Recently in Work - life balance Category

This post was written by StephanieWestAllen: "This new issue of Judicial Balance: Lessons for Law and Life, a compilation of articles from other sources published online by the Judicial Conference of Indiana, includes six articles, including

• Your Mental Health: Damages and Remedies
  The behavior required for success in the law is often contrary to that which contributes to mental health, well being, and balance...
• Friendship Has Its Limits
  Facebook "friendship" has its limits...
• What I Know Now
  ...Wu shares a different perspective regarding the reality of a balanced life, and provides food for thought about the profession we call our own.
• Holistic Living
  In her new book, J. Kim Wright confronts the issue of how to balance a challenging legal career - known for integrity and peace - and maintain a meaningful personal life... 

Other articles are: "A Child's Perspective" and "Law on Television." Click to see the newsletter archives.

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Source: idealawg, 10 July 2010. reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Allison Shields: "Now that Memorial Day has passed, it's "officially" summer for many of us, even though we haven't reached the technical start of summer. For many, summer is a time to slow down (at least a bit), spend time with family, barbeque, and/or take a vacation. But if you're hooked on your gadgets, your vacation may not be a vacation at all.

The New York Times recently published an article on what really happens inside your brain when you're too tied to your gadgets. Although you may think you are a good "multi-tasker," studies have proven that your performance suffers when you multi-task. Indeed, there's no such thing as multi-tasking. (For more of my take on this issue, see my post on the Lawyerist blog, "Multitasking" is a Myth.)..."

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Source: Legal Ease Blog, 22 June 2010, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Susan Gainen: "Are portions of your work or personal life beyond your control? Probably yes.  Are you taking care of yourself?  Probably not. Whether you are a solo or large firm lawyer, a person holding three jobs to make ends meet, a parent managing your own schedule as well as school and sports for your children, or one of the "Sandwich Generation" managing elder care, your "work" life is 24/7/365..."

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Source: Lawyerist.com, 21 June 2010. © 2007-2010 Lawyerist Media, LLC. Reproduced with permission of the site editor, Sam Glover.

In the news: "Work-life balance is a fantasy, if lawyers somehow imagine it as the perfect equilibrium of the personal and the professional, notes professional coach and psychotherapist James Dolan. He says a better target is to do the best one can while maintaining a strong sense of self-preservation."

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 12 May 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe  <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

This post was written by Penelope Trunk: "A common issue among careerists is knowing when to stop, especially among the next generation of professionals. Passion strikes so fervently, it leaves one to wonder... When do you turn it off? And how? Early in our careers, should we be striking a balance? Or should we be going at our careers full-force?..."

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Source: Brazen Careerist, 12 April 2010. © 2009 Penelope Trunk, reproduced with permission of the author.

This post was written by Nicole Garton-Jones:

The Demographic Landscape of Law

"The recent Law Society of BC Report on the Retention of Women in Law Task Force notes as follows:

• Women have been entering the legal profession in BC in numbers equal to or greater than men for more than a decade, yet represent only about 34% of all practicing lawyers in the province and only about 29% of lawyers in full-time private practice; and
• the legal profession in BC is aging and there will be a net reduction in the number of practicing lawyers - a looming shortage - as older lawyers retire without a corresponding increase in younger lawyers joining the profession.

The February 2007 cover story of California Lawyer magazine was entitled "We're Outta Here: Why Women are Leaving Big Firms." The article noted the serious issue of high attrition rates from the legal profession:

"The past few years have witnessed the highest levels of associate attrition ever documented, with an average annual attrition rate for both sexes of 19 percent, as recently reported by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education. Within five years of entering a firm, more than three-quarters of associates leave. Female associates were nearly twice as likely as males to depart to pursue a better work/life balance."

The article's key quote was:

"If law firms want to get the best and brightest young women to join them and stay, they will likely need to change radically and adopt different definitions of sacrifice and partnership."

Talking points for the rest of the article include:

• The Personal Wellness Landscape of Law (Or Lack Thereof)
• How a Virtual Law Firm Structure Enables Heritage Law to Attract and Retain Lawyer Talent
• How it Works - Technology
• How it Works - Schedule 

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Source: Slaw.ca, 19 January 2010

Reproduced with permission of Simon Fodden, founder of Slaw.

In the news: "In law school and in practice, lawyers always talk about balancing acts, notes attorney David Koller. As a solo, there are two separate ones he thinks of all the time: balancing marketing and actual legal work, and balancing his private and professional life. Koller, who is in his first year as a solo practitioner, discusses his approach to marketing in this early stage of his solo career, and how his flexible schedule is helping him to maintain a better balance among work, play and family."

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Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 20 January 2010. Copyright 2009.  ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.

Posted by Chuck Newton: "I do not know if I can be accused of being a good lawyer, but I am certain I can be accused of not thinking too hard.  But, let us face the truth.  We all tend to come up with our best stuff -- out best ideas -- our best thinking on a subject when we are distracted and thinking about something that we sometimes more pleasant.

I am, of course, talking about that "aha" moment -- that break through in thinking moment -- that point where things seem to coalesce in our brain.

This is the problem I have with those lawyers that disregard the concept of work-life balance or blending.  Those that think you take a new associate, chain him or her down at a desk staring at documents 60 hours a week, might be expanding billable hours, but they are not promoting creative lawyers..."

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Source: Chuck Newton Riders the Third Wave, 1 November 2009

Posted by Jim callow: "Every now and then you get backed up. In my world right now, it is having too many things you would like to blog about when I have three or four major papers due in the next few days. My friend Dennis Kennedy dealt with that problem by starting a Dennis Kennedy Microblog. Well, I'm not ready to go there yet. But today I am going to try a microblogging exercise as I clean out my "to blog about" box and also pass along several interesting things that I learned about today. So hang on for today's tech news and tips with a load of links for you to follow, if you desire.

Lifehacker's Exhaustive Guide to Saving Your Smartphone's Battery

Ben Stevens gives us 20 Tips for More Efficient Google Searches

Oh, boy. iPhone users will soon be able to make free calls with Skype

Google Blog: Quickly View Formatted PDF's in Your Search Results (like the IRS online forms)

Technology Enables New Work-Life Norms

YouLaw: If Pixar Created a Law Firm Video

Why Companies Are Switching From BlackBerry To iPhone

ABA TECHSHOW Blog: 5 Great Feature Enhancements to Expect in PowerPoint 2010

Larry Bodine's Checklist for Law Firm Associates

Dan Pinnington: Lawyers as Targets of Fraud: The Common Misconceptions

Ethics of Metadata Comparison Chart Updated to Include Vermont"

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Source: Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog, 8 October 2009

Posted by Carolyn Elefant: "Julie Tower-Pierce and I are happy to announce that we've finally completed our 50 page ebook, The Part Time Shingle:  Why Starting a Part Time Practice Can Be Done and How to Make It Work.  Here's some of the topics that the e-book covers:

-Is starting a part time shingle really feasible? [p. 2-3]

-Will people take me seriously if I'm only working part time? [p. 5-6]

-I'm working in a coffee shop to make ends meet as I get my practice off the ground. How do I handle this situation? [p. 6-7]

-I'm a contract lawyer buried in document review 10 hours a day.  Is starting a part time practice workable for someone in my position? [p. 8]

-What practice areas work best for part time? [p. 9-11]

-Can I buy part time malpractice insurance? [p.13]

-Can I moonlight at my day job at a law firm while I work at my practice at night? [p.14-15]

-What are some time management ideas for running a practice while I raise kids or work at another job?  [p.16-18]

-What are some low cost, time efficient ways to market my part time practice? [p. 19-22]

-What kinds of tech works best for part time?  I'll only have a part-time salary, so I don't want to make a full time tech investment. [p. 23-25]

-I'm returning to the work force by starting a firm and my tech skills are out of date?  Can I still make this work? [p.25]

-How much can I earn working part time? [p.26-27]

-Can I hire help even as a part timer working from home? [p. 29-31]

-At what point should I quit my day job and fly solo full time? [p.32]

In addition to these topics, you'll find a Part Time Shingle Check List, Sample Schedule and 15 minute a day social media strategy.

In addition to the ebook, you can also purchase the 75 minute recorded teleseminar.  The products are available at Pink Slips & Detours or by ordering directly below"

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Source: MyShingle, 6 October 2009