butterfly Fish, JD Wannabee, Magic Cookie and more.

Now I have to go get Overlawyered, conspire with Volokh and end with some Legal Antics. It's great to be back.

I'm Back

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Just tweaking my new look blog a bit more and then it's back to writing posts.

Presidents Day Giveaway

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Hey Valentines Day is over but for my friends in the States you don't have to scrimp and hold back. In these times of financial restraint, you can still eat out on the cheap as today you can get $25 gift certificates to dine at Restaurants nationwide in the U.S. for only $3.00 at Restaurant.com .

Let me explain this. Everyday at restaurant.com you can choose to purchase a $25 gitft certificate for the cost of $10 at participating restaurants. But today only if you use the coupon code PREZ they'll chop another 70% off the $10 making it only $3. Yes you heard me right so what are you waiting for?

Got get your gift certificate NOW.

Cross Posted at Ceomum

The Future is Now

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:11:00 +0000

It's been long time but I was doing so many things including travelling. Nevertheless I have been meaning to tell you all about Marcia Robinson who writes on career and employment issues over at Bulls Eye Resumes. If you are really serious about changing your career or really have no choice but to get a new job she offers a wealth of information.

One particular post that caught my attention was about Career Myths and their inertia effect. I particularly liked "I need to find one career and stick with it for life" That is a deep seated notion that many of us have and it took root in our heads from we were kids. We wanted to be lawyers, doctors, engineers or firemen when we grew up and trained for it, got the job and then wham! It is not enough, it is not fulfilling, it is not what we thought it would be.or it no longer exists. Many of us are stuck wanting or needing something else or something more and not knowing what to do about it. Not that there is anything wrong with having a goal or a focus related to our likes and strengths but it is the fixity of our condition, that inability to move on , that fear of change that drives us crazy and perhaps keeps us from realizing our potential.

There is a sense of optimism that permeates Marcia's guiding words. She mentions the need to prepare, practice and plan , gives generous tips on many aspects of re-entering the workplace and deduces lessons learned from actions of public officials and others in the workplace but throughout, there is the theme of positive thinking.

In her post on the upside of being laid off she highlights the experiences of three professionals who were laid off. There were expressions of reduced anxiety, anticipation of re-training, decision to engage in entrepreneurship and all encompassing realization of the need to contemplate multiple income streams - none of this single monthly pay cheque mindset- the worker now needs to think in terms of the plural.

This reminded me of the "Did You Know" video that has been making the rounds. It forecasts among other things that:

the top ten in-demand jobs for 2010 did not exist in 2004
we are preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist
today's student will have 10-14 jobs by the time he reaches age of 38 and
China will soon become the no.1 Englsih speaking country in the world

This means that the old way of doing things in the workplace is changing drastically and that is not difficult to imagine in this age of breakneck speed information transmission, real time computing and cyber social networking. The notion of long service at the work place is facing extinction. New ideas are being generated, transmitted and shared at a frightening pace. Originality, flexibilty and speed will perhaps be the next new powerful tools rivaling the now popular soft skills and Emotional Quotient. There is however room for all of us on the information super highway, we just have to be willing to go for the ride and not be afraid to accept change.

Now let me leave you with this story in an email my husband sent to me.

Changing Professions

The Gynecologist Who Became A Mechanic

A gynecologist had become fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork and was burned out. Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial; he decided to become a mechanic. He went to the local technical college, signed up for evening classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could.

When the time of the practical exam approached, the gynecologist prepared carefully for weeks, and completed the exam with tremendous skill. When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%. Fearing an error, he called the instructor, saying, 'I don't want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result, but I wonder if there is an error in the grade.'

The instructor said, 'During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark. You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark.'

After a pause, the instructor added, 'I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler, which I've never seen done in my entire career.'

We all have our strengths. I am grateful however that the subject of the story wasn't "The Lawyer who Became a Gynaecologist."

For the Love of ...........the Law

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:54:00 +0000

For those lawyers who are hurting.

Lawyers Search for Alternative Careers

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:18:00 +0000

My analytics shows that a number of visitors to this site end up here after launching a surely futile search for “alternative careers/jobs for lawyers” or various permutations.

It is disheartening to know that I cannot offer any concrete help to these poor souls save to encourage, vent and regrettably confirm that there is no magic formula. No jobs are going to be handed out to the miserable lawyer who wants to leave the bar. He or she may consult Monica Parker’s Unhappy lawyer or Deborah Arron’s What Can You Do With a Law Degree?: A Lawyer's Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside & Around the Law for further confirmation. One thing the frustrated lawyer will discover is that he or she must have the will to leave. That my friends, assuming you haven’t been made redundant or fired is a big first step. You have the power you just have to know how to exercise it.

If on the other hand you are amongst the laid off or fired what you really want is a job, and given the opportunity, have come to be considering an alternative to the law. Or you may be among the newly hired who are salivating at the salaries/tasks of the paralegals who shockingly are taking home far more than you without the hassle, not to mention the student loans, to boot. Ladders.com might be of some assistance. Depending on your level of desperation you may or may not wish to avoid Lawladder. Here they focus on sourcing law related jobs in the $100K + range. Even if you find no solace (read 100k jobs) there, at least they provide some excellent advice on wide ranging career issues which might help you on your quest should you bite the bullet and decide to leave. On the other hand you could emulate the efforts of the MIT grad who gained fame for wearing a sandwich box as extreme advertising for a job. But you’d perhaps be better off investing in Cyber law and entering the blawg world for in the end it was his blog that gave Mr. MIT the edge in the job hunt.

One professional who managed to transition to a new career discussed how her she turned adversity to her advantage, recaptured her passion, reinvented herself and marketed her personal brand. Many career coaches have promoted this as a method to assist you in taking steps towards finding a new career. But remember those student loans? It is worth mentioning because your hobby or passion might just not cut it in terms of forming the basis for a career that can pay the bills.

Indeed recently Gerald Celente the well respected trend forecaster predicted doom for the next few years. Specifically he stated the biggest demand will be for food, so perhaps you need to look beyond the passion and get focused on exigences determined by circumstances. You may need to turn to cookery; no better yet, organic farming. Feeding yourselves and your neighbour might put you in good stead. In terms of study Celente advised that our children should avoid taking courses like philosophy and business. Now, while one might find it difficult to perceive the decline of the importance of commerce one can understand the hankering for the sacrifice of the business tycoon in favour of the small town farmer. So for those lawyers who are considering retooling, perhaps you need to get more technically inclined; so farming, web design, accounting, conservation engineering could become new areas of interest. As far as I know, Celente said nothing about lawyers however, because no matter what you may think about yourselves there is a legal aspect in every single discipline and so while lawyers will always be in demand, there are enough of us in supply. Aren’t there?

Best Wishes

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:14:00 +0000

Courtesy of Paul

10 Lawyer Gifts For the Silly Season

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 21:25:00 +0000

After what has no doubt been a challenging year for many lawyers - many of whom are looking to escape this profession yet who would have preferred to have found an alternative before being unceremoniously dumped - it is timely to provide them with something to make them smile or at the very least feel appreciated.

So I have compiled a list of gifts which you can give a lawyer friend or relative. I know that some say that lawyers have few friends but hey you never know when you may need one. So give something just in case. If you are a lawyer and in pinch however there is no shame in getting yourself something. We aren't talking about the boring calendars, journals, mugs or cuff links here. No these are a little more thought provoking. Here goes:

Cowboy Lawyer Briefcase featuring western hand tooled leather NOT the stiff stodgy briefcase you see everywhere. This can take you straight from the boardroom to the Texas ranch or the Australian outback which of course is where you'd rather be, being the rugged Clint Eastwood type lawyer or outdoorsy woman (yes its unisex) that you are deep down inside.
Legal Scales Bookends in dark green marble with gold legal scales are perfect to hold up those books falling off your book shelf. No not the legal tomes you pore over at the office or in your study but the hardcover books you treasure. Whether it is your collection of literary classics or just your Agatha Christie collection (yep we know some of you love those) these will help you to hold it together. The books we mean.
Lolita Martini Glasses Lawyertini are perfect for the lawyer who loves engaging conversation seasoned with a good martini. These hand painted glasses - I swear - even includes a recipe for you to impress your guests, not to mention takes the pressure off your brain which was likely stifled with legalese all day and in need of a good buzz in the evening. In this case you don't need to leave the bar, just take it home.
Scales of Justice Vitamin Mirror Case Yeah, yeah I know you think I'm crazy but don't we all have a wacky streak? And here's the thing, although it says vitamin case it doesn't have to hold vitamins. In other words it can store your anti-depressants and nobody has to know. Don't forget to take your vitamins though. Trust me these days whether you are at the firm or collecting unemployment, you'll need them.
Make Up Magic No, no I'm not talking about cosmetics or even non-surgical intervention. Well I'm not so sure about the latter. The point is as some of us plow away in the pursuit of status, success, financial security and professional relationships we fall short in our social relationships. So with this gift he may just figure out how to get back with his ex instead of gnawing your ears off with his annoying complaints and accounts of his failed dates.
Chef Maker There are some lawyers out there who can actually cook. They just don't have the time. Then there are those who can barely boil water. Whatever the category this is a gift worth getting especially if you enjoyed that chicken crostina at Olive Garden or the pulled pork at Hard Rock Cafe because the recipes areno longer secret and as a good lawyer known for sharp research skills it is only expected that you can ferret them out and then show them off. If your lawyer friend really has no interest in cooking how about trying the Mr. Beer Premium Home Brew Kit. It is designed to make a lawyer guy smile.
Kindle: Wireless Reading Device Of course lawyers can read. In fact most of them love to read, it is perhaps one of the few remaining skills they still enjoy (and talking of course). So this device would be perfect for lawyers not only because they'd use it to enjoy one of their hobbies but it would help to bring some of them who have been resisting, into the modern age. It is portable, cool and truly nifty with its paper like screen. If you don't act fast you'll probably miss it. Yes it is in hot demand!
C1900 Law Lunacy Wyndham Gould Print is an original Victorian print for those lawyers who appreciate wit, creativity and this kind of art. The lunacy part could be just what the lawyer needs to keep him or her not merely alert to the possibility - the depression rate is high remember- but also constantly open to humour.
Fun With Figures We know that lawyers are famous for verbal jujitsu but what is also well known is that when it comes to numbers some of them are downright - for want of a better word - lacking. They can total their salary, deduct payments and add enough to calculate their client's damages but sometimes even balancing the check book is brain numbing. So not only is this welcome to repair obvious defects but also it will allow the lawyer to look good in meetings with clients and partners when he doesn't need his calculator to compute percentages and taxes. I'd recommend Basic Math For Dummies but that wouldn't be right and besides Fun With Figures' shortcuts are so unique, so different you have got to try it. If your lawyer friend still doesn't get it, his kids definitely will and they'll love it.
Renew YourSelf We now all recognize the danger involved in depending on others for our energy supply. Nothing makes you feel more powerful than being in charge. Now you can actually create your own power, even if you live in an apartment. You don't have to go all high tech with the solar panels but check out the windmill especially for those cloudly winter days. Lawyer and kids will love this holiday project. The NewYork Times, Google and CNet have rated it highly, so get off the grid and go green this winter.

Hope these ideas have helped with that often tedious task of searching for the perfect gift. If all else fails however, which lawyer does not love a good bookand free time?

Lawyer: Google Yourself

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:16:00 +0000

How many of you out there have googled yourselves? Come on, you know you have. You may be willing to admit that you have googled your friend or your business or your blog but a little bashful about admitting to checking yourself out. I know, they call it ego-surfing but really who ever met a lawyer with a little bitty ego? Never fear, googling yourself has become quite commonplace. No longer is it reserved for the blind date, the new teacher, the boss or the new employee. Googling yourself is considered savvy. Indeed you might be that blind date, employee or boss so isn't it a good idea to research what the public sees about you out there?

You know when a noun becomes a verb something big is happening and there is no turning back. So you have got to get in on the action, get in sync. Some of you have already friended someone on facebook by clicking "add as friend" so learn to google yourselves too. Just go to google.com and type in your name remembering to use quotes. Then check out how many web pages mention your name and in what context. By the way facebook and other social media sites are great places to set up your online profile, which will eventually find its way to google. Then again there are Linkedin and Businesscard2 which can get you started in a positive way.

If you have a common name like say Ann Brown well then you may be neck deep in thousands - 298,000 at last count - of search results and forever mired in obscurity unless you connect your name to your hobby, country, occupation or other activity or element and combine those with your name search. Some may in fact say that obscurity is a good thing allowing you to remain undiscovered but in this rat race where competition for the small slice of pie is piping hot, many disagree.

On the other hand you may discover that the results are plentiful and not so flattering. I'm sure you have heard stories of prospective employees losing out on that dream job because of narratives of their drunken episodes or that arrest for some misdemeanor being plastered online. In those cases it will be necessary to clean up the internet image, but you have got to know what is out there first. There are a few reputation clean up companies around but you can take the intiative and do some thngs on your own like:

1. Avoid attaching your name to unsavory activities, sites, blogs etc.
2. If you like to comment on articles, blogs etc. do so anonymously or use a pseudonym
3. Contact website owners and request that your comments be redacted or your name removed or changed.
4. Change the name you use on social websites or other websites that show your public profile
5. Delete blogs you thought were cute or accounts where you disclosed too much information which is now just plain embarrassing.
6. Demote the unpleasant references to page 10 by blistering the internet with more palatable references to your name. Publish articles, join mailing lists, comment on blogs or which are indexed by google in a positive way which can give your reputation a boost.

While some of you may feel a sense of relief that there is next to nothing out there about you in cyberspace. If you have been active online then it would be pretty unusual not to have a presence in the google world - that letter you wrote to the local newspaper as a teenager might pop up - and if you are hopeful of presenting an image of yourself as a person of note or one with an exceptional skill, you might well want to develop or expand your GQ. For those of you unfamilar with the term it means "google quotient". Indeed career consultants and coaches encourage you to have a google presence. The people over at Career Distinction encourage building your brand online by "[identifying] your personal assets and clearly [communicating] your unique promise of value. Believe it or not, they even have an online identity calculator. Check it out your brand may depend on it.

One last point, if you are a lawyer and your google results are so skewed in favor of your favorite pastime, that they portray you as a chef with an Asian flair, a mean poker player, a musicologist or even a sexy stripper; don't bother to purify your online id, just quit your day job. Remember for people who don't know you, you are your google result.

Esoteric Legal Phrase:

John Doe - The temporary fictitious name given to an unidentified hospitalized or dead man or a possible male defendant who is unknown at the time a complaint is filed to start a lawsuit.

Caribbean Cabin

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:16:00 +0000

Courtesy of Paul

Obama (Out)Law

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Once again, just like in the Clinton years there will soon be two trained lawyers living in the White House. These aren't lawyers from any fourth tier law school either; these are products of Harvard Law School to boot with undergrad degrees from Ivy league universities. This resume would seem to presage a top notch legal career. Yet prestige and pedigree notwithstanding, neither Barack Obama nor his wife Michelle stayed on the legal highway for a prolonged journey.

By all accounts Barack Obama was an excellent student at Harvard garnering in 1990 an appointment as the first black president of Harvard Law Review, an achievement which merited a write up in the New York Times. Michelle Obama who graduated from Harvard a few years earlier in 1988 gained a reputation as an outspoken and forthright student. She was active in the Black Law Students Association, focusing on increasing the numbers of African-American faculty and students. Perhaps these were hints of things to come.

What strikes me about these two is the short length of their law careers. They met at the law firm where Michelle got her first job, Sidley Austin. Michelle was an associate specializing in marketing and intellectual property and Barack was a summer intern. There Michelle spent only 3 years moving on to become Assistant to Chicago Mayor Daly and she never looked back. Rather she continued to pursue a non-legal career in public service - the non profit Public Allies, Associate Dean of Students University of Chicago, VP External Relations Univ. of Chicago - no doubt putting her legal skills and contacts gained in the Mayor's office to good use. Similarly Barack spent about 3 years practising law. Upon leaving Harvard he joined the small Chicago firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill and Galland as an associate while lecturing part time at the University of Chicago and writing Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance all the while remaining connected to grass roots Chicago by way of community organizing.

By 1996 he had won a seat in the Illinois state senate, reducing his status at the law firm to of counsel and continuing to work part time as a lecturer. In that senate seat he had to use his community organizing credentials to protect him against claims that his was a privileged and pedigreed background. He is quoted in the Chicago Reader as saying:

"What if a politician were to see his job as an organizer, as part teacher and part advocate, one who does not sell voters short but who educates them about the real choices before them?”

By 2004 it was the US Senate - a position gained through shrewd positioning (became protege of democratic Senator Emil Jones), compromising (secured concessions with law enforcement to support race profiling bill) and strategizing (played seminal role in campaign finance reform) - and the rest as they say is history.

There is no doubt that Barack Obama is an ambitious man. The New York Times reports a conversation he had with Illinois Senator Emil Jones:

"You’re now the Senate president,’ ” Mr. Jones recalled. ‘You have a lot of power.’ I said, ‘I do?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Tell me what kind of power I have.’ He said, ‘You have the power to make a U.S. senator.’ I said, ‘I do?’ He said, ‘You do.’ I said, ‘If I’ve got that kind of power, do you know of anyone that I can make?’ He said, ‘Yeah. Me.”

The facts do show however that he has been dedicated to public service. It is he who influenced his wife's - then fiancee - career move into a parellel setting taking her from Sidley Austin and later recommending her to head the Chicago office of Public Allies. When she left Sidley Austin her father is reported to have asked, :"Don't you want to pay your student loans?" Still she persisted with her Barack off the legal circuit.

Of course many have trod the path from law to politics and sometimes back but the limited experience gained by Obama suggest that he acquired his legal expertise for the purpose of applying it outside of the courtroom or the firm. Then he convinced his wife to do the same. Interestingly Obama did exactly what he said he would do back when he got elected to head Harvard Law Review. According to the NYT article:

"Mr. Obama said he planned to spend two or three years in private law practice and then return to Chicago to re-enter community work, either in politics or in local organizing."

The term "public service" is often uttered with a kind of reverence, flavored with notions of good works and self sacrifice. Politics, though falling under the umbrella of public service, with its alliance to corruption and self aggrandizement, somehow escapes this exalted association. Some have managed to gain great satisfaction, many have even earned quite a bit of money doing so and still many have done lots of good in the name of public service. Throughout the campaign, Obama preached about the benefits of public service offering to grant incentives to students and extend opportunities to professionals to work overseas. Could this set of values come to embody the Obama doctrine or be made into the Obama law.

If you have the desire, drive and/or opportunity and if you are looking for an escape or a more satisfying way to apply your legal skills it may be a route to consider.

Sources:
Time
Wall Street journal
New York Times

Esoteric Legal Phrase:

Pro Bono - Latin, for the public good. Lree legal work done by an attorney for indigent clients and religious, charitable, and other social and nonprofit entities.

Financial Crisis - Alternatives for Lawyers

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:41:00 +0000

In keeping with my promise in the last post, I am posting my question to Monica Parker who has offered a comprehensvie response. Monica who I had profiled some time ago here is a lawyer turned career coach for lawyers and now also a writer. Her book The Unhappy Lawyer: A Roadmap to Finding Meaningful Work Outside of the Law comes at a time when some lawyers may be thinking that they have been offered an opportunity to leave the law but are not sure how to go about it. So I enquired of Monica.

Question: How would you advise attorneys who who have been laid off suddenly and who were unhappy in the law, on the approach they should take in finding an alternative career to law?

Answer:

“That’s a tough question. There are two approaches you can take. The first approach is to panic. Scour the legal postings, paper the city with your resume and cover letter, network until your jaw gets tired from smiling, and hopefully, land some position, any position. That approach will give you an income, granted, but it might just land you back in the unhappiness from which you’ve been released.

The second approach is to take a step back. Take a deep breath and evaluate your situation. First things first—how long can you make it without a salary? Scary question I know but my clients tell me that when I gently nudge them in this direction, they discover that clarity is better than the unknown, even if it’s not the best news. If you have 3 – 6 months savings (or even more), you have a bit of “wiggle room.” If you have less, I’ll address that issue in just a minute.

First, if you’ve got wiggle room, take a long, cool look at where you are and where you want to be. I have heard people say more times than I care to count that when things look the bleakest is often when there are great opportunities. If you can put aside your risk aversion just long enough to take a look, you might feel a sense of excitement about where you are. After all, you’ve been released. You don’t have to go to work at that job that makes you unhappy anymore. Heck, that’s even cause for celebration!

You can get lots of ideas about how to explore alternative careers in my book The Unhappy Lawyer but let me give you a quick and dirty three-step plan. One, make a list of career possibilities that intrigue you. Two, explore them—do research on the Internet, informational interviews with others in the field, take on some projects and immerse yourself so you can see what it’s like. Three, figure out what obstacles there are to pursuing these careers and decide what you want to do about them.

Now, let’s talk about if you have less than 3 months savings (or if you’re feeling too risk averse to explore the alternatives right now regardless of how much you have saved). It sounds like you need an “interim job.” An interim job is just a job to tide you over until you’re ready to be courageous and pursue work you love. It’s something that will help you pay the bills. What separates the interim job from the job you just left though is that it’s a job you can live with. Maybe it’s fewer hours or nicer colleagues or more interesting work at less pay. Whatever it is, it gives you the space and peace of mind to recover from the layoff, as well as build your energy to start your career transition.

What I recommend my clients do is make a list. What would an ideal interim job look like? Make a list of all the factors. Actually write them down.

Is it possible to get what’s on your list, you ask? Absolutely. As I was making my transition out of the law, I looked for an interim job. It was still within the practice of law but my list included such factors as pleasant people to work with, fewer billable hours, no face time. Because I was clear about what I wanted and was able to convey that to people, I got everything on my list. If you get clear about what you want and make your wishes known, there’s no reason you can’t get what’s on your list too.”

Best,

Monica

For those of you who are scared but convinced that you aren't meant to be a lawyer, this cloud surrounding you in the wake of your job loss could just bear the Silver Liningyou need. If you want to learn more from Monica you can check out her book and visit her site Leaving the Law where she blogs and has several articles for download. Oh and I am sure she'd love your comments here today.

Lawyers Looking for Jobs

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:00:00 +0000

I recently received an offer to review a non-legal product on this website for a fee and I declined because while lawyers are going to have to get resourceful in this economy I haven’t reached the stage where I want to turn this site into an unbounded marketplace. Who knows I might have to resort to some drastic measures as the signs are not good.

Reports have indicated that the effects of this financial earthquake on some lawyers have been cataclysmic. Indeed Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft started hemorrhaging last year and has not yet been able to stem the flow. Even the number one firm according to the American Lawyer’s Global 100 is feeling the pinch. Clifford Chance laid off twenty associates this week in its US litigation and dispute resolution departments. Apparently IP litigation is just not benefiting from the economic crunch. This is not restricted to the US. We see where Real estate lawyers in England have been facing redundancies as a result of the economic turmoil too and I'm sure there are other examples. This underscores the point made in my earlier post that while certain areas of law are poised to profit in this down market obviously others are suffering.

For the newly unemployed who may be feeling desperate and the new graduates who may feel like they are swallowing water while swimming upstream it is not a pretty picture. Resourcefulness, pragmatism and creativity will have to be the order of the day. Here are some brief examples of what this may involve:

Flexibility – You know the saying “pride goeth before a fall”. Now is not the time for false pride. You have bills to pay. Student loans payments are due, so is rent or mortgage if you want to avoid foreclosure and becoming a client at your former firm. So you might just have to grab what you can for the time being. Taking a job at a smaller firm or in a smaller town needn’t be considered a step down. Think of it as a step in the right direction as yes it may offer the opportunity to hold your head above water but it may even do more; it may provide you with an opening into a new specialization.

Branding – Define and refine your personal brand. Many lawyers are competent in their respective fields but there may be something special about you that you didn’t recognize when you were busy and employed. Think about it now. Re-examine your performance reviews. What were your comparable strenghts? What seems to come easy to you? What assests do you regularly receive compliments on even if they seem quite mundane to you? Remember this involves your technical and personal skills and also your values. Revamp your resume to highlight your personal brand.

Networking – Some lawyers frown at the social networking taking place online, but now is not the time to be conservative and shy. Bludgeon potential prospective employers with your resume. Also you just may have to get hip, set up your Facebook or MySpace account and start (be)friending long lost mates of making new friends. Make a map of organizations, mentors, bosses. Let people know you are on the job hunt, let them know that you are open to new experiences, write about your experiences to the local newspaper, volunteer and you never know you may rekindle friendships that could take you to a new job or make connections with people who have ideas that can assist you. In other words don’t stay home and moan in desperation. Get out there!

Yes times are tough but some say it is just a cycle of renewal and we should take the opportunity to not merely evolve but embark on our own personal revolution. Some of us are desperately unhappy lawyers, have gotten the opportunity to leave the law but are scared because we have no idea what to do next. My friend Monica Parker who has left the law successfully and who is a beacon of encouragement for many a frustrated practitioner has written a book called The Unhappy Lawyer: A Roadmap to Finding Meaningful Work Outside of the Law. She will be visiting my blog this Thursday and when she will answer a question I posed and give her special brand of advice. So tune in to leave your comments this Thursday, October 23.

Esoteric Legal Phrase:

Emolument - Benefits including wages recieved as compensation for holding office or some other employment.

Not the Beaten Path

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:47:00 +0000

Courtesy of Paul

Interview, Lies and Relocate

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:09:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I have not posted here recently, I have not left the blawgosphere. I do enjoy reading and commenting on blawgs when I'm travelling, as I was recently. I have actually been enjoying some British blawgs, in particular Baby Barista. She addressed an issue that some in the States may find familiar, that is, the insincerity engaged in by potential employees during interviews. Says Barista,

"for a profession that prides itself on honesty and integrity its entrance interview judges people on how well they lie."

I'm not sure that it is fair to target the legal profession as this could very well be an all pervasive affliction where promises, false claims, flex time, glowing references and just a great atmosphere to work in are common assertions bandied about in several occupations until reality sets in. But since we are about justice, we are deserving of scrutiny.

Then of course there are those lawsuits. By now you may have you read about the Orthodox Jew who has sued his former employer for failing to honor promises made in the interview. According to AmLaw Daily Marc Lubin's employer Dechert wooed him in interviews claiming that he would participate in endless transactional work with major clients but he found out differently after he left Skadden taking a 20% pay cut to get the opportunity to gain greater experience in structured financial deals. Jobs dried up on his arrival, he felt like a "glorified paralegal" and then learned on being fired that he was "different". Sounds familiar? Remember the suit by Caroline Memnon and the one against Orrick alleging failed promises to make an associate partner.

It appears though that Lubin has not worked for a couple of years and we know that in this economic slump, the legal job market is in decline. Hiring freezes, mergers and firm failures seem to be the order of the day. This begs some questions:

1. Will there be more or less lawsuits against employers in a climate where real satsifying jobs are limited and being a glorified paralegal is a lifesaver?
2. Will employers feel more comfortable speaking the truth to prospective employees - even if it hurts?
3. Will employers feel more comfortable taking advantage of employees who, saddled with student loans and recurring expenses are desperate to hang on to a job, any job?
4. Will the objective of diversity in the workplace become more vulnerable to the bottom line?
5. Will employees take the opportunity to take a hard look at their law career and explore other paths?

The last question is one which many may be forced to answer and who knows maybe what some may consider bad luck or misfortune could in fact be an blessing in disguise. Just look at today's AmLaw Daily. Lawyers are going global.

Esoteric Legal Phrase:
Golden handcuff - A substantial financial incentive that is given to employees that encourages them to remain with their firm. Golden handcuffs are used to cut down on employees jumping from one firm to another in order to make more money.

Image Source: www.ladders.com

A Lawyer and A Bankrupt's money...

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:08:00 +0000

Over the last few weeks I have been bombarded with material from a specific publishing company intent on availing me of global resources in myriad subject areas of the law. Now with the quakes in the US financial markets one would think that I would keenly seek out all information relating to the bankruptcy and insolvency or finance and banking laws. To be honest I did take a peek but I also found myself examining the offerings on global competition. Heck there has got to be a silver lining somewhere.

The fact is while I don’t live in the USA I understand the domino effect that its economic woes can have on industries globally and not all of it will be negative. If I were considering an area of specilalization in the US however I would certainly look at bankruptcy, capital markets, corporate law and litigation. Newly qualified lawyers who are having difficulties finding employment or disenchanted practitioners should re-look at the market and choose their specialty or broaden their skills bearing in mind the nature of the economy. Sometimes when you are in a rut you just need to shift your focus a bit. Indeed big law firm partners have been busy advising and representing in the recent bailouts and bankruptcy filings. But foreign lawyers are getting in on the deals too. Today the New York lawyer reported that:

“Barclays PLC, Great Britain's third largest bank, announced late Tuesday that it would acquire several assets from Lehman for $1.75 billion. Barclays will pay $250 million for Lehman's investment banking and capital markets businesses with an additional $1.45 billion for its Manhattan headquarters and two data centers in New Jersey.”

That is some serious cash. No doubt the fees earned by these lawyers like their US couterparts will be substantial too. If the deal works some 10,000 jobs could be saved. In this case money may be the root of some good. Here is the New York Post in respect of the Lehman case:

“The gargantuan case has drawn scores of the top practitioners in the country, representing a wide cross-section of the world's financial institutions. A courtroom filled with the legions of legal talent on the case would represent more than a $1 million a day in hourly fees alone.”

In a previous article the Post noted:

“Calpine Corp, emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,… is said to have spent some $100 million in related legal and other services.”

I have seen no research on it but I wonder whether the areas of wills, estates and trusts are seeing a rise in fees proportional to the decline in the US economy. Now this is not a case of schadenfreude but a recognition that one has to face the cold realities during bad times. It does not require much analysis to conclude that turmoil in the economy will necessarily lead to turmoil in lives. As any student of Murphy’s Law will know “Left to themselves things tend to go from bad to worse.” So if you are facing foreclosure or some other catastrophe you just might have to face the necessary evil -- one of us. Who knows maybe the lawyer's legacy will be a client's legacy: a son who grows up to be a Lawyer. Oh what retributive justice!

So as the credit crunch continues, the bankrupty lawyers are singing Let the Good Times Roll. And we wonder why it is that lawyers find it so difficult to leave the law.

Esoteric Legal Phrase:

Moratorium - an agreement not to take action to recover a debt for an agreed period of time.

Source: http://www.stus.com/

Ministers of Justice Take Leave

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:30:00 +0000

Whoever came up with the idea for summer vacation was on to a good thing. It allows some of us to take time off to be with our children, to get involved in some new activity or just to chill and re-charge the old batteries. Oh for the long, lazy days of summer, unles you work in a law firm of course. Well even some of us got to take some time off.

From June to August I grasped the respite provided by my son’s summer vacation and joined him in an activity he loves so much: reading. I read about some people in the legal profession who are to be congratulated as they took leave of the bar either full time or part time to do somethings they enjoyed. Let me take this opportunity to share with you how these persons found a way to channel their energies towards activities they love and in some cases transitioned from law firm or the bench to an alternative career or side business.

1. Marc Edelman is a former associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and also Dewey Ballantine, now Dewey & LeBoeuf. His hobby was fantasy sports. Now I can’t pretend to know what that means but while Marc was in law school he was into it and his friends would ask him about trade disputes in fantasy sports. As an associate Marc did a lot of work in sports and set up his website at sportsjudge.com where disputes can be resolved. While Marc’s business took off he moved on to academia to lecture at Rutger’s Law School on – you guessed it: Sports Law. He has a staff of over 30 who among other things writes legal opinions for $15. Wow, this must be love.

2. Hailan Fan is also a lawyer who loves sports. A former professional rhythmic gymnast she later became a corporate lawyer with Fulbright & Jaworski’s Hong Kong office. She took leave from the firm this summer to participate as a manager of media venue operations at the Beijing Olympic Games. Hailan who loves international transactions – she mainly does international transactions focusing on China and America at the mergers and acquisitions department at her firm - put her skills to use at the gamers where she managed commentators from all over the world and also to set up the interviews at the end of the games.

3. James Clark took two months unpaid leave from his litigation associate position at New York’s Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton to help Senator Obama with his campaign in Pennsylvania. With the support of his teammates and the blessing of partners he went off to recruit new volumteers from the Hillary supporters and independents. Pretty soon this community oganizer will be up for VP or hopefully partner. He’s back at the firm with plans to get married in October, we wish him well.

4. Judge Penny Brown is resigning on October 22 to take up her new job as a TV judge on “Family Court with Judge Penny Brown”. She took time off this summer to tape the first few episodes. Prior to her seat on the bench Brown served as an assistant state attorney general; assistant DeKalb County prosecutor; executive counsel and chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard; and of course as a lawyer. Wonder how much better the pay is at the TV bar?

Now it's back to the grind but for some a welcome change. For those of us still slogging at the office let us still cling to the hope that our day will come.

Esoteric Legal Phrase:

STRICT LIABILITY - Liability even when there is no proof of negligence. Often applicable in product liability cases against manufacturers and traffic offences like driving without insurance.

Carnival of Moms-in-the-Law - 3rd Edition

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:21:00 +0000

Welcome to the September 8, 2008 edition of carnival of moms-in-the-law. I received a number of spam submissions and was only able to identify two that fell remotely within the categories specified. So I decided to share two more posts from blogs I visit from time to time

Steven Ballard presents Racy Divorce Lawyer posted at Massachusetts Divorce & Family Law Blog

Nicole Black presents Dressing "conservatively" posted at Women Lawyers -- Back on Track

Niharika presents The Top 100 Civil Liberties Advocacy Blogs posted at Criminal Justice Degrees Guide.

Babs Mountjoy presents Welcome to the Real World posted at Awalkabout's Weblog

Raymond presents My List Of The Top 5 Most Overrated Careers and Jobs posted at Money Blue Book, saying, "Just me venting about lawyers and the legal profession."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of moms-in-the-law using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Poor Us

deenation@gmail.com (Dee) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Courtesy of Paul