RIP RBG. She Left Us Good Advice

On September 19, 2020

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 […]

Networking, Title, Women & Minorities

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

On September 7, 2020

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 […]

Career Management, Women & Minorities

Hard Conversations: Speaking Truth to Power

On June 19, 2020

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 […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Women & Minorities

3 Things Employees Vulnerable to Layoff Should Do

On May 7, 2020

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, […]

Career Tips, Presentation, Women & Minorities

How to Be Assertive at Work & Not Alienate Anyone!

On March 22, 2019

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 […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Change, Departure, Women & Minorities

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

On September 3, 2018

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, […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Women & Minorities

5 Top Tips from ACC’s GC Readiness Event

On June 8, 2018

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 […]

Career Management, Career Tips, Women & Minorities

3 Ways to Land Mentors and Sponsors!

On August 12, 2017

How do you get people in power to champion your career, especially when you don’t look like them? I recently attended a career panel by NAPABA, and the panelists gave some great tips on how to gain important supporters: Anticipate their work needs. As a junior associate, the partner at a top firm knew her […]

Career Management, Women & Minorities

5 Tips for Women (or Anyone!) to Succeed at Work

On June 25, 2017

Silicon Valley can be a tough place for women. I recently spoke to two diverse senior women lawyers, and even though one works at a startup and the other a Fortune 100, their tips on navigating the workplace overlapped (and apply to everyone!): Foster mentors and allies. Build relationships with everyone so people can get […]

Career Management, Women & Minorities

How to Get the Promotion & Raise You Deserve!

On November 13, 2016

I came back last week from the annual NAPABA conference and am summarizing useful pointers from the seminar “Pushing to the Top: Women Attorneys in High-Tech Culture.” Speakers included Hogene Choi (Baker Bott partner), Sarita Venkat (Apple senior counsel), Emily Ward (former PayPal VP), and Yuri Mikulka, (Manatt partner). Their tips apply to lawyers of any race […]

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