Lawyers Treading Water at Work: Can You Help Make Change Happen?

job searching

When lawyers ask me to help them with a job search, I ask a question many lawyers are uncomfortable answering in job interviews:  Why do you want to leave your current job?  When lawyers say they feel like they’re treading water, stagnating, or stalled professionally,...

Lawyers – Trim These Phrases From Resumes & LinkedIn Profiles

business development, job searching

Lawyer resumes and LinkedIn profiles remind me of my high school English teacher, Ms. Angott. Her red ink filled the margins of our papers with “awk” and “dead wood”. My margins contained many pithy comments, but awk for awkward and dead wood...

2 Common Ways Lawyers Hold Themselves Back in Job Searches

job searching

There are a few fundamental and seemingly obvious steps that lawyers often fail to take in their job search. They fail to do so out of fear, mostly misplaced fear. Not Tapping Your Network – Many lawyers don’t talk to their contacts about their job search,...

Lawyers, Ditch the Word “Networking”

business development, career management, job searching

If You Hate “Networking” Stop Using That Word If you hate networking, don’t go to a legal “networking event”.  Don’t force yourself to schedule a “networking coffee”.  Don’t ask a partner to lunch to network with her. Don’t network to...

Career Related Decision Making: Core Values Exercise & Your Values Lens

career management, job searching

Yesterday I spoke with a class of University of Michigan law students about a myriad of topics including making career related decisions.  One useful tool for that decision making process is what many of my lawyer clients call their “value lens”.  The feedback from...

Cover Letters for Lawyers: Get the Nod with Bullet Points

job searching

The purpose of a cover letter is to position yourself such that before the hiring manager, law firm partner, or recruiter even turns to your resume, they feel they want to talk with you. Realistically, you only have a few seconds to get that person’s attention....