Advice on balancing life and work

http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/youraba/201206article03.html

Advice on balancing life and work

"Looking around, you will see numerous examples of attorneys who live their lives with work filling 90 percent of their time and everything else squeezing into the remaining 10 percent," says solo practitioner Amy E. Clark Kleinpeter in her Young Lawyers Division 101 Practice Series article, "Balancing Life and Work."

To help lawyers find a way to make a career choice they can and want to live with, rather then letting the stress and the anxiety of the job get to them, Kleinpeter shares several life values that can help lawyers find a balance between work and their private life. Among them:

Be not afraid. Kleinpeter suggests that lawyers move toward balance with confidence and with the understanding that building a life with friends, family, spirituality, fitness—and not just work—is their right. "Do not buy into the myth that misery, overwork and permanent exhaustion are hallmarks of our profession," she writes.

Do not settle for being content as a substitute for being happy. "I do love my job. Every day, even when it is a complete pain, I cannot imagine doing anything else," writes Kleinpeter, explaining her professional satisfaction now as a result of a lesson she learned as a first-year associate by a firm's partner. When she was first asked whether she loved her job, she thought it was OK that she found her work interesting more than 51 percent of the time.  But, as Kleinpeter noted, that is not the same as being happy and looking forward to going to work every day.

Define your values. Life should be a reflection of what you value the most.  Find what is important to you and find a way to include it in your life. Kleinpeter's message is clear: "If you value family, spend time with them. If your health is paramount, then exercise and find time to eat right. Practice your religion and volunteer for causes. "

Eschew perfection. Sometimes, "you will miss a detail, make a typo, or leave out a comma. Get over it," says Kleinpeter. Strive for doing your best for effective arguments and writing— instead of perfection—and you will be serving your client well.

Do not procrastinate. Procrastinating keeps your mind busy and prevents you from relaxing with your loved ones in your time off. "Schedule your work, do what of it you can in the time you have allotted, then go home," suggests Kleinpeter.

Organize, organize, organize. Figuring out a way to organize your time, space and habits may not be easy, so continue trying ways to do so until you find a method that works and fits you. Being organized can "be very calming," says Kleinpeter, as she warns that "spending 40 minutes looking for a lost file does not count as relaxing ‘down time. '"

Eat lunch. Eating "Pop-Tarts in your car or an apple at your desk" does not constitute having a proper lunch, advises Kleinpeter.

Fail. Everybody makes mistakes and accepting failure as part of life is something you have to get over, writes Kleinpeter. "If you never fail, you may not be taking healthy risks that could benefit your clients and yourself. Go for it—take calculated risks—the worst that can happen is that you fail. And with a balanced life, failure is something you can not only survive, but learn from. "

Read "Balancing Life and Work" in its entirety for the full set of tips from Kleinpeter.

Back to top

10 ways to keep clients happy so you don't lose them

http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/youraba/201206article02.html

10 ways to keep clients happy so you don't lose them

Managing a law practice means not only generating sufficient business but also taking care of the clients you do have. In a recent GPSolo article, David Leffler, a founding member of Leffler Marcus & McCaffrey in New York, offered these 10 tips to keep clients content.

1. Listen to your clients to determine what they really want and what is best for them. For example, a client may want litigation when a settlement may be a more cost-effective solution.
2. Communicate clearly. Explain the legalities so the client can understand them. You should be able to describe complex legal matters in simple language.
3. Don't talk down to clients. Ask a colleague to observe how you behave with your clients for helpful feedback.
4. Respect your client. Return phone calls promptly and show up to meetings on time, or even early.
5. Maintain consistent fees. Making special reductions to fees could lead the client to question the value of your services.
6. Stay in contact. Even if there are no new developments, keep in touch. If you let too much time pass without contacting your client, he or she may assume the worst about the legal matter. Often, an email will suffice.
   
7. Help your client in any way you can. Draw on all of your resources for clients — bankers, accountants, other lawyers.
8. Be available. Offer your cellphone number to clients. Most clients won't take it, but you may hear from a few of them, even on weekends.
9. Have a sense of humor. Laughter can lighten a tense moment or fill a lull in a conversation. It also can help relax a client. Just be careful not to overdo it or use it at the wrong time.
10. Get (a little) personal. When the time is right—not in the middle of an intense discussion about legal issues—talk to clients about their families or outside interests, and remember to ask about them on follow-up visits.

GP Solo is a publication of the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division.           

Video on how to look for work and pay off college loans

Check it out:

http://m.cbsnews.com/postwatch.rbml?pageType=video&cbsID=7409038

Looking for Work? 7 Tips for a Remarkable Résumé

Looking for Work? 7 Tips for a Remarkable Résumé Author: Alison Monahan Published: 4/5/2012 2:06:00 PM

It's no secret that the legal job market is tough these days. If you're going to stand out, you need a fantastic résumé.

Here are some tips:

1)   Make a great first impression. How long do you think the average hiring manager looks at a résumé? Thirty seconds? A minute? Try 10 seconds. (Maybe less.) Your story needs to jump off the page, or your résumé's going in the reject pile. Try this test: Hand your résumé to a friend. Let them look at it for 10 seconds. Take it back. Ask what they remember. Is this the impression you intend to convey? If not, edit and repeat the test.

2)  Know what story you're telling. If you think your résumé is simply a factually correct, chronological list of all your prior jobs and education, it's time for a revamp. A good résumé tells a story about who you are, and why this job is right for you. Say you're looking to transition from the corporate world into a public interest job after graduation. Describing your years of corporate experience in detail isn't going to get you very far, but emphasizing your extensive volunteer work might.

3)  Highlight what's most impressive. A variation on the theme, but you want to highlight the aspects of your background that will be most impressive to this employer. Make sure the highlights are at the top of the page, and to the left of the lines of text (yes, it's possible someone might not even read to the end of your bullet points!).

4)  Address the reader's fears. This one's ninja level, but, if you can get inside the head of the person who's going to be reading your résumé and understand what they're afraid of, you can ally concerns before they even arise. For example, say you're fairly young and don't have a lot of work experience. If I'm sitting in a law firm's HR office looking at your résumé, I'll naturally be concerned about whether you're mature enough to handle the stress of the job and whether you'll be comfortable working with older colleagues. Just as I start thinking this, however, I see that you helped plan two major charity fundraisers in the last year, working closely with several of high-powered members of the community on a tight deadline. Whew, my fears are assuaged, and I'm much more likely to bring you in for an interview.

5)  Don't be afraid to cut material. Most résumés have way too much stuff in them. Cut mercilessly. Do not include things "just in case" or because "it can't hurt." It can hurt. If you include extraneous junk, it distracts the reader from the good stuff. Only include things that help convince the reader you're the right person for the job (and use the space you save to talk in detail about what remains.)

6)  Remember that the point of the résumé is to get an interview. You don't have to answer every single question in the résumé. It's designed to pique interest, and, if you get an interview, to give you something to talk about. So, for example, it's a good idea to include the title of your college honor's thesis (instead of just saying you did one). It's not a good idea, however, to include a paragraph discussing the project and your conclusions. That's overkill.

7)  What can you do for me? Last, but certainly not least, the key takeaway question: What can you do for me? If I'm reading your résumé, I have a role to fill. If you can fill that role, I'll be delighted. I want to know how you can help me. Don't make me guess. If you want an interview, I need to know what's in it for me. The more closely you match your skills to my needs, the more likely I am to hire you.

Alison Monahan is the founder of The Girl's Guide to Law School and a co-founder of the Law School Toolbox. A 2006 graduate of Columbia Law School, she was a member of the Columbia Law Review, a Civ Pro Teaching Assistant, a Kent Scholar, and a Stone Scholar. After law school, she clerked in the District of Massachusetts and was a BigLaw patent litigator for two years. Now she helps other aspiring lawyers get into law school, get through, and stay true to themselves in the process.