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How In Touch with Your Emotions Are You as a Lawyer?
I recently had the pleasure of asking ChatGPT about my blind spots after months and years of feeding it my private thoughts. “Now that you can remember everything I’ve ever typed here, could you please point out my top 5 blind spots?” Mind. Blown. I initially wondered if the results were like a horoscope that…
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Giving Up Partnership
I recently accepted an in-house position as Intellectual Property Counsel. The hiring attorney at the new company started a months-long conversation to make this happen. He was really interested in working with me and advocated for me within the company. Initially, we were exploring ways for me to bring them on as a firm client.…
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Don’t Be a Career
Steve Jobs said: “Many people find what they believe to be safe harbors (lawyers and accountants), only to wake up ten or fifteen years later and discover the price they paid.” “The journey is the reward. People think that you’ve made it when you’ve gotten to the end of the rainbow and got the pot…
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How to Know It’s Time to Quit Your Law Job
I watched Khe Hy’s video on 5 Signs It’s Time to Quit Your Job. He goes over 5 signs and a 7-point checklist for a perfect job. The 5 signs to consider are:
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The Least Motivating Part of Being an Attorney
I was deeply unmotivated these past few days. A pet peeve of mine is when people say they are “not motivated.” Now I was guilty of the same shit I hated from other people. Just do the fucking thing, dumbass! But I was barely billing. I was barely focused. I daydreamed about quitting and pursuing…
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Working at a Law Firm: How Big Is the Pebble in the Shoe?
I watching the recent video of Charles Martinet (voice of various Mario characters) talking about his new Mario Ambassador role. It made me want a fun job at a cool company, not an “assault my nervous system for a fee” sweatshop where my attention, precision, and personality are up for sale. I bet Nintendo gave…
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“I hope you’ll become partner one day”
One of my supervisors said this to me. He was one of the named partners of the firm. I’d been wanting to work with him. He called my communication skills a gift. Another partner told me about how he (the named partner) takes no BS but was impressed with my work. Wow! He values me!…
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Pivoting to Non-law Jobs (2 Ideas You Can Use Today)
An old law school classmate works at her dream job now. She left her old soul-sucking job at a law firm a few years ago. She was able to leave the law to do work she genuinely enjoys. She doesn’t even mind if she has to stay up until midnight from time to time. Enjoying…
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How Being a Lawyer Affects Your Confidence Level
In casual conversation, I caught myself saying something to the effect of “you may be able to…” Being an attorney means CYA (covering your ass) and saying things like “and/or” or “likely” or “appears to” and all these weasel words that give you an out should someone call you out on it (which never happens…but…
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Working Late Until 2:40 AM
The firm laptop started its automatic shutdown process because it logs off automatically when it gets too late. I canceled out of the process. What was I doing at this godforsaken hour? There are people out there getting ready to go to the gym at this time! The in-house counsel wanted all these revisions to…
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Were You Happier Before the Law?
I was disappointed and upset that I was going to make less after switching jobs. I ended up making more than I thought, so I wasn’t that upset anymore. The higher your personal record, the higher the threshold becomes for feeling like a worthy human being. I want more and more in order to feel…
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How much money do you need to leave the law and never work again?
How much is a lot of money to you? $1 million? Who wants to be a millionaire? Depending on your number, you could more realistically start to consider changing careers, relying on your spouse’s income if any, or living independent income. Done daydreaming? Get back to work.