Interview, Presentation

Tips for Effective Communication

  • On April 27, 2025
I was honored to speak with Cisco DGC Sarita Venkat and top trial lawyer Bijal Vakil on effective presenting and interviewing skills. Key takeaways: Before any communication, consider your audience and what they care about. When communicating, be clear on your vision, the results you are conveying, and the impact on the audience. Sample answers […]
Read More
Market

What’s Going on with the Market?

  • On April 13, 2025
As a recruiter I’m often asked what I’m seeing. What I am seeing is not good. I appreciated this Bay Area news summary of ongoing tech layoffs where “nobody is safe.”  While better than last year, times are still tough. Meta is closing three offices in Fremont, and Block (formerly Square) is laying off 240 […]
Read More
Career Management, Career Tips

What to Do if You Didn’t Get the Promotion

  • On April 6, 2025
Getting passed over at work stings. A few years ago in-house lawyers could have their picks of other jobs because the market was so hot. Unfortunately that’s not the case now. WSJ reports job openings are down by 8.6% and the number of people quitting jobs is down 2.6% compared to last year, but gives […]
Read More
Compensation, Market

What’s Going on with Startup Comp?

  • On March 30, 2025
Carta just reported on the state of startup compensation! The good news: Average salaries and equity grants rose slightly. Layoffs are at the lowest point in 3 years. These industries grew headcount: energy, hw, med device. Ready for the bad news? Startups “haven’t been this reluctant to hire in at least 5 years.” Net headcount […]
Read More
Uncategorized

Law School Admission “Brutal This Year”

  • On March 22, 2025
WSJ reports the competition to get into law school is “brutal this year.” The number of applicants rose 20.5% for the top 200 US law schools. Why? The top reasons include: Desire for economic stability. Applicants believe that a career in law seems secure in an uncertain market. “Law school applications often rise during recessions, […]
Read More
Networking

How to Maintain Professional Relationships (Sample Language Included)

  • On March 9, 2025
I appreciated the hands-on advice from career guru Gorick Ng on how to maintain a professional relationship. He was answering this question from someone going into law/finance, so his tips definitely apply to you. He gives 4 strategies, complete with template language (which lawyers always love): Share info. Ng suggests saying: “I just came across […]
Read More
Uncategorized

Disastrous February CA Bar Offering by the Numbers

  • On March 3, 2025
Disastrous February California Bar Offering by the Numbers: Test takers of the newly designed California bar exam faced a myriad of problems. Many users were unable to log in, disconnected and/or locked out of the testing platform, and unable to copy and paste. Others reported getting blank exam questions or the same question twice, being […]
Read More
Interview, Job Search

How Not to be Surprised by a Company’s Culture

  • On February 21, 2025
Lawyers can be burnt or at least surprised by what a company is actually like after they’ve joined. How to do your diligence: Do basic Internet research. Take results with a grain of salt, but figure out which themes to keep an eye on during the interview process. Ask friends who are insiders but not […]
Read More
Compensation, Offer

How to Negotiate Comp Avoiding Common Pitfalls

  • On February 17, 2025
I often click on career tips to see if they are any good. And I liked this one, 4 Red Flags to Avoid When Discussing Salary, by career guru Sho Dewan. I go through his tips below and customize them for in-house counsel negotiating their comp: Be confident, but not aggressive or hostile. Yes. While […]
Read More