The Young Texas Lawyer

You’ve met your hour requirements and you are a model associate. It’s New Years Eve and you are more than capable of making the independent decision to go home early. So if you are tip toeing around the office checking to see who is there and who isn’t… stop stressing yourself out and GO HOME!

If the story of Goldilocks has taught us anything, it’s that finding the porridge that is JUST right takes some work. Getting the happy medium in the amount of work you have is no different. These days, having too little work means you might be on your way to a pink slip and having too much work can be simply overwhelming. There are complaints from both sides of the fence. Those with too little work feel like they aren’t learning anything and those with too much work think they are being taken advantage of. Very rarely do you hear from those in “the happy medium.” They are happy and don’t feel the need to voice complaints.

There are some steps you can take to find that happy medium. Don’t complain about too much work, it’s actually a compliment meaning that partners trust you. Instead of turning down a new project outright, let the person know EVERYTHING else on your plate and imply that their work may not get priority but you would still be happy to do it. This lets them know you’re busy and are being considerate to those that gave you work first. If they still give you the work then let those around you know the situation and that it may delay some of their work. Make sure you make them feel like your hands are tied. The key is your method of communication. You don’t really control your work load but if those around you are made aware of it in a polite and effective manner then they will make adjustments to make sure the work you are doing for them is done on time and correctly. There are those naysayers out there that will say it simply doesn’t work like that but its all in the way you deliver your message. Complaining doesn’t work. Everything you do or say has to benefit the ones handing out the work. Drop hints!

If you don’t have any work then don’t turn into a pest. Let people know you are available. Don’t ask for work and don’t complain about not having work. Listen for the hints that those overwhelmed people are dropping and offer to lend a hand. Ask people if they need help with anything instead of simply asking for work. Telling someone you need work just gives them another job, finding you work. Letting them know you are available to take some things off their plate is more enticing. The most frequent problem with this method is that everyone you offer to help gives you work at the same time. When this happens then refer to the above paragraph.

Following these simple tips should help you achieve the happy medium, but make sure you don’t tell anyone! If you enjoy being overwhelmed then congratulations because you must love your job. If you like being paid to do nothing then become a contributing author or spend your time clicking on some of our ads!

At the end of the year it’s customary for people to start talking about how many hours they billed, year end reviews, and bonuses. This year is a little more grim than previous years, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are still tons of opportunities for young lawyers to sharpen their skills. Most young attorneys find themselves in jobs they didn’t really want but took anyways due to practicality. Perhaps you are a family law attorney trapped in a corporate attorney’s career or you have a love for litigation but find yourself knee deep in mergers and acquisitions. Whatever your thirst, you can most likely find a pro bono case to quench it. Some of the best experience comes from pro bono cases. You’ll have mentor attorneys that won’t let you screw up and a ton of knowledge sharing to help you along the way.

It really is a win-win situation. You get experience you wouldn’t have otherwise received, and a needy client gets the help he or she may not have otherwise gotten. The following link will help you get started with the legal aid office in your area.

By now you are probably familiar with the age old phrase, “its not WHAT you know, its WHO you know.” To a certain degree this is very true, but it doesn’t paint a pretty picture for those that feel nepotism and cronyism are at all time highs. This does not, however, mean that you can be a know nothing and network your way to success. The phrase should really read “its not ONLY what you know, its WHO you know.” You can be the smartest man alive, but if you don’t know anyone or can’t hold a conversation then its not likely that you can properly convey your knowledge and skills to others. Even Albert Einstein, a name that runs synonymous with genius, couldn’t find a job after college because he was a relative unknown with sub par social skills.

You’ve most likely experienced the angst of trying to get motivated enough to attend a bar luncheon or even a happy hour thrown by the local bar association. Sometimes you probably even RSVP but when the time comes you make excuses and don’t end up going. Below are a few tips for effective networking as a young lawyer.

1. Take a friend – This way someone else is forcing you to go and you have a safety net through out the night. This does not mean you spend the entire night talking to your friend. Mingle in pairs or separate then regroup. Either way you should be talking to people you don’t know. They are there for the same reason, and its not as awkward as you might think.
2. Meet non-lawyers – You shouldn’t limit yourself law related activities. You should do those too but there is a whole world outside of the legal community that has some well connected and interesting people. Join your schools alumni group, pick a charity to sign up for, or join a sports and social club. It will help keep your sanity and realize that not everyone is as neurotic as attorneys.
3. Keep touch – Drop the people you meet an email every so often and try to meet for breakfast, lunch, or dinner to keep in touch. If you haven’t already, start keeping a detailed electronic list of all your contacts. You should have all the information you can find about people and update it once a year. When you take a genuine interest in the lives of others good things will naturally happen, but don’t try to force them.
4. Have an elevator speech – You should be able to explain to people what you do in the span of an elevator ride and in simple terms. With growing legal specializations and niches comes public unawareness. If I told you that I was a “coalition builder” you would have no idea what I actually did for a living, but if I said I assisted charities in raising public awareness about their cause through building coalitions of corporate sponsors and community groups then you might actually be interested in what I had to say.
5. Quality not quantity – the key is to make quality contacts and be a quality member of an organization. Don’t just prowl the room handing out and asking for business cards. Don’t join every organization in the book, pick a couple and try to take some leadership roles in them. The goal is to make lasting relationships, not to increase the size of your Rolodex.

This list is by no means exhaustive but it should give you a good start for tailoring your own personal networking goals. Most opportunities are had through word of mouth and if no one knows you then how are they going to know how great you are!

Written by Robert B. Abtahi

Think to yourself how many times you’ve had a cut, cold, or coughed up something you weren’t quite sure of and went to WebMD to search your own symptoms to avoid going to a doctor. Perhaps your visit to WebMD prevented a doctors visit that you might have otherwise made had a website not given you the sense that you would survive. Think this couldn’t happen to the law? Think again. Afterall, isn’t much of the law just the ability to get the answer to a question: “is this tax deductible, can my landlord do this, how do I start a business?” We’ve already seen a surge in the number of online legal service providers such as LegalZoom.com that provide quickie divorces, wills, and business services. They provide cut rate fees for filing paperwork or filling out forms. How long is it before people start doing even more on their own?

According to a survey taken by Rees Morrison, of a group of 84 in-house counsel at large companies, one-third of them felt that 20 percent or more of the legal advice that law firms are currently charging for will be free on the internet within 5 years. Mr. Morrison predicts that “much more information than now, that could be charged for now, will relatively soon be free online… this future means significant revenue declines for law firms… the outlook is grim.” It’s inevitable that the easy access of information through the internet will change every industry, but will the usually slow-to-adopt legal world be smart this time or will they fight it every step of the way like the music and real estate industries have done to their own detriment.

Soon those billable hours you spend researching a legal topic for an answer could be as easy as typing in your cold symptoms in WebMD and saving your self a trip to the doctor. And more importantly, a bill. So make sure the work you do isn’t generic and don’t be afraid to be an early adopter. Early adopters usually end up in positions of power when everyone else needs help catching up.

Not only has the financial crisis migrated from Wall Street to Main Street but so too have job search ideas. In July, 48 year old Joshua Persky hit the streets of Manhattan in an effort to find potential employers. The major difference between Joshua and the competition was that he was dressed in a sandwich board that read “Experienced MIT Grad for Hire.” Mr. Persky recently got his dream job, but even his employer has stated publicly that he was hired for his merits and not the media stunt.

Perhaps as an homage or just as a way to get some recognition of his own, a SMU Law Student attempted a similar feat today on the cold streets of Dallas. According to Tex Parte, a young man in a suit stood on the corner of Main and Akard in downtown Dallas wearing a sign that read “SMU law student looking for work.” One passerby told him: “Good luck, I’m a Baylor Law grad,” to which the law student asked if she was hiring. Unfortunately for the student, his stunt committed the cardinal sin of publicity… he didn’t stick around long enough for anyone to get his name.

Due to advances in modern medicine and varied financial obligations, people are healthier and working longer than ever. As a result, for the first time in our history there are four distinct generations in today’s workforce.

1. The Silent Generation (Born between: 1909-1945)
2. Baby Boomers (Born between: 1946-1965)
3. Generation X (Born between: 1966-1977)
4. Millennials (Born between: 1978-1995)

This wide array of life experiences, capabilities, and mindsets create a host of problems. The most damaging of which is communication problems between the various generations. Many young professionals have a hard time understanding how to effectively communicate with their older counterparts. Whereas Generation X’ers and Millennials feel that email is the most efficient and effective form of communication, Boomers and the Silent Generation think that face to face or phone contact is best. The last thing you want to do is create animosity between you and co-workers so its best to know where everyone is coming from.

The Silent Generation values privacy and hard work. They feel that an individuals word is his/her bond. This generation is all about organizational structure and social order. They feel as though younger generations don’t have a great deal of respect for authority. The best way for a young professional to communicate with the Silent Generationers is to do as they ask or else you’ll feed into their stereotypes. This means stopping by their office for a conversation rather than sending an email. Make sure your thoughts are in order and your answer is fairly formal. They see unpreparedness as a sign of disrespect and a waste of their time.

Baby Boomers by nature are very competitive and tend to be seen as egocentric to others. They are the generation that increased the traditional work week from 40 hours to 60-80 hours and feel that generations to follow should follow their lead. Baby Boomers currently make up the majority of the workforce and see the influx of younger generations as a threat. Boomers are the “show me” generation and are more interested in the delivery of the message. They are keen to body language and facial expressions. Boomers prefer phone calls or face to face communication for certain situations because they have seen paper trails and emails ruin careers. They indulge their positions of power and view pointing it out as a perk of success. Boomers give deference to older generations but often take the opportunity to put down younger generations’ mindset as a defense mechanism. Don’t be surprised if a Boomer asks to see you in his/her office and then makes you wait outside when you could have sent a quick email instead. It’s best to indulge their egos to a certain extent but not be seen as weak. Don’t be afraid to mildly stand up to a Boomer but make sure you pick your battles wisely, everything is a competition to them and they despise even the slightest hint of insubordination.

Millennials and Generation X’ers are highly productive and often have many things on their plates at once. They are the computer and internet generation. These generations are not as loyal to their employers as older generations and often times lack interpersonal skills due to their heavy reliance on electronic communication. Millennials and X’ers grew up in the time of corporate scandals and watching their parents’ blind loyalty to an employer that often left them hanging in the wind. Both generations crave constant feedback to help themselves grow. They don’t mind informal communication and prefer email because it is an effective way of documenting and organizing their tasks.

The most important thing to remember is that for now you’re at the low end of the totem pole. Sure email may be more efficient, but don’t let yourself be seen as someone who isn’t flexible or is afraid of face to face contact. Use subtle hints to show older generations a better way of doing things without making them feel stupid. Remember, they have experience that you desperately need and you can harness technology better than they can – you both need each other.

Written by Robert B. Abtahi

Perhaps as a precursor of things to come in the United States, an Australian couple was served with legal documents via their Facebook accounts after the couple defaulted on a $150,000 mortgage.

The defendants ignored emails from the mortgage providers attorney and failed to appear at an October 3rd court date. They had practically disappeared, except in the world of online social networking. Like over 140 million others, the defendants had Facebooks accounts.

A judge in the Australian Capital Territory’s Supreme Court deemed that the Facebook accounts contained enough personal information about the defendants to establish that it was a sufficient method of service after the couple could not be reached by any other method of service.

It’s only a matter of a time before we see a similar situation in the United States. Afterall, isn’t it more likely that an active Facebook user will check their Facebook account rather than checking the newspaper when service by publication is granted. Afterall, you can track a Facebook message and you can even see when it’s been read by the recepient. As the internet becomes a more valuable method of communication for everyday citizens then we are likely to see similar changes in the law.

As the stories of friends losing jobs and layoff announcements become more frequent, you can’t help but wonder, “am I next?” – There is little you can do to prevent yourself from being laid off, other than doing your job to the best of your abilities. Don’t be a rumor monger or have a negative attitude about things. No one likes to work in a negative or fearful environment. The best thing to do is keep your resume up to date and save a little more from each pay check in case it happens. Keep your ear to the ground but your mouth shut.

If it doesn’t get you too nervous you can also check out The Layoff List by The American Lawyer to keep you up to date on all the news of job cuts.

The quick and simple answer is YES, but only if your employer matches your contribution. If you’ve recently graduated and started a job, you probably have struggled with whether or not you should invest in your company’s 401K program. If you decided to do so within the last couple years then you are having major doubts about whether that was a good idea since your investments are down nearly 50%. However, there are a few simple things you need to do in order to make your investment as effective as possible.

Firstly, you should generally only contribute up to your employer’s match percentage. This is free money and who would deny free money. Anything extra you would like to invest is better off going into an IRA account since you have many more investment options with an IRA than you do with a 401(k).

Second, don’t think about the losses right now. The money is for many many years down the road. As you get older you should start to reallocate your money. All the stories you hear about people retiring soon but now can’t because of their 401(k) is due to their own neglect. You should check your 401(k) statements at least once a quarter, but don’t go overboard and check it everyday or else you’ll go nuts. A good starting point for asset allocation is the CNN Money asset allocation calculator.

Third, take advantage of the resources available through your 401(k) administrator and your employer’s HR representative. They have a wealth of knowledge and literature regarding your account. This article is by no means a comprehensive guide and is only meant to relieve your natural initial reluctance to invest for something so far down the road when your loans are here and now.