Presenting Effectively as a Lawyer Even with Self-Doubt

On April 18, 2021
In Interview, Presentation, Women & Minorities

Clients tell me their chief complaint about lawyers is they are so bad at communicating. Why are they constantly hedging? Can’t they just break things down and explain the likelihood of events? Um, no. We lawyers are taught to examine all risk so we have a hard time prioritizing them and don’t want to be wrong. On […]

On January 17, 2021
In Women & Minorities

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day! I remember as a 1L my professor played a recording of MLK’s “I have a dream” speech, and I was struck by its power and hope: “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will […]

On September 27, 2020
In GC, Inhouse, Women & Minorities

The classic path to GC is to start at an Am Law firm in corporate securities, then go in-house to a capital markets team (being sure to pick up SEC, M&A, employee benefits, IR support, and other adjacent practice groups). The person would climb the corporate ladder internally or join a smaller company as the […]

On September 19, 2020
In Career Tips, Women & Minorities

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has departed this world, but left words to guide us. She wrote “advice to the living” a few years ago for the New York Times: Be a little deaf. “I have employed it as well in every workplace, including the Supreme Court. When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune […]

On September 7, 2020
In Networking, Title, Women & Minorities

In my 10 years of recruiting in-house lawyers, I’ve seen a lot of changes. But what hasn’t changed that you think would have by now? Titles are still pretty consistent. From junior to senior the basic titles are: Associate Counsel (rare), Counsel, Senior Counsel, Assistant General Counsel (rare), Associate General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, General […]

On June 19, 2020
In Career Management, Women & Minorities

Earlier this week Judge Silberman on the US Court of Appeals sent an internal email criticizing Sen. Warren’s amendment to rename army bases/monuments (“madness!”). He added, “It’s important to remember that Lincoln did not fight the war to free the Slaves [sic] Indeed he was willing to put up with slavery if the Confederate States […]

On May 7, 2020
In Career Management, Career Tips, Women & Minorities

COVID has stalled the domestic and global economy, resulting in mass layoffs everywhere, but women and people of color have been hit the hardest. The Harvard Business Review and LinkedIn’s GetHired column report: March unemployment figures show overall unemployment increased by 26%, but that number is an eye-popping 64% for Asian Americans and 36% for LatinX. Also, […]

On March 22, 2019
In Career Tips, Presentation, Women & Minorities

I like this (very long) New York Times piece on how to be assertive without alienating anyone, especially in the workplace. Below are 5 points I have distilled, complete with helpful sample language: Be brief but gracious when saying no. An example of how to stand up for yourself and not tear anyone down: “I […]

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, […]

On June 8, 2018
In Career Management, Career Tips, Women & Minorities

I was honored to be part of the GC Readiness Event hosted by ACC and Baker & McKenzie last week in Palo Alto. If you weren’t able to make the event (attendance was capped at 100!), here are the top take-aways: Develop your executive presence. The onus is on you to know your client’s business and build […]

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Presenting Effectively as a Lawyer Even with Self-Doubt

In Honor of MLK

Alternate Paths to GC: A Case Study

RIP RBG. She Left Us Good Advice

3 Things that Haven’t Changed for In-House Lawyers over Last 10 Years

Hard Conversations: Speaking Truth to Power

3 Things Employees Vulnerable to Layoff Should Do

How to Be Assertive at Work & Not Alienate Anyone!

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

5 Top Tips from ACC’s GC Readiness Event