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Why Coaching and Mentoring Are Vital To Every Lawyer’s Career Planning

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“I wish I had a mentor.” I have heard that statement uttered by more lawyers over the past 18 years than any other except perhaps, “I hate billable hours!” That lawyers want more mentoring doesn’t surprise me. Mentoring and coaching are critical to every lawyer’s career development. In fact, after education, such support is widely held to be the second most significant factor in becoming a successful lawyer.

Law School Does Not Teach You How To Be A Lawyer

Mentoring is not just for young lawyers, either. The need for mentoring and coaching cuts across all stages of career, all practice areas, all environments, all sizes of law firms, in-house departments, genders, ages, races and geographic areas. From the minute we ventured forth from the halls of law school we heard, “Law school does not teach you how to be a lawyer.” Have you ever had one of those dreams where you show up for a final exam and realize you never attended that class and haven’t a clue about the exam? Starting out stone cold in the practice of law felt like that to me. Okay I’m here, now what do I do?

If mentoring is such a key building block in our professional career development, why do most lawyers report that they never received the mentoring and coaching they felt they needed?

When The Bottom Line Rules, Associates Lose

Simply stated, things are not the way they used to be in the legal profession. The modern practice of law with its current myopic focus on the bottom line leaves little time or incentive for developing truly impactful mentoring relationships among lawyers. This leads to a major gap in the acculturation of the vast majority of associates. The lawyers, the firm and clients suffer.

It was not like that in the “good old days.” When my father graduated from law school in the early 1950′s, he started with a firm and right away had a very experienced, successful mentor who was eager to show him the ropes, share his knowledge, give advice, introduce him to the “right” people, work with him and groom him to be a successful trial lawyer. That was common practice in those days.

This organic mentoring relationship has pretty much gone by the wayside. It exists only rarely, and hardly ever for women and minorities. When my brothers and I got out of law school in the 1980s, we each expected to be mentored as my father was. We were surprised and disappointed when that never happened. A large number of my law school classmates had the same negative experience.

Associates Must Take Matters Into Their Own Hands

What has been done to fix the problem? Law firms started various kinds of formal mentoring programs in the 1980s but these have had only marginal success. According to managers in major law firms I have interviewed, these programs that continue today are not meeting the need (even though the firm proudly touts them!) and associates are still not experiencing the relationship part of mentoring that is so critical to their development. The mentor they are assigned is either not fully invested in the concept of mentoring, or does not have the training to be good at it. In fact mentoring skills run contrary to a lawyer’s strengths. On the other side of the equation, young associates do not know how to look for mentoring experiences and instead wait passively for something that rarely happens.

Is there anything that I could have done differently coming out of law school? Is there anything that lawyers today can be doing for themselves while waiting for firms to implement better mentoring programs? Absolutely! Instead of waiting
for the ideal mentor to show up at your office door, you can take full responsibility for your career and seek out opportunities to be mentored. It’s the approach I share with the lawyers I coach in other aspects of career development – whether finding new jobs, alternative careers, or building bigger client bases.

Take Full Responsibility. Build A Network. Create A Plan

There are excellent mentors to be found, but you have to orient yourself three ways. First, you have to take full responsibility for your career and understand that your career development has always been and always will be up to you. Second, you need to shift from thinking of mentoring as something you get from one person. You need to have more than one mentor and think in terms of building a network of people you can turn to for a variety of things – a mentoring “board of advisors.” Third, you need to create and follow a strategic plan, much as you would when conducting a job search or targeting a new client. This is where the rubber meets the road and it takes time, focus and purpose.

You need to get clear about your personal goals for career and business development and create a career development plan. Temporarily at least, you need to stop thinking like a lawyer. Instead of driving yourself crazy obsessing about all the risks and potential downsides in every situation just try to relax and picture where you want to go with your career. Ask yourself: Who do I want to be in five years? Ten years? What kind of clients do I want to be serving? What kind of practice do I want to have? And what are the qualities and attributes of a successful person with that kind of career and practice?

Once you have a vision for your career, you can break it down into manageable, tactical pieces and set goals to get there. You can identify the steps you need to take at each stage, including the skills you need to have, the people you need to meet, the clients you need to have, and so on.

Find A Mentor Who Fits The Stage Of Your Career

There are some mentoring needs that most lawyers have in common. New lawyers need to focus on developing skills, competencies, professional identity, work/life balance and how to progress on the partnership track if that is what they want, or where to look for alternatives if they don’t want to be a partner. Lawyers who have practiced three to five years also need to learn about leadership, marketing, human resource management, and the financial realities of the law business.

Nor does lawyer development stop when you reach partnership. For experienced lawyers, it is important to find mentoring at transition points – redirecting one’s area of practice, changing employment, or even changing professions. For senior lawyers it can be about many of the same things as well as keeping up with technological changes.

Once you have your career plan in place, you can create a mentoring plan. I don’t mean look for one person to fill all your needs. As I said earlier, the odds of that happening are slim to none. Once you have identified the various areas in which
you need mentoring, you can identify the people who can help you. For example, if you have decided that one of your long-term goals is to be a well-known speaker, then you need to find a mentor who has contacts, influence, and may be able to teach you presentation skills. You would likely choose a different person to mentor you in managing competing work demands; one who is well organized and could show you practical techniques and strategies.

Good Mentoring And The Role Of Coaching

Aside from technical skills, what should you look for in a mentor? What I have found in my personal experiences on both the mentor/coach and protégé sides is that good mentors need to be able to play different roles at different times, depending on the situation. Sometimes they need to instruct and give guidance, sometimes they need to give constructive criticism, and sometimes they need to be more of a coach. Always they need to have patience, to care about the other person’s success, to be supportive, perceptive, a good listener and able to help protégés help themselves.

What I see missing from most formal mentoring relationships in firms is the coaching role, which most lawyers do not know how to play effectively. It requires dramatically different skills from the analytical, directive ones expected from a lawyer. It is more like the Socratic method that is used by first year law professors. The mentor asks the protégé questions that help her discover answers that are inside her already. The coach’s role is that of a sounding board, facilitator, counselor and awareness raiser. Often the coach says little to nothing. Instead, he asks questions to get a clear understanding of what the protégé thinks, wants, and needs. He listens closely to the answers and often asks more questions to help the protégé discover her own answers.

Instead of the mentor telling the protégé how to correct a difficult problem, handle an assignment, or rescuing her from a mistake, he leads her to think through a situation, tap into her own experience and knowledge, and find her own way. By investing a little time on the front end of this ‘coaching conversation’ the partner saves much more time going forward because the associate becomes increasingly more self-reliant, confident and less dependent on the partner. It’s much like the adage, ‘Pay me now or pay me later.’

There are two key reasons why the coaching role is so important to good mentoring. First, it leads to a deeper level of learning both for the person being mentored and for the mentor. Second, it also makes for a higher quality relationship characterized by mutual trust, respect and more open communication. Not a bad payoff for a few extra minutes of attention by the partner!

Since very few lawyers have intuitive coaching skills it may be difficult to find a mentor who also can play the coach role. However coaching skills can be taught and learned, and hopefully one day this type of training will be a regular part of formal mentoring programs. Meanwhile coaching skills can be found in people who may not otherwise be positioned to serve as your mentor. So you can have both, just not in the same person.

Now that you know what you want in a mentor, how are you going to articulate to a potential mentor what you offer? Be ready to talk about your specific goals and explain why this person has the skills and abilities to help you. You don’t even have to use the term mentor – just be precise about what you want him to do and why.

Mentors Come In All Shapes, Sizes And Philosophies

How do you find mentors? You start by networking to identify prospects, both in your firm or company and outside of it. Look at partners, co-workers, ex-bosses, and colleagues in other practices. Business and professional organizations,community groups, and personal interest groups are other sources. For a senior lawyer, a junior partner who is technologically savvy can be a mentor. Don’t assume it has to be someone senior to you – you can find mentoring opportunities everywhere. Talk to friends in the profession and find out who their resources are. Remember, non-lawyers can be great mentors and can teach important practice skills. If your goal is to be a better negotiator, look to business people and mediators as possible mentors. If you need to be better at analyzing complex financial data, seek out an accountant or financial advisor. In return, you can offer your experience and insight as a mentor to them.

Once you identify someone, take the initiative to build a personal relationship. You can take the indirect approach and find opportunities to get to know her better before asking her to assist you. You can also take the direct approach – ask her for ten minutes to talk and lay your cards on the table. Describe your goals, be clear about what you want, and estimate how much of her time it will take. Approach this person with the attitude that you are trying to emulate her, not asking to be taken care of. She is more likely to be willing to share what works for her rather than to help you do your work.

Demonstrate from the outset that you are someone worth investing time in. What I hear most mentors say they want to see in a potential protégé includes: ambition, integrity, determination, a positive attitude, good listening and interpersonal skills, and willingness to take responsibility for her own career. Emphasize your own responsibility in the relationship and be confident about your abilities and how they can help you become a better lawyer.

Lessons That Last A Lifetime

I have to admit that I did not practice what I’m preaching to you here when I entered the profession. Partly because I did not know how, but mainly because I knew early on that the practice of law was not for me. I have, however, followed this approach in my subsequent careers. When I stepped out of the practice in 1991 to start a company placing experienced contract lawyers, I immediately came up with a business plan and determined who I wanted on my personal Board of Advisors. I knew I had a lot to learn about networking, marketing, and all the other aspects of running a business. I began to develop close relationships with a few like-minded, experienced lawyers who believed in what I was doing, who could help pave the way in my networking efforts. I hired a business coach to work with me weekly in all aspects of business skill development.

I have continued to do this in my new career as a professional life coach. When I decided to transition into a coaching career, I sought out coaches I already knew and joined several coaching associations. By doing this I have established
wonderful relationships with coaches more experienced than I, to whom I turn for coaching when I need it. I now have another personal Board of Advisors. As I identify new competencies and situations for which I need mentoring, I seek out new mentors and will continue to do so the rest of my professional life.

About the author of this article: Anne H. Whitaker, vice president of Counsel On Call’s Atlanta office, has more than 20 years of combined experience in coaching, consulting, marketing, law and education. In 1991, she co-founded In-House Counsel, Inc., a pioneering contract attorney placement company in Atlanta. Prior to entering the business world, Ms. Whitaker practiced real estate law in private practice for five years.  She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1986, where she served on the editorial board of the Georgia Law Review.  She is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) and has created, chaired and spoken at numerous seminars for lawyers on career development and transition. She provides career development coaching for lawyers, is founding member and co- chair of the Atlanta Bar Career Management Committee, and is a licensed provider of the Highlands Ability Battery and other career-related assessments.  To contact Ms. Whitaker, visit www.counseloncall.com.

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What’s Your Grade In Law Firm Romance 101?

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In light of the run-away success of Sex in the City, this might be a good time to deconstruct romance in the workplace. Over the years I’ve seen many decent people blindsided, and many others who end up hurting or embarrassing either themselves or, worse yet, innocent bystanders. Though all professional schools (and risk managers) should provide office sex education, focusing on how well-meaning, good people can fall into potentially compromising situations, they don’t which leaves us pretty much on our own to deal with difficult feelings and circumstances. Yet there’s nothing new about falling in love at work; most situations are fairly predictable.

The Intensity Of The Workplace Fosters Romance

The workplace can become so intense that boundaries blur and we’re tempted to throw caution to the winds. When strong feelings develop, often unexpectedly, it’s easy to conclude that you’re in love. But instead of surrendering, or reacting with stupefied surprise, it’s best to make intentional decisions, which are easier to make if you’re prepared for them.

Why is it anyone else’s business if two people who work together fall in love or begin an affair? Putting aside practical concerns like lawsuits, malpractice claims and ethics charges, organizations are complex systems and unbalanced relationships impact the whole team. There really isn’t any way to insulate the work environment. Questions about fairness, confidentiality, and the team’s survival if the relationship dies inevitably arise; communication is often disrupted and trust compromised.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Here are a few situations to be on guard for.

Office Parties Often Create Havoc

Office parties have a notorious reputation and with good reason. During work hours, we all experience a variety of feelings we don’t act on, ranging from anger toward others to attraction. Throwing an annual office party is a way we all get to let off a little steam. It’s a socially acceptable outlet, like a roast, or Mardi Gras. Granted, we all have fantasies, but once we act on them, we can’t always fit them back into the neat little box of our imagination. Remember: most of what happens in the heat of an alcohol-based event doesn’t survive the hangover, except as an embarrassing (and occasionally career-ending) bad dream.

Trials Can Become Romantic Hotbeds

Preparing for a trial can be akin to producing, directing and starring in a play both are dramatic, intense situations in which the stakes are high, hours are long, and you are on the same team. It’s not unusual for a romance to blossom, even though it will most likely fade after the wrap. None of the players is immune lawyers, clients, witnesses, experts, investment bankers. Wise attorneys will postpone any undying declarations of love until after the cast party is long over.

Rescuing A Client In Distress Can Be Sexy

Like therapists, lawyers have to work hard to not confuse the admiration and gratitude they receive from their clients for love. This is easier said than done. When people entrust you with their most difficult, and sometimes most intimate matters, it can be a heady experience. Who doesn’t love to be flattered, admired, appreciated and deferred to especially if we don’t receive quite the same attention from our families. In these situations, your clients need to believe that you are the most brilliant, experienced, and dedicated lawyer in the world; this allows them to weather situations over which they have lost control. Just make sure you don’t mistake these intense feelings for something they’re not.

Avoid The Mentor/Protégé Mix-up

In most offices, an informal mentoring relationship often develops between people who like each other. People generally choose to mentor someone who shares their interests, outlook, or values. Protégés admire and appreciate those who single them out for attention and guidance but these are often the same feelings that can lead to attraction and romance. But a mentoring relationship is, by definition, not between equals, and mentors bear the responsibility for protecting their protégés from the inherent vulnerability of this relationship. Wise protégés need to recognize that their mentors may not have completed Romance 101 and, therefore, should keep their own eyes open.

Don’t Become A Fool For Love

Some wonderful, passionate, caring and intense people men and women simply fall in love time after time. Often, they are charismatic, attractive and charming. They thrive on the depth and intensity of true love and seem to have a difficult time adjusting to ordinary life when the bloom fades. The last thing they want is to hurt anyone, but unfortunately they do. Men may be especially susceptible to this since our culture doesn’t allow them much room for emotional expression, and falling in love is an acceptable outlet. To protect yourself, notice patterns your own or your suitor’s. Once you’ve been down this path a couple times, ask yourself what role romance plays in your life. Is it a substitute for coming to terms with yourself? How are your serial romances impacting the lives of the people you care about? Conversely, if you are the latest object of affection, you need to ask yourself what happened to the most recent flame because you’re probably going to wind up like her (or him).

If you find yourself in one of these situations, the best thing to do is pause. Don’t enter into romantic relationships in charged circumstances until you can test your feelings in the cold, mundane light of day. If you can’t extricate yourself, talk to your firm’s risk manager or Human Resources representative. The conversation may be hard, but the one you initiate will undoubtedly go better than the one you are summoned to.

For law office managers, an ounce of prevention will save you tons of cure. Talk to the people involved before a relationship becomes an “issue.” When people understand the risks inherent in charged situations, they are much more likely to handle themselves admirably without your intervention. Second, establish clearly articulated norms about office relationships; that way, people will know what to avoid. Third, establish that “don’t ask, don’t tell” won’t work in your firm. Talking to people about personal relationships violates a host of cultural taboos, so the default expectation is that no one is going to raise the subject until it’s unavoidable at which point it’s usually too late to salvage. Let it be known that you are determined to have difficult conversations early. In fact, read the book: Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most by Stone, Patton, Heen and Fisher (Penguin Paperback,2000).

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Diversity Officers Promote Inclusion And Retention

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On February 18, 2003, I became the country’s first Chief Diversity Officer at K & L (now K & L Gates), one of America’s Fortune 100 law firms. As a full-time management-level executive officer on diversity, I reported to the chairman of the management committee and attended all management meetings of the firm. The appointment was heralded by the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of PPG Industries, Inc., Jim Diggs as “groundbreaking.” The July/August 2003 Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s publication’s Diversity & the Bar featured the appointment in an article entitled, “Above the Cut: Law Firms Raise the Bar.” In short, my appointment signaled the start of a movement that placed diversity front and center for law firms around the country.

I had the unique opportunity to work directly with the managing partner and members of the management committee on a regular if not daily basis to forge the firm’s diversity mission. This degree of contact was necessary: without it, the firm could not have attempted to change its culture, as well as its demographic composition.

At the firm’s management meetings, diversity was always the first item of business. I worked with every office’s administrative partner on its office’s particular goals and objectives. I also worked with the chief officer for professional development and recruitment on acquiring a diverse workforce and then putting into play a comprehensive professional development program with a structured mentoring component. We hired two full-time lawyers, as professional development coordinators who, along with me, went to every office and worked with all the associates on their development plans and competencies for their yearly progress, encouraging them to grow as individuals within the firm. I also worked with a specialist on work/life balance issues.

We were also the first firm to hire a full-time Director of Professional and Personal Life Integration, with firm-wide responsibilities. We started a Wellness Program within the diversity initiative that was available to all employees to ensure a healthy, competent staff. Minority and women attorneys became increasingly engaged at K & L; they went on to hold management positions and became practice group heads and leaders in their respective communities.

Diversity Needs To Be Supported By Top Management

Large law firms all over the country now are hiring diversity professionals. Their ranks have swelled to such an extent that the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) was founded in 2006. Its mission is to promote, retain and advance diversity in the legal profession. This year, ALFDP and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) sponsored a survey (conducted by The Flourishing Company, a national workplace consulting firm) to determine the roles and responsibilities of these professionals in promoting and accomplishing diversity initiatives. The survey not only included members of ALFDP, but also the Am-Law 200 firms.

The survey concluded that large law firms are turning to diversity professionals as the norm, rather than as the exception these days. The study also is the first to authoritatively establish that the best diversity method in practice today is creating leadership at the management level for sustained diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Evidence that diversity officers are effective in accomplishing inclusion and retention goals is supported in an article by Alexandra Kalev, Frank Dobbins and Erin Kelly, entitled Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies.1 The authors conclude that there are three generally accepted methods of obtaining diversity: establishing organizational responsibility for diversity, attempting to moderate bias in the workplace through training and feedback, and reducing the social isolation of minorities and women in the company.

Law firms have been following the corporate diversity model for the last 10 to 15 years because of corporate pressure to become more diverse and inclusive or lose business. This trend began in the 1990s when Charles Morgan, the former General Counsel of BellSouth, issued a Statement of Principles on Diversity, and continued when Rick Palamore, former general counsel to Sara Lee, issued his Call To Action. As a result, large law firms have almost universally accepted that the first step towards diversity is to create a diversity committee. The 2008 Law Firm Diversity Professional Survey showed that all but one respondent had a diversity committee and that this firm was creating a committee this year; it also indicated that 78% of those surveyed had a diversity professional, many of whom had been hired within the last several years.

Of the diversity professionals surveyed, almost 19% were practicing attorneys with their law firms, 44% were non-practicing attorneys within the firm and 34% were non-attorneys. Most of the diversity professionals were either members of their firms’ diversity committees, or the chairs of these committees.

Diversity Officers Encourage Change

Diversity professionals at these law firms perform a myriad of functions, including defining what diversity means to the culture of their firm, launching and coordinating the firm’s diversity mission and goals, promoting diversity programs, articulating both within and outside of the firm what the diversity program consists of, and maintaining the metrics and deliverables which reflect the firm’s progress towards diversity and inclusion. These professionals also act as liaisons to the firm’s management and as confidantes for the minority and female lawyers. They also facilitate relationships between individuals at the firm and the leading diversity organizations outside of the firm at the local, state and national levels.

The importance of the role of the Chief Diversity Officer has even filtered down to state and local bar groups as well. California appointed Ruthie Ashley as its first Chief Diversity Officer last year. Pennsylvania is considering creating the position of Chief Diversity Officer for its state bar. And the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the Bar Association of San Francisco have Diversity Directors, as does the City of New York Bar Association.

I believe that the best way to bring about diversity and inclusion is to hire a full time, management level executive to direct and implement a cultural change within the firm. At K & L, I had the opportunity to make diversity permeate the firm’s culture, creating a dynamic and enriched organization, where diversity was valued and not just tolerated as an add-on to the firm’s social fabric. The evidence is clear: without organizational accountability at the very top of the firm, no lasting or meaningful change will occur.

FOOTNOTE

1. Best Practices or Best Guesses? Assessing the Efficacy of Corporate Affirmative Action and Diversity Policies, by Alexandra Kalev, Frank Bobbin and Erin Kelly. American Sociological Review, 2006, Vol.71 (August:589-617)

A diversity consultant at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates and Ellis, LLP, Mr. Cooper opens and maintains direct lines of communication with disparate groups within law firms to ensure that the interests and perspectives of all partners and employees are considered in firm decisions.

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Categories: Diversity - Tags: diversity officers, diversity professionals, general counsel, law firms, practicing attorneys

What Makes Cynthia Doll Successful?

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Our clients need us to hear both what they are trying to express and the emotions behind it.

An interview with Cynthia Doll:

TCL:  What’s your personal definition of success?
Success is achieving satisfaction and respect in your field, while also creating the time to nurture the important relationships in your life, like family, friends and community.

TCL:  Who is the most successful person you know?
I would say anyone who can actually achieve both professional success and maintain strong and stable personal relationships would be successful. It sounds simple, but because of the demands of our profession, it can be easier said than done. It’s a constant balancing act sometimes work wins the battle for first place on our minds and agendas. Other times, your family demands first priority. The most successful people are those who realize that and try not to get too stressed out during those times of ever-shifting priorities.

TCL:  What have been your greatest accomplishments?
Professionally, maintaining a dynamic practice in employment law and litigation for almost 16 years and acting as co-chair of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs’ Labor and Employment law practice group for approximately five years have been most fulfilling. More fundamentally, I feel a great sense of accomplishment any time a client entrusts me with a new matter or case.
On the personal front, I have a wonderfully supportive husband of 20 years and two awesome kids, and they are my greatest personal accomplishments.

TCL:  What have been your setbacks or disappointments?
Like any lawyer, at times I have allowed the practice of law to consume me and have had trouble making time for the truly important things in life. I have had to struggle to cultivate the ability to leave work at work. I have also competed for new business and not received the nod, which again can be discouraging. My advice (which I have to remind myself when these things happen to me) is to dust yourself off and find the next prospect or try the next case without beating yourself up too much about what you did wrong.

TCL:  What influence did your mother have on your life?
My mother was in many ways the primary influence on me. She was the valedictorian of her high school class, and I’m sure good genes from both her and my professor father helped me to do well in school. My mom worked outside the home and favored women’s rights (then called “women’s lib”) in the 1970s. Although she led the life of a minister/professor’s wife, I remember her yelling “Right on!” at the TV when news came on about the women’s movement. She encouraged me to excel academically and pursue my professional goals. She also was a devoted mother who set an excellent example that I try to emulate with my own kids.

TCL:  What influence did your father have on your life?
As a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a minister, my father was devoted to his scholarship and his students. I took after him in loving to read and having an affinity for school and for research and writing. The law is a learned profession, and his example provided a firm grounding for a legal education. I like to think that from his devotion to his students and love of teaching, I learned to be passionate about what I do and to care deeply about my clients and their welfare.

TCL:  Name one of your heroes (other than your parents) and tell why he or she is heroic to you
Sandra Day O’Connor, because of the obstacles she faced as a woman lawyer when they were scarce and because of her role as the first female Supreme Court Justice. I was privileged to meet her when she visited the University of Louisville School of Law in 1992 to accept the Brandeis medal. A picture of us together at that event now hangs on my office wall.

TCL:  What talents or natural abilities make you good at what you do?
Again, I love to read and write. I also am a good listener. We lawyers have a tendency to like to hear ourselves talk. But it is equally important to listen, especially to our clients. Listen to what they are saying and also listen for the subtext or the emotional message. Our clients are going through stressful and unfamiliar experiences like getting sued for the first time. They need someone who will both hear what they are trying to express and tune in to the emotions behind it.

TCL:  What have you learned to do that was not a natural talent but has helped you be successful?
Marketing, marketing, marketing. You can’t sit at your desk and wait for clients to magically show up. I’ve had to build a practice, make my own contacts and make a name for myself in the profession. Client development can be challenging. I have had to push myself to engage in structured marketing efforts including joining networking groups, making presentations, “doing” lunches, even attending cocktail parties, which, honestly, aren’t my favorite places to be.

TCL:  What would a person starting out today have to do to enter your profession or position?
First, they should take a deep breath and be sure this is what they want to do because the legal profession can be consuming. A solid liberal arts education is the best foundation for moving on to law school. At law school, future lawyers should do their absolute best and should spend the summers working at firms or for government agencies in areas in which they have an interest.

TCL:  What values do you hold in highest regard?
Unquestionably, honesty and integrity, particularly as they relate to the practice of law. The reputation of the law has suffered as lawyers have lost sight of these overarching principles. There is no client so important, and no result so critical, that they would justify compromising your honesty and ethics.

TCL:  How would you characterize your personal style?
Diligent and persistent, but not too serious to have fun with the practice of law. I like to think I bring creativity to my practice and have the ability to see a case or problem from a novel angle that some might not have considered.

TCL:  Do you have a personal vision, a positive picture of yourself in the future? If yes, what is it?
I learn something new as a lawyer every day. I hope to spend more time mentoring young lawyers and growing our practice group regionally. I have a long-term vision of creating time for writing, travel and creative projects.

TCL:  What are you most interested in or passionate about?
Aside from work and the law, I am passionate about my family and love to travel with them. I devour books of all types and am always looking for new authors in fiction and subject areas in nonfiction. I am passionate about the continued progress of women in the profession and at my firm.

TCL:  Which life skills have you developed that serve you best?
Perseverance, diligence and the ability to work hard toward a goal, whether for a case or client or in my personal life.

TCL:  What magazines, newspapers or journals do you read regularly?
I read the Courier-Journal just about every day. I read many legal publications and also make time for fun magazines like Self.

TCL:  What Internet websites do you frequent?
The Courier’s website, MSN.com, Google, various law blogs, eBay for bargains. I drop by at The Onion for satire on occasion.

TCL:  What are your favorite books? What books have you read recently that you would recommend and why?
I don’t have one favorite author. I am always reading a new book and feel at a loss when I run out of books to read. One I read recently and enjoyed was The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Diodge. The book summarizes recent research in the field of neuroscience that shows the brain is capable of healing itself, including from injury, stroke and even mental illness. It was fascinating.

TCL:  What are your favorite films? What films have you seen recently that you would recommend and why?
It can be difficult to find time to go to the movies, and when I do, it tends to be for kids’ films. I try to see most or all of the Oscar-nominated films each year. I enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine, which was nominated for best picture in 2007. It was an offbeat but hilarious departure from the big budget pictures that the Academy usually prefers. I have profound hope for the future of us as humans, so I really don’t have a concern per se about “life on the planet.” The largest challenge for this country is combating the forces trying to tear down democracy, such as terrorism, while still maintaining our way of life.

TCL:  What is fun for you?
Dancing, exercise (cardio and weights), travel, any fun activity with my family.

TCL:  What especially galls you?
In the practice of law, it is the appalling decline in respect and courtesy for one another as lawyers. Come to think of it, you see these same trends in every day life as well. On the flip side, I always make sure to thank people when they do something kind or courteous, like holding the door or saying “excuse me,” “please,” etc.

TCL:  If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently? Why?
I really don’t see myself doing anything much differently if I had it to do over again. I have been blessed to have made some great decisions as to career and family that provide deep meaning to my life.

TCL:  What do you want to make sure you accomplish before you die?
I would like to learn to play the piano, learn at least one foreign language (I know some German, but it’s extremely rusty) and travel, travel, travel.

TCL:  Is there anything you’d like to add?
Thank you!

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How Can Lawyers Thrive In An Uncertain Economy?

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During uncertain times in the legal market, a law firm that wants to survive and thrive must stabilize its core and align all of its efforts with specific, identified long-term strategic goals. Professional Development (PD) is the perfect structural tool to achieve that stability and alignment. PD can equip associates with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to meet the challenges of the current economic climate. When firms cut professional development programs, they communicate a short-term, “every man for himself” mentality to their attorneys and jettison the one thing that can best provide their attorneys with the tools they need to adapt and respond. As a result, attorneys become more anxious and less secure. Firm cohesion falls apart. Law firms must use the PD function to re-focus, re-tool, and move forward—to shift from reaction to action.

PD Is the Core Platform To Circle the Wagons

In challenging markets, the overall success of a firm depends on several critical factors: what attorneys know and can do, their ability to adjust and change in the face of adversity, their commitment to and belief in the firm’s goals, and their desire to work together as part of the team. Law firms can use existing professional development components—training programs, mentoring programs, virtual learning systems, peer-to-peer collaboration—to reinforce firm integration, individual attorney security, and client confidence. Partners, associates and clients all need to see that the firm is on solid ground. Use PD to tell your lawyers and clients that everyone is valued, everyone pulls together, and everyone benefits in the end. Use PD to calm the waters, communicate consistent messages, disseminate the firm’s strategic and tactical goals, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

PD can also be used to reassure your associates that their participation is essential to the firm’s continued success. In this market, associates need to help the firm hold on to existing clients, reduce client costs, re-build practice groups and develop new practice areas. Shift the learning content of professional development programs to match the evolving needs of clients and the firm. Through mentoring and feedback, partners can demonstrate their commitment to their associates. That commitment inspires associate loyalty to the firm even when there are fewer billable hours, workforce reductions, or decreases in above-salary compensation (such as hours-based bonuses). To weather the storm, your firm is going to need that loyalty.

By continuing to offer professional development programs, the firm reassures its clients that it is still focused on developing excellent attorneys and providing high-quality service. Look for new opportunities to add value and cement client relationships. Bring clients in as partners and participants in your PD program. Send attorneys out as partners and participants in client training programs. Use virtual learning and peer-to-peer collaboration to generate new solutions to client problems.

Your PD Function Must Support Today’s Strategic Plan

To be effective, PD must be an integrated, dynamic part of the firm’s strategic planning. The PowerPoints you used years ago don’t cut it anymore. Yesterday’s clinical scenarios won’t help your associates face today’s challenges. All components of your PD program must be tied to your firm’s current tactical and strategic objectives.

Persons charged with PD responsibilities must consider what legal services clients are going to need during the next six months, the next year, and the next two years. Then they must ask: Do our attorneys have the expertise, knowledge, and skills to provide those services? If there is a gap between the two—and there will be—you need to close it so that your attorneys are ready when your clients need them, and are equipped with the necessary skills to do the work you have and the work you want.

Firms that align their professional development with their firm’s strategic goals will gain a competitive advantage over firms that let their professional development programs stagnate, or worse, cut them—or worst of all, do not have any. These advantages will manifest in:

  • identification of new client needs
  • new expertise and skills
  • greater subject matter and practice specialization
  • higher efficiency with improved realization rates
  • better internal communication
  • better resource allocation

Maximize PD In Six Steps

Professional development doesn’t have to be a burden, expensive, or hard. It just has to happen. Most firms already have the subject matter expertise and internal capability to create the professional development programs they need; they just need to strategically deploy their resources.

Here are six ideas for maximizing the use of PD:

  1. Focus on industry and practice specific skills. Avoid “just in case” programs and focus on “just in time” programming.
  2. Use PD as a substitute for additional associate compensation/bonus to support morale. Even in the best of times, associates are often willing to trade money for greater personal engagement and work satisfaction. Increased opportunities for engagement and satisfaction can offset decreased opportunities for economic rewards.
  3. Trim the fat in your professional development schedule. Your firm should not be spending time or money on generic, worn-out programs that are only useful for the MCLE credits they provide (MCLE credits should be a bonus of but not the objective of PD). Make sure that each program is focused on strategic objectives and will allow your attorneys to achieve those objectives.
  4. Eliminate expensive extras. Meals, cocktails, travel, and gifts are often used to entice or reward attorneys for attending professional development programs. A good program that engages them and provides them with the tools they need to succeed can be a reward in and of itself.
  5. Take advantage of virtual learning tools. Explore and exploit the wonderful world of intranets, webinars, wikis, knols, podcasts, and peer-to-peer networks. You can use outside sources, develop internal sources (or combine the two), and blend traditional and virtual training methods to maximize the PD experience and reduce costs.
  6. Use slow times to develop and improve internal programs. If your firm’s partners and associates are wandering the halls looking for something do, grab them and put them to work. Most of them have probably been promising to pitch in for years, and now is the time to hold them to it.

PD is a vital part of every firm’s ongoing health and well being, not an “extra” or an afterthought. Use it to lift morale, to rebuild, and to expand—to not just survive these uncertain times, but to thrive in them.

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I Need A Legal Mentor To Move Forward With My Law Career

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Q: I feel as if I need a mentor if I am going to move forward with my career. How do I find one?

A: First let’s talk about what a mentor is and then we can delve into how to find one. A mentor is a trusted counselor, someone who advises and guides you based on her own knowledge and experience. Typically, mentors are older than you are or have more experience. Because the mentor has already gone down a certain path, she can help you navigate it, as well as advise you about its benefits and pitfalls.

Many people believe that they need a mentor—one person who takes you under her wing and serves as a role model for life. This notion is more myth than reality. Most of us need multiple mentors—different people to guide us at different times of our lives, or to help us learn about specific aspects of life.

For example, you may want to find a practice development mentor, someone who has built a practice similar to the one you’d like to build and has done so in a way that resonates with your personality. You might have another mentor for community involvement, and a third to help you juggle the demands of family and career in a way you admire.

How do you go about finding mentors? We recommend looking around you for people you respect and admire. What is it about them that makes them stand out? What aspect of who they are and what they do kindles your admiration?

Next, consider what you want from this mentor. Do you want to meet with her every week? Do you want email and phone access? Being clear about your expectations will help you find the right people.

If you choose someone you already know, the next step is to approach her and simply ask if she’d be willing to mentor you with respect to the chosen area. Chances are she’ll be flattered: she’ll probably ask you some questions and ultimately agree. However, she might also say no; perhaps she’s feeling stretched too thin, or not qualified to mentor you in the way you need. If that happens, don’t worry; you can approach other people, even those you don’t know.

To approach people with whom you don’t have a direct connection, first determine if you know someone who knows her and ask for an introduction. Another option is to simply “cold call” a potential mentor. Remind yourself that your request is flattering, and that many people appreciate being asked to serve as a mentor. In either case, be sure to tell the potential mentor about yourself, what you admire about her, what you are trying to accomplish through the mentoring relationship, and how you conceive of the mentor’s role.

Look within and outside of your firm, and perhaps even outside the practice of law. You’ll have an easier search if you’re open to having multiple mentors; you’ll also develop a rich network of relationships that nurtures you in your career and all aspects of your life.

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Boosting Your International Success With Coaching And Mentoring

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Why do international lawyers hire coaches or seek mentors? Often, it’s to help them exceed their prior performance. Perhaps they want to develop more clients globally, make partner, get promoted, or become leaders within their law firms or field. Sometimes international lawyers work with coaches or mentors to help them with a career change or redirection—within or outside the law. This is especially true now during the global recession; lawyers are increasingly seeking career coaching when they lose—or anticipate losing—their jobs.

Professionally trained coaches use their skills to help lawyers figure out—and attain—the career (and life) that the lawyers want. Coaches may be hired by an individual lawyer or the lawyer’s employer. Usually there are contractual confidentiality restrictions in place governing what information (if any) the coach can disclose.

As an executive coach who specializes in working with international lawyers, I have seen the unique challenges that international lawyers face. These include trying to develop practice areas and clients in far flung locations, grappling with legal issues under unfamiliar legal systems, working outside the lawyer’s “comfort zone,” making career choices across the globe, and even struggling to break into the international field—or move within the international profession. Because working across time zones and cultures only heightens the difficulty of these issues, many international lawyers turn to coaches as they progress in their careers.

Like lawyer coaches, mentors serve as trusted counselors or teachers. However, unless the lawyer’s employer has a formal mentoring program in place, the coaching relationship is often an informal one created between the two parties. Ideally, the mentee and mentor discuss the parameters and expectations of their relationship, and agree to confidentiality and other structural issues.

Coaches Become Truth Speakers

Many lawyers want their coaches or mentors to be unbiased sounding boards. As explained in “What an Executive Coach Can Do for You” (Harvard Business School), professionals want their executive coaches to be “truth speakers” (a term coined by Harvard Professor Thomas DeLong). As the article notes, many professionals seek coaching—especially in times of great change or stress—to get one-on-one focused attention from an impartial guide. Often, the professional cannot get such unbiased feedback from family, friends or colleagues.

One of my clients in an international boutique was having trouble developing clients in Latin America—he was too abrasive. As his coach, I had to be a “truth speaker” and tell him so. We worked together to help him identify his ideal clients, and then build meaningful relationships with them.

Sometimes being a “truth speaker” requires coaches to deliver difficult news. For example, I recently coached an aspiring international practitioner about his career; although initially disappointed, he appreciated getting feedback that he needed more international experience to compete effectively in the market. This “truth” set him free from his frustrating job search. We then created strategies for him to enhance his international credentials and improve his marketability.

The ability to speak the truth is just as vital to effective mentoring. Lawyers should seek mentors who will give completely honest feedback. Some lawyers arrange for a group of mentors, each of whom will provide a fresh, unique perspective.

If the mentor works in the same firm, the mentoring relationship may even enhance the mentee’s career. Pippa Blakemore, Strategic Business Partner in the London-based PEP Partnership LLP, notes that mentoring “enables the mentor to introduce the individual to his/her international contacts, immediately bestowing creditability. It also facilitates the mentee building contacts with his/her peers at the international level so strengthening the firm throughout the world. A mentor’s knowledge of countries, jurisdictions, clients, colleagues, customs and cultures will be of great benefit to the mentee. It will prevent him/her making gaffes which leads to insulting people and even, in the extreme, losing clients.”

Of course, in today’s economy, a mentor can also guide a mentee towards work with viable clients and help the mentee to develop marketable practice skills.

Choose The Right Executive Coach Or Mentor

When selecting a coach or mentor, make sure that the “fit” is right. Choose someone who is perceptive and experienced enough to be helpful. As the coachee or mentee, you have to be receptive enough to accept any proffered feedback. For this reason, it is wise to interview executive coaches in advance; this way, you can make sure that you communicate well before solidifying the relationship.

Many lawyers turn to coaches who have professional experience in their field. (That’s why, as an international lawyer turned coach, I have so many lawyer clients who work—or want to work—internationally.)

Similarly, a mentor should have either the professional experience or perspective that will benefit the mentee. The mentor must also be available and devote time to the relationship. Mentors should participate willingly, not because their employers have coerced them into the relationship.

If a firm or organization creates a structured mentoring program, it needs to be well thought out. As Ms. Blakemore explains, “Mentors need to be committed and enthusiastic. This means that they (with guidance from other mentors and HR) will create a relevant programme; be accessible in times of need and follow-through the process to an agreed conclusion . . . if ever. Mentors are often still in touch with mentees after they have retired or left the organisation.”

Build Morale

If done well, a mentoring program will have the added benefit of strengthening firm morale. Ms. Blakemore notes, “Mentoring is a unique opportunity to combine the experience of the more mature members of the firm with the creativity and enthusiasm of youth. This will maintain the feeling of involvement of the more senior members and help to increase the motivation of the junior members. Many junior lawyers feel overlooked, neglected and ignored until they do not meet billable targets, when they become the centre of attention. Effective mentoring can counter many of the feelings of disillusion.”

Even talented international lawyers are suffering in this global recession. Getting the support of a trusted advisor—like a lawyer coach or mentor—can bring much needed guidance and support during these tough times.

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Senior Male Mentors Help Women Lawyers Get Promoted To Shareholder

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What determines whether a woman attorney in a law firm at the senior associate, of counsel or non-equity partner level will be promoted to shareholder? Is it technical competence? No—she would not have made it this far if she hadn’t already been judged capable of excellent legal work. Even a book of business is necessary but not sufficient (unless it approaches $2 million). Some successful business developers have not been promoted whereas others with less business “of their own” become equity partners.

During my ten years of coaching women lawyers to achieve partnership, I’ve learned many secrets about how to cross this threshold. Women lawyers consistently say that exclusion from informal networks and lack of mentoring are among the most significant obstacles to career advancement. Firms have tried to address this by creating all varieties of mentoring programs: formally assigned mentor-mentee programs, mentoring circles and group mentoring are common. Still, the percentage of women partners in large law firms remains stalled.

I’ve written elsewhere about the multiple barriers to the advancement of women in their firms (See Lawyers Life Coach) From my perspective, one very significant reality is that having a mentor does not guarantee career progress. This is very troubling. As surprising as it may be to those firms that have paid consultants to design elaborate mentoring programs—to say nothing of the costs of the time invested in actual mentoring activities—it comes as an even greater shock to the woman lawyer who has been a dutiful mentee only to discover she is not being considered for promotion.

Not All Aspects Of Mentoring Lead To Career Success

Mentoring may serve many different functions. It can enhance an attorney’s career prospects by increasing her human capital, that is, helping her develop job-related knowledge, skills and abilities. Prior to the establishment of the current law school curriculum, this is how most lawyers were trained. Many of the woman lawyers I’ve coached over the years have found excellent mentors, either within or outside of their firms, to assist them in refining their analytical and writing skills. However, studies of mentoring in law firms indicate that this aspect of mentoring is insufficient to enable women to reach the highest levels of law-firm leadership.

Mentoring can also help integrate attorneys into the workplace. Lawyers whose mentors “show them the ropes,” by helping them negotiate the organization and providing insider information about organizational politics, benefit from this kind of support. Given the enormous work burdens and time constraints facing most senior attorneys, this mentoring function is now typically provided by more senior associates. Many firm mentoring programs assign “buddies” to new attorneys to help them more quickly and easily become integrated into the firm. However, there is no evidence that this kind of mentoring is significantly associated with career advancement or compensation.

Having A Sponsor Is Crucial

A third function of mentoring is that of increasing the protégé’s social capital. No less an expert that Robert J. Grey, Jr. (ABA President, 2004-2005) once told me that the most crucial ingredient for career advancement—especially for a woman or minority attorney—is having an advocate: someone with power who will watch the young attorney’s back and campaign for her behind the scene.

The mentee’s career benefits when her mentor provides a junior attorney access to his network, facilitates her participation in collaborative projects, promotes her to others thereby augmenting her visibility and credibility, protects and champions her behind the scenes, provides challenging and highly noticeable work assignments, brings her along on client meetings and ensures that she plays an active role, and by association signals her legitimacy to decision-makers. A mentor like this functions as a sponsor. Unfortunately, in my experience, I’ve found few law firm mentoring programs that focus on this critical role.

Yet having a sponsor makes all the difference in enabling women to advance to full equity partnership. Among the first questions I ask all the women law firm attorneys I coach is, “Do you have a sponsor?” If the answer is “no” then, assuming her goal is to advance, this becomes a top agenda item. Establishing mentoring relationships with high-level, powerful insiders is essential for women pursuing career advancement in the legal profession.

Studies of the relationship between mentoring and the career success of women in professional service firms, and law firms in particular, suggest that a senior male attorney is likely to most effectively fill this mentoring role. If for no other reason than the fact that the overwhelming majority of law firm partners and leaders are men, this is probably not very surprising. However, the gendered culture of law firms also influences the differential effects of male vs. female mentors for the careers of women attorneys. Success in most firms requires the ability to thrive in a highly competitive, aggressive, individualistic, “heroic” culture. Attributes stereotypically associated with masculine behavior are viewed as indicators of potential and “fit.” Decision-makers always have imperfect information about candidates for advancement. In the absence of sufficient, objective information to allow for a rational means of discriminating among aspiring attorneys, having a powerful male mentor signals to the predominantly male leadership that a woman lawyer possesses those sought-after competencies and qualities typically associated with her male peers.

I have often observed this male-sponsorship effect. Yet many women lawyers who hope to become firm shareholders don’t have a sponsor, a fact which constantly surprises me. Research indicates that women with senior male mentors are more likely to advance and to receive higher compensation. In contrast, the career attainment of male lawyers is not significantly affected by having a senior male mentor.

Furthermore, formal mentoring programs are unlikely to help women reap the benefit of this mentoring function. Rather, the voluntary selection of a protégé by a senior male signals to other firm leaders that she possesses those qualities believed to be requirements for success.

Interestingly, the assumption that women do not have access to such mentoring has not been entirely supported by recent research. At least at mid- to senior-associate levels, male and female lawyers may be equally likely to find senior men to mentor them. The disparity in the representation of men and women in the upper levels of law firms may well be occurring early in the career cycle. It seems likely that high attrition among women and women of color during their fourth and fifth years at firms is in part a response to their difficulty obtaining needed sponsorship. It is possible that senior men only mentor women who seem to be doing well beyond this crucial juncture. Further research is needed in order to determine the best way to guide young women with partnership ambitions. Should we advise them not to expect senior males to sponsor them during their early associate years or to more aggressively seek out such advocacy?

Women Need More Than Sponsors

Either way, women also need to know that while the sponsorship of a powerful senior male attorney is likely to facilitate career advancement, it does not appear to prepare women well for assuming the role and identity of partner, nor inspire the confidence and satisfaction it is supposed to bring. The lack of women at the highest levels leaves many new women partners without a clear picture of how to “act the part.” Without models for self-presentation, women can become less confident and more anxious. In addition, male mentors typically fail to provide a fourth function of mentoring: the “psychosocial” function, which includes social support, role-modeling and advice concerning role ambiguity and work-family conflict. Research indicates that this function is better served by women mentors.

Unfortunately, the scarcity of women partners can make finding this kind of mentoring even more difficult than obtaining career-advancement sponsorship from a man. In addition, many junior women do not identify with the work-family models offered by senior women. And senior women are often concerned about the risks to their own career of spending political capital on someone unproven. Work and family demands may also place much more burden on their time.

Peer mentoring can address this gap. Sometimes women can obtain this kind of role modeling and support through women’s bar groups or women lawyers’ leadership coaching groups. Since 2004, 6-10 women have been participating on a bi-monthly conference call that I facilitate. They receive coaching, support, advice, models and alternatives to assist them in developing their identity as leaders and their effectiveness in managing others. “Graduates” have gone on to lead practice groups, build satellite offices for their firms, and increase their leadership responsibilities in corporate legal departments. Every one either had already developed a mentoring relationship with a senior male sponsor or used the help of the group to do so. And having grabbed the brass ring, their peers in the coaching group helped them take on and feel confident in their new leadership identity.

1. Ramaswami, A. (2008) The Interactive Effects of Gender and Mentoring on Career Attainment: Do Female Lawyers Need Good Counsel? Submitted for publication.

2. Robert J. Grey Jr. personal communication.

3. Ibarra, H. (1997) Paving an Alternative Route: Gender Differences in Managerial Networks. Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 60, No. 1, 91-102

4. Schipani, C. A., Dworkin, T. M., Kwolek-Folland, A. & Maurer, V. G. (2008) Pathways for Women to Obtain Positions of Organizational Leadership: The Significance of Mentoring and Networking. Ross School of Business Working Paper No. 117.

5. Tharenou, P. (2005) Does Mentor Support Increase Women’s Career Advancement More than Men’s? The Differential Effects of Career and Psychosocial Support. Australian Journal of Management, Vol. 30, No. 1, 77-108. ↩

6. Ramaswami, A. (2008) Ibid.

7. Ramaswami, A. (2008) Ibid.

8. Ibarra, H. & Petriglieri, J. (2007) Impossible Selves: Image Strategies and Identity Threat in Professional Women’s Career Transitions. INSEAD Faculty and Research Working Paper.

9. Wallace, J. E. (2001) The Benefits of Mentoring for Female Lawyers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 58, 366-391.

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Living Life As An Associate

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Perhaps the first piece of advice for an associate is to be wary of advice, especially unsolicited advice. People like me want to be helpful, but the advice we give is only helpful if it suits you. With that in mind, see how the following ideas resonate (or not) with you.

Be Yourself

Many associates seek wholeheartedly to conform to the culture of their workplace. Wittingly or unwittingly, they take on a certain personality or style. Some, in a conscious effort to fit in, aspire to be as malleable as “Play-Doh,” shaped by their surroundings (The Man Who Would be “Play-Doh” Vol. 3, No. 1)

Living an assumed identity is tiring: it requires vigilance and effort. Just as problematic, others may see you as less than authentic or perhaps even phony. This happened to me when I was a law student and resident advisor in a freshman dorm. Wanting to bond with the young men on the floor, I decided to talk as they did, using their idioms to gain their confidence. After a meeting, one of the freshmen approached me and asked: “Do you speak to your friends the way you spoke to us tonight?” I acknowledged that I didn’t. “Then don’t speak to us that way, either,” he replied a valuable lesson I never forgot.

As best you can, be true to your values and fulfill your commitments. People will respect you for that. And, if you get lost, or you’re not sure who you are, ask an old friend or life-partner or even your Mom.

At the same time, remain aware of your surroundings. Ask for feedback if you feel confused or uncomfortable, or if someone seems uncomfortable with you or what you’ve done. Simply ask: “How am I doing?” “How are we doing?” Proceeding thoughtfully and strategically is far more effective than simply assuming an identity or disposition that doesn’t suit you.

Seek Mentors

Some law departments assign mentors, but the match is only as good as the fit. Do what you can to make good use of the assignment and learn what the mentor can teach you.

Typically, mentors are volunteers and are not compensated for their time. Ask them why they’ve agreed to mentor, and what they would like to get out of the mentoring relationship. In turn, be prepared to tell the mentor what you’d like to get out of the relationship. A conversation like this, in which you learn about each other, will help shape the mentoring relationship to be all that it can be.

Seek informal mentors as well people with skills or traits that you’d like to have, or who simply interest you. For example, I began my law practice working in a regional government office with four other young attorneys and Bettsy, our paralegal. We didn’t know much about her other than that she was much older than we were, and not an attorney. One day, we asked Bettsy to attend a public meeting and report the outcome of a critical vote.

Her report, when she returned from the meeting, included much more than the vote tally: she told us how each person had acted and how they talked, described the general mood in the room, and told us who had emerged as leaders. Hearing her three-dimensional account, we felt as if we were there. She had learned far more at that meeting than any of us would have.

I wanted to be able to read people and situations as well as Bettsy, and to become as effective as she was. Over the next few years, I began observing her in various circumstances, asked her to collaborate with me on important projects, and sought her advice in developing strategies in high-profile litigation. Others came to value her advice, as well. Years later, she earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies. And on her 70th birthday, she earned her Ph.D., with distinction, in Psychology. Today, in her 80′s, Bettsy continues to teach and write. I am sure that Bettsy has mentored many people; I’m glad that I am one of them.

When I transitioned from government service to private practice, I found another mentor. I was in my mid-40′s and didn’t know how to establish myself. But I observed Clarence, the founder of the firm where I worked. He greeted his clients warmly and walked them back to his office. He spoke to them considerately and thoughtfully to gain their confidence. A master storyteller, Clarence used narratives to focus the conversation and make abstract ideas compelling and tangible; he also used humor to make a point or to relieve tension in the room.

While I occasionally asked Clarence directly for his advice, most of the time I simply watched as he led the firm and championed the cause of his clients. The fact that our relationship was informal did not diminish its importance.

Being able to identify and learn from mentors is a life-long skill. It is never too early, nor too late, to find them.

Keep Your Eye On The Prize

Early in their careers, many people want to advance at nearly any cost. Advancement is the prize. These people often believe that their tireless service will earn them promotion and recognition. For some that proves to be true. Yet many end up, often on the cusp of partnership, resolving to live their lives differently only to discover that it’s too late to change their ways.

Other workaholics are denied their ultimate prize. They pay a high cost for neglecting their health, their families, and their friends for so many years.

There are still others who prize advancement and work diligently to attract and represent their clients. But they’ve also been able to balance professional goals with other commitments in their lives. Over the years, they learn to accept and decline work; to take on new clients and refer others. Time and again, they ask themselves: “Today, what is the prize, and what is it worth? Am I being true to my commitments? Am I well?” This on-going dialogue with self and others is a means of balancing oneself throughout the inevitable tug-and-pull of a career and competing commitments. It indicates an ability to survive and thrive.

Market Yourself As You Are

Let your marketing efforts emerge from who you really are. Whenever I give this advice, I think of my friend Carl. He began his career as a lawyer knowing that he wanted to do pro bono work in the community and to sit on non-profit boards.

When he volunteered at his alma mater and when he began working with arts organizations, he didn’t view this as a marketing activity, nor did he do it to bring attention to himself: he did it because he considered it the right thing to do. Over the years Carl contributed a great deal of time and good counsel to these organizations. His reputation as a kind and generous lawyer grew; not surprisingly, his law practice grew alongside his public service. Carl’s genius is that he knew himself, understood his commitment to the profession, followed his interests in education and the arts, and served his clients well.

Like Carl, I spent many years as a volunteer in my community. In my case I combined my interests in environmental law, good conversation, fine food, and the company of other lawyers. As chair of the environmental law committee for the local bar association, I held monthly meetings at a good restaurant where my friends and I discussed current environmental topics while earning continuing legal education credits. I also worked diligently to effectively represent my clients and build my practice, happy to discover a natural synergy between these endeavors and my community service. I discovered that my practice and Bar Association work grew in tandem.

Market as you are. Engage in activities you enjoy. Choose activities that reflect your values. Be curious. If you enjoy and value what you do, and try to be effective, others will be drawn to you and appreciate you. That strategy has proven successful for many of us. Try it; it might prove successful for you.

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How To Attract And Keep Talented Lawyers In This Downturn

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Them that’s got, git
Anonymous

In his latest bestseller Outliers: The Story of Success (Little, Brown and Company, 2008), Malcolm Gladwell leans on the Biblical verse, “For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath” (Matthew 25:29). Malcolm calls this the “Matthew Effect.”

During these difficult economic times, law firms need to wrap their minds around this concept if they are to retain quality associates who want to become successful partners. Unfortunately, firms do not seem to have a clue.

Mentoring Is An Essential Function

One of the most significant reasons why associates leave firms is lack of mentoring. This is especially true of women and minority associates. By failing to provide mentoring, law firms fail to fulfill one of the quintessential purposes of their existence. Besides providing quality service to their clients, law firms exist to educate and train or mentor their junior and senior associates and junior partners; and to be of service to the community: only after fulfilling these functions should they worry about their net profits per partner. Yet today, we read and hear about law firms cutting costs to save their profits. Associate development, diversity and other non-revenue generating activities are being shredded for the sake of greed.

Economic Downturns Are Times For Reevaluation

Given these unprecedented economic conditions, law firms cannot put mentoring, diversity and inclusion on the back burner. If law firms were ever serious about retention, now is the time to prove it. Instead of hoarding billables for themselves, partners with time on their hands should use this period to boost their individual mentoring skills and help develop different associates who may be the future client base of tomorrow. There really is no substitute for intergenerational legacy transference. Nurturing and honing the skills of new and young associates is the best investment a law firm can make in tough financial times.

Smart law firms know the economic stimulus being rolled out will assure that women and minorities are not left out of this bailout bonanza. During the failed S&L debacle of the 1990’s, explicit provision was made so that a broad cross section of the legal profession could get a piece of the action. Given the disposition of President Obama and Congress, I don’t doubt that law firms will find that it makes good business sense to invest in the training and development of women and minorities.

Law firms that are still in the process of becoming more diverse and inclusive (this includes almost all of them) need to bring women and minority lateral partners on board at this time so that they can attract women and minority associates in the future. Diverse associates don’t stay because there are no diverse partners with any clout, or significant business at these law firms. Women associates leave because they see few if any women partners who reflect a “balance of life” success story. Instead, they see variations of the theme—the male model with lipstick. What they need to see is a sea change in attitude about part-time partnership opportunities. Cultural change has to occur at those law firms that wish to retain talent, and this cultural change has to be preceded by a discussion of managing differences in the workplace, discussions which are simply just not happening at most of these firms.

This is the best of times for mentoring. It’s also a great time for law firms to rethink billable hours and its implications, especially as these concepts impact minorities. The less work there is to divide up, the greater the chance that unconscious bias rather than merit is the determining factor. I’m not suggesting that we discard the entire notion of the billable hour, rather that we assess it for its fairness in the workplace and institute changes accordingly.

This is the worst of times to be concerned about increasing profits, when most people and businesses can’t even stay afloat. Corporate greed caused the present predicament and law firm greed will cause many law firms to fold or merge. Beware, however, of mergers; they can be contagious and/or costly.

No doubt law firms will survive, but the question is whether they will be successful at retaining talented professionals who aspire to become members of their peer group, or whether the attempt to curb attrition and maintain retention will fall by the wayside. This is not a question of money; it’s a question of integrity and commitment to a profession, which by definition is not merely a trade association.

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Categories: Diversity - Tags: diversity, hire a lawyer, law firm problems, law firms

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