Archive for September, 2009

Networking 101

Sep 28th, 09 / 6 Comments

I realize my last post gave you a very strong command: network, network, network. Then, network some more. The truth is, networking is THE CORNERSTONE of professional careers, legal or otherwise. The adage of “It isn’t what you know, it is who you know” is so true- and while it can only get you so far, that “so far” line can be a lot further than where you would get by your lonesome. That said, networking can be tough & law students (and other young professionals) are often thrown into an event with little to no pointers. This of course means you learn as you go- and I’ve seen some awful crash & burns. Nothing is worse than standing at some networking event, holding your plastic tumbler of wine & watching a friend or classmate go out on a limb they had no business being on. So here are my Networking 1o1 pointers- and again, if you have any tips (or stories…) please feel free to share.

  • Make business cards. They should not be pink, smelly, graphics laden or contain cute catch-phrases or spelling errors. Something simple:

 

Daisy Smith

Law Student, Jones University College of Law

djd.daisyjdATgmailDOTcom

312-444-4444

  • So there you are at your first networking event. Get yourself one drink- and remember your drink says a lot about you, so avoid getting a cosmo or Malibu & pineapple- and find a friend. Chat for a few moments. Scope out the alumni, attorneys, or whoever it is you are supposed to be networking with. Go up, introduce yourself, offer a professional handshake & ask them what they do, what brings them here, or something along those lines. Let them ask you questions- don’t pepper them with your stats or GPA.

 

  • Professional handshake you ask? Something firm (not bone-breaking) that conveys you are not going to wilt under pressure. Limp handshakes are for old ladies at church functions. Law students & the like should have a handshake that conveys self confidence. Practice with a friend if need be.

 

  • If you find yourself in a conversation with a practicing attorney that is going well- they love your college football team! they practice the area of law you love! your older siblings were friends in high school!- and you’d be interested in working for this person, make it known that you’d like to continue the conversation outside of the networking event. This of course does not mean informing them you’d really like a job. This means that you end it with something like this: “Jim, I’ve really enjoyed talking with you this evening. Perhaps you have time this month to meet- I’d like to take you to lunch and learn more about your practice and any advice you might have for a law student who is interested in immigration law.” Then you hand them your business card. If they seem interested, it would behoove you to ask for their card in return. Make it clear you are not hitting them up for a free meal or creepily hitting on them (don’t ask to meet up for drinks- just don’t) and that you want to discuss career advice. Then, golden rule, follow up with them (via email) the next day & again, check for spelling errors. Use their title. Suggest a location near their office in your price range. If you get lucky you might get a free lunch & a job out of it. If not- try again.

 

  • Don’t monopolize any one attorney’s time, no matter how good the conversation is. Look at it this way: if you are having such a great conversation with them, let them talk to a few of your imbecile classmates to really highlight how much you stand out. Monopolizing time is a no-no; and you never know if the next attorney down the way has even more for you to learn.

 

  • Networking events are not the place to discuss beer pong or your summer antics. That said, they are a change for you to show some personality so don’t be a stuffed shirt. Mentioning your love of travel or your enjoyment of foreign films gives you some dimension, so don’t think you must stick only to the topic at hand. Tread wisely though, and make sure you don’t get too far into a story about your last trip to Tahiti before you realize that the person you are talking to is bored out of their minds or wondering why on earth you think what you are saying is appropriate to share. Give yourself some personality but reign it in before you sound immature or idiotic.

 

  • Networking events are going to get you as much as you try to get out of them. If you get drunk, stand in the corner with your friends, or try to stuff your resume into an attorney’s hand you are going to walk away disappointed. That said, going to a networking event and using it to your advantage could be the step up you need to get you that first job. I have at least three good friend’s who got their first job out of law school from connections them made at a 1L networking event our first semester. Good luck!

 

Education, Lawyers

Laid Off Lawyer: What To Do

Sep 25th, 09 / 4 Comments

As a currently employed lawyer who has had experience as an un-employed lawyer I am going to throw some golden nuggets of wisdom out there for those of you who might be looking for work. These are not nuggets of wisdom for you BigLaw types (Read: lawyer who worked at a firm in the Vault 100 that pays their incoming newbies copious amounts of money in return for their soul and 2400 billable hours of document review) but rather for the real lawyers who keep the judicial system & corporate America going while the muckity-mucks at The Big Firms eat $20-a-plate chicken salad & sleep in sleeping bags under their desks, next to their Ferragamo pumps.

  • Update your resume & be sure to include the position you just quit/were let go from. Even if you were only there for three weeks before you packed up your box of personal belongings, not putting that job in there is considered unethical. Don’t fall into the trap. PUT IT ON THERE no matter how much it stings.

 

  • But come up with a sold line for why you left or were let go, one that is truthful but puts you in a good light. Don’t go off on tangents in interviews or at networking events: stick with your line. It keeps you professional & prevents you from falling into any traps. Keep the ranting about your psychotic ex-boss among your closest friends, in the privacy of your own home, over a bottle of pinot grigio.

 

  • Speaking of pinot grigio, have a cocktail or five. For once in your life you are not accountable to that unspeakably early alarm clock, billable hours or The Man, so try to derive some pleasure out of the situation. Have a drink. Stay up late watching Jimmy Kimmel. Go to an afternoon matinee. Go feed the ducks in the park, or read the newspaper on a bench downtown while you enjoy the weather. Another words: get some simple (inexpensive) pleasures out of your out-of-work status.

 

  • Which parlays into the advice of: stay busy. Don’t wallow for months in your apartment, pausing every three days to shower & change into a fresh pair of pajamas. (Why no, I don’t speak from personal experience………ok fine. But I washed my hands twice a day.) Take your still-working friend’s up on their offers of lunch (on them!) and take a walk to your local Starbucks even if you are only getting a hot tea for $1.50. Getting out of the house gets you some perspective. Better yet, volunteer at a local legal clinic.

 

  • Don’t rant to anyone (even your Mother) in a public place about your ex-place of employment. (The cousin of Rule Number 3: never discuss your case(s) in a courthouse elevator. EVER.)  You don’t know who is sitting across the aisle, counter or shopping for milk at the same time you are. Can I tell you how many times I’ve heard someone slamming a firm/judge/lawyer that I know while I sat on a bus wearing my work0ut clothes or carrying a bag of groceries? Keep your inner monologue inner or you risk the rumor mill regarding your unprofessional demeanor.

 

  • Speaking of those still-employed-friends: as soon as you have stopped the tears or the quaking, let every single one of them know you are looking for work. Even your non-lawyer friends, because the odds are if they know you they might know another lawyer who might mention over their weekly squash game that their firm is looking to fill a position. When I found myself unemployed in December I sent a huge email out (BCC please!) simply stating that I was looking for a new position, resume was attached, please pass along anything you hear about. Not only did I have offers of drinks for the next five nights, but my friends passed information on to me as they heard it. Those open jobs they told me about were spots of sunshine in my bleak days.  How crushing would it be to not tell your friends and find out a month later that a former classmate works for a firm that just finished hiring three new attorneys?

 

  • Once you are done hitting up your friends, start networking, and network hard. You might not get a full time position out of it, but you might find someone looking for an attorney with time for contract work. I paid my rent & bought groceries from small sums of money I earned from some friends & people I’d networked with who ran small firms that needed some research projects done, a motion written or someone to cover a court-call when their kid came down with the chicken pox. 

 

  • If you fall into the contract-work business to get by (& keep your skills fresh), set an hourly fee for different tasks (research, writing, court, travel) & keep it the same for everyone. The odds are you are doing this work for friends, and offering a “friends & family” discount to 90% of your employers isn’t going to get you to far. That said, set your fees fairly: you don’t work in BigLaw and asking $200 an hour isn’t going to get you much further than  “hello”.  Ask around if need be, but don’t price yourself out of the market before you start.

 

  • Did I mention daytime television? Yeah. Its cool. For once in your life, settle into an hour of Oprah without the guilt.

If anyone else (lawyer or non) has any words of wisdom, please chime in.

Chicago

No Pants, No Service

Sep 23rd, 09 / 3 Comments

Yesterday I arrived home from work & immediately changed into some comfy post-work clothes (Read: old, old velour drawstring pants that I refuse to throw away even though they are baggy & stretched & fraying on the hems) before settling in to go through the mail & some other household tasks. After a few minutes of mail sorting (bills, bills, bills, free mailer, ooh an RSVP, bills)  I looked up and saw I’d missed a call from “The Front Door” just moments before.

 

The Front Door calling means one thing at that time of day, that the UPS or Fed-Ex man is here. Between the move, care packages from parents, B’s birthday, ordering things for the wedding, and receiving wedding gifts I spend 3 out of 5 weekday afternoons at various package pick-up centers. For awhile it was because we didn’t have a buzzer/front door system installed so the delivery men couldn’t get in, now we have a system but if I don’t answer the buzzer they can’t leave packages requiring signature. (Side note: the building is working on getting the delivery men keys & waivers so they can leave packages in front of our front doors but alas, it hasn’t happened yet.) As spending my afternoons in the crowded waiting rooms of UPS & Fed-Ex just isn’t doing it for me, I made the split second decision that I was going to catch the UPS man. (Not before I contemplated calling him back to say “WAIT!” but uh, then I realized he called me from an intercom system. Not my brightest moment.) I shoved my feet into flip flops, grabbed my keys & cell phone and took off running.

 

After the agonizingly slow elevator ride down I made it to the sidewalk to discover -YES- his truck was still down the street. So I took off. I couldn’t tell if he was in another building or sitting in the drivers seat getting ready to take off with MAH PACKAGES but I’ll be damned if I didn’t try to stop that truck. So I sprinted. In flimsy flip flops. All was well until- yee gads I can’t believe I’m telling you this – my pants fell off. (Note to self: self, tie the darn drawstring) However, I was so intent on CATCHING THE UPS MAN, HURRY HURRY HURRY I stopped mid stride, hitched ‘em up & took off, this time with one hand holding onto the waist band of my pants for good measure.

 

I caught him. I was elated. I did a happy dance and the UPS man laughed & I signed for my packages (TWO! I HAD TWO PACKAGES) and I thanked him for walking slowly and he reminded me if he just had a key he’d leave them for me, thus preventing my mid-afternoon sprint. I laughed and told him I’d email my developer again and I walked slowly back to my building, trying to read the shipping labels to see if these packages were anything exciting. I started blushing when I realized I’d effectively given a PG peep show to the neighborhood, but then I thought about MAH PACKAGES and I felt better.

 

Until I walked inside and noticed in the front mirror that -hello!- a small hole in the seam of the sweat pants that has been there for at least a year decided to unravel during my sprint ‘n hitch routine. So yes. First I dropped trou in the street and then mooned everyone on my way back in. Yes. Southern charm indeed.

Chicago