Reaching out on LinkedIn/Cold Email for Informational Interview (Sample Language Given!)

On October 13, 2024

I actually liked the CNBC article intriguingly entitled “Don’t Make This Mistake When Asking for an Informational Interview.” Yes, informal calls with people about their job/industry are super helpful, whether prepping for an interview or growing in your field. How do you get someone to take your call? The article says you can do it […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors, Networking

10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Legal Career

On October 29, 2022

I am the child of immigrants and the first in my family to go to law school in the US. Not knowing any lawyers, I navigated my career through trial and error. Here are 10 things I wish I knew when I started: Big law is not the only way to go. Yes, big law […]

Career Management, Mentors, Networking, New Job

The Importance of Work Friends

On August 28, 2022

As new grads enter the workforce, they should know the importance of bonding with workmates. What can they gain? The New York Times recently quoted a few things a professional woman learned at her first job decades ago: How to take feedback from a boss without compromising on her ideas. How to have fun at […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors

Is Getting Honors & Awards Actually Helpful for Your Career?

On July 3, 2022

Most lawyers I know are pretty humble and don’t go out of their way to collect awards and honors. The question is, should they? The answer is yes for awards given by a credible group, ideally by a professional organization with recognized members of the industry. And the answer is no if it’s obviously a […]

Mentors, Networking

How to Reach Out Cold & Get Results (4 Templates Provided!)

On December 17, 2021

When searching for a job, the top thing to do is to network. (Getting a warm intro and reference is the “holy grail of a competitive hiring process.” See here.) Yet I know it’s super painful to ask people you don’t know well for an intro or job recommendation. (And it’s super painful for me […]

Career Management, Mentors, Women & Minorities

How to Respond to Bias

On May 31, 2021

Yes, diverse attorneys face bias whether at firms or in-house. I have heard hair-raising stories from minority attorneys about being mistaken for the help. The Recorder recently ran an interview with Olivia Luk Bedi, an Asian American woman partner, who tells this story: “I was at a contentious hearing in federal court about eight years […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors

Mentorship at All Levels!

On July 5, 2020

Legal veterans, reach out and help the next generation, e.g., with hbcu20x20 or Pay it Forward. And I’m so impressed that young legal leaders are already mentoring others! I list their resources below. Nyssa Chopra, a tech lawyer with a background in diplomacy and human rights, puts out a bi-weekly “Mentor in Law” newsletter aimed at “law students, recent […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors

Ask for Advice, Not Feedback, to Get Ahead

On October 13, 2019

Careers take long and winding roads. To figure out what to do and how to improve yourself means getting the input of others. How do you best do that? This Harvard Business Review article says to use the word “advice” rather than “feedback” when you ask for help! Multiple studies have found asking for “feedback” […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Mentors

Getting Sponsors (Who Will Change Your Career)

On March 1, 2019

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 […]

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