legal sanity

My vacation presented me with another opportunity to inventory the contents of my blog hopper. I found that much of it pertained to the ins and outs of lawyering. So, I decided to offer it to you here as a chain of related topics:

The top link in the chain is this article addressing why associates bail out of law firm life. Among the reasons cited are the:

• Absence of management expertise and meaningful feedback

• Law students’ misunderstanding about the practice of law

• Lack of work-life balance

The article goes on to outline steps that firms can take to remedy the problem of attrition, including:

• Mentoring Programs

• Hiring in-house professional development directors

• Providing business development training

Logically linked to these points is a post about coping with the anger and resentment that often accompanies career change and this piece questioning the sanctity of, and potential power imbalances in, the law firm mentor-mentee relationship.

The chain continues with information geared to helping young associates build their book of business. Pam Slim explains the business benefits of being a matchmaker and offers some concrete ways to take on that role, such as:

• Introducing like-minded people

• Forwarding information and resources to people who can use them

• Connecting people who have complementary interests, products or services

On a related note, in companion posts, Robert Middleton gives us some practical tips and tactics for quelling our marketing fears (and Part II ).


Jim Hassett rounds off the roundup links with a post profiling one firm’s efforts to help associates hone their relationship-building and business development skills. Noting the win-win nature of these initiatives, the article states: “business development training produces greater associate satisfaction, more satisfied clients and more interesting business opportunities.”