Executive Coaching for Lawyers: 5 Take-Aways

On June 23, 2019
In Career Management

I recently attended a fantastic talk sponsored by APABA-SV featuring Linda Lee, Manager of Career Development at Wilson Sonsini. A Stanford Law grad and former WSGR associate herself, she has coached over 200 associates at the firm. She explained what coaches do: coaches help clients set and achieve professional goals after understanding their values, strengths, […]

On May 27, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips, Inhouse

Companies all are looking to hire lawyers who can immediately add value. Employers want someone who understands the industry, has done the job, and can manage the clients. That’s why they prefer in-house lawyers doing that exact job now. But what should you do if you aren’t already in-house? Here are five ways to pitch […]

On May 3, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips

Hundreds of successful lawyers have told me that their careers zigzagged and that there is no straight line to the top. How you deal with inevitable rejection can set you apart. Do you get beaten down, or do you figure out what you do best and who has a need for that? Wharton professor Adam […]

On April 21, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips, GC, Inhouse

The Recorder sat down with top Bay Area GCs to find out how they landed that #1 job. A distillation below: Impress your clients. Airbus Silicon Valley Robert Keele got the job after serving as outside counsel. (In my opinion, joining a client is the easiest way to go in-house. You know the company, and […]

On March 1, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors

Whenever I meet a lawyer, I hear how they got to where they are. Superstars? They always have a great backer (sponsor), who advised them, championed for them, and smoothed the way. How do you get sponsors? I like this article from Fast Company. The main points: Identify who could be your sponsor. Carla Harris […]

On January 3, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips, Compensation, Presentation

Happy new year! It’s time to take stock of your career. At a minimum, these five essential items should be in your toolbox (as set forth in this recent Forbes article): Strong base resume. The article notes it’s hard to build an effective resume at a moment’s notice. All lawyers should have a base resume […]

On December 19, 2018
In Career Management, Career Tips, Change

The American Lawyer recently reported that demand for legal services in 2018 set records, but that a “reckoning” may await us. Indeed, a majority of economists polled by the Wall Street Journal foresee a recession by 2020, and CFOs polled by Duke’s business school believe it’ll come even sooner. We lawyers are trained to mitigate […]

On November 18, 2018
In Career Management, Job Search, Timing

I understand that lawyers are risk averse (that’s our job to manage risk!). But if you are passively waiting for market conditions to improve and for your perfect job to appear, that’s a bad plan. Know instead that demand for legal services is at its highest since the Great Recession. Is there no place to […]

On October 12, 2018
In Career Management, Interview, Move

Leaving a job can be complicated, but no prospective employer wants to hear the messy details (and your telling them would show a lack of judgment). Keep simple your explanation of why you are leaving. Here are five accepted reasons: Change in management. People understand that departures by your GC, direct manager, your team, or […]

On September 3, 2018
In Career Management, Career Tips, Change, Departure, Women & Minorities

If you were shut out of the sold-out ACC career advancement talk at Facebook featuring Zynga CLO Phuong Phillips, Facebook DGC Paul Grewal, and Chevron Chief IP Counsel Nicholas Leach, here are 5 pieces of advice from these senior legal execs: At the beginning of your career, take on as much work as you can, […]

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Executive Coaching for Lawyers: 5 Take-Aways

How to Pitch Yourself for In-House Jobs When You’ve Never Held One

How to Handle Rejection

5 Ways to Get that Top GC Job!

Getting Sponsors (Who Will Change Your Career)

5 Things You Should Have Ready in Your Career Toolkit at All Times!

Get Ahead of a Recession!

If You Are Waiting for Market to Improve to Find Your Perfect Job, Stop Waiting!

5 Good Reasons to Explain Why You Want to Leave Your Job

5 Take-Aways from ACC Facebook Career Advancement Talk (Aug. 20, 2018)