Yesterday, the law firm Mayer Brown took the swift and decisive action in terminating one of its high-profile partners, Zac Barnett, for "inappropriate personal conduct" with one of his subordinates. How an organization reacts to crisis and challenge often reveals more about the culture than the crisis or challenge itself. This is particularly true regarding …
The Cost of Not Caring
With the pressures of the billable hour, a culture of perfectionism, law firm dynamics and political minefields, paying attention to the happiness of the individuals who make up a law firm can seem like a waste of precious resources. Years ago I spoke to one leader of a large company who candidly said he didn't …
Deck the Halls with Expectations! Fa-La-La-La-La Let’s Take a Breath!
It snowed in Charlottesville all day yesterday. When it finally eased off around 10pm, we had close to 8 inches of snow. The white blanket looked festive and sparkling surrounded in the neighborhood Christmas lights. I had been slow to feel much in the holiday spirit this year, but having "real snow" in Virginia before …
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Workplace Resilience: Where Do We Start?
Through years of working with and for various organizations and industries, I have yet to meet one person who said they did not care if their people or teams struggled with resilience, had low morale, suffered from burnout, or experienced low productivity. Of course, every leader wants successful, happy, content, engaged, and resilient people. Right? …
Resilient Lawyers: The Drum That I’ll Keep Beating
"50 percent [of attorneys polled] said their career in law had adversely affected their mental health, while 79 percent said that they would not feel comfortable seeking support from their law firm if they were suffering from a mental health concern." This came from The American Lawyer's article We Need an Open Dialogue on Mental …
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Akin Gump Makes Steps to Improve Attorney Well-being. What Can Your Firm Do?
In response to increasing rates of depression, anxiety, addiction and suicide among attorneys, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has taken great strides in making the emotional and mental well-being of their lawyers a priority. Beginning in June, the Akin Gump Washington D.C. office will have on-site counselors available for appointments one day each week. This is …
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Don’t Quit Yer Crying!
A few days ago, news of a "Cry Closet" installation at the University of Utah went viral. A senior year art student, Nemo Miller, built this stand-alone closet which allows students to spend a few minutes to let out the stress of college with a good, old-fashioned cry. The student said he would leave the …
Cultivating Resilience in Lawyers from the Ground Up
I had the privilege of being a fly on the wall at Quinnipiac Law School's Business of Law Symposium last weekend. Now, it's not my usual way to spend a beautiful spring Saturday, particularly since I am not an attorney or a law student. I have, however, become increasingly aware of burnout, substance abuse and …
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10 Days & 10 Ways to Build Resilience: Day 10- Can You Hear Me Now?
The most resilient people are also skilled communicators. First, they have the ability to articulate their challenges and their coping strategies: "I can't stay late at work tonight on such short notice. Let's talk tomorrow about how we can get the job done more efficiently without either of us having to work overtime." "I am …
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10 Days & 10 Ways to Build Resilience: Day 8- Give It a Rest
Today's focus is specifically on resting and its positive impact on professional resiliency. Discipline, action, intensity, priority: those words do not usually invoke the word “rest.” And, yet, that is exactly what I am prescribing for both individual and organizational resilience. Any marathoner worth their running shoes understands the value of the Rest Day in …
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