ABA Journal: Asked and Answered

Newly minted law grads will soon be entering the job market, but where are they most likely to find employment? Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Valerie Fontaine, founding partner of the legal search firm Seltzer Fontaine Beckwith, about which in-demand areas of law have open job positions–and how law grads can secure them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wellness is not just about eating health food and exercising, Jolene Park tells the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward in this episode of Asked Answered. It’s also getting enough time to relax, getting enough sleep and not being stressed out about your job or finances–and employers can play a big role in all of those things. Park is the founder of Healthy Discoveries, a corporate wellness compan...

You love technology, you love the law, and you want a career that combines the two. But what kinds of legal tech jobs will be the most in-demand, and how can you get them? E-discovery and privacy law should be two areas that legal tech jobseekers look into, Shannon Capone Kirk tells the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this episode of Asked and Answered. Kirk, who is e-discovery counsel at...

Do you dread going to work? If so, maybe it's time to look at the other ways you can flex your legal skills, says Nancy Levit, co-author of The Happy Lawyer: Making a Good Life in the Law. There are many types of jobs for lawyers, and sometimes what you thought you wanted to do doesn’t work out, Levit tells the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward in this episode of Asked and Answered. She shares...

Confronting someone about a substance abuse problem--or owning that you have one--is not easy, but lawyers assistance programs can help.  Usually referred to as LAPs and offered by attorney regulation agencies, the programs guarantee confidentiality when attorneys reach out to them.  And if an attorney has committed an actionable offense, entering recovery before it comes to light and being able t...

True etiquette is behaving in a way that makes people feel comfortable, it's not about stuffy rules. But as social norms change, some people have a hard time separating personal from professional behavior. Before your firm's holiday party, it may be time to check in on what is­—and is not—appropriate. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Dr. S...

Switching law firms doesn’t only cause partner anxiety, it’s hard on clients too. Lawyers need to really evaluate whether a move will best serve the people and businesses they represent. In this month’s Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Karen Kaplowitz, a former BigLaw rainmaker who now leads a business-development consulting firm. Much of her work centers on...

Six-figure student loans can be a terrifying burden, and one of the top challenges for many law grads. But even if you’ve fallen in arrears, you still may have options to turn your financial situation around. In this month’s Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Adam Minsky, author of "Student Loan Debt 101." As an attorney with a practice devoted entirely to hel...

The full scale of the damage from Hurricane Harvey may not be known for weeks or months. But even as the rain is still falling, lawyers in Texas and across the country are mobilizing to meet the legal needs of the people who have been impacted. In this special breaking-news edition of the ABA Journal’s Asked and Answered, Lee Rawles speaks with Saundra Brown of Lone Star Legal Aid, whose Houston o...

Studies have shown that salary and compensation at firms can still be markedly higher for white males than attorneys with a different ethnicity or gender. But if you feel you aren't being paid commensurate with your colleagues and with the value you bring to your firm, how should you proceed? In this episode of Asked & Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward talks with Jeffrey Lowe of t...

Diversity at law firms, especially at the higher levels of partnership continues to be a hot topic of discussion. But is that all that it is, a discussion item? To this day, fewer than 20 percent of equity partners are women and even fewer are lawyers of color. This has been the case for more than a decade even though there are now more women in law school than men. Molly McDonough, editor of the...

Have you considered attending the 2017 ABA Annual Meeting in New York City this August? In this special episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles and Molly McDonough hear about what special events and venues await attendees from ABA President Linda Klein and the associate executive director of Meetings and Travel, Marty Balogh. From a CLE lecture given by IBM Watson to a special...

In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Victor Li speaks with attorney and activist Paul Harris about his work stretching back to the 1960s. Harris, one of the radical “movement lawyers” featured in the cover story for the August issue of the ABA Journal, talks about his work defending high-profile clients like Huey Newton, Leonard McNeil and others. Harris also discusses the curr...

Even trained advocators don’t get everything they want at work. But what are some good strategies for knowing when to accept a manager’s decision, or continue to press for what you want? In this episode of the ABA Journal’s Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Dr. Artika Tyner, vice president for diversity and inclusion at the University of St. Thomas in Minneso...

Government entities at all levels often set aside a portion of work for minority and women-owned businesses, including law firms. But many people are unsure about how to land these contracts or receive certification. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward gets tips for program participation from Emery Harlan. Harlan is a Milwaukee employment attorney and a...

The 14th Amendment has been used to secure civil rights for a multitude of groups. But does it give children a constitutional right to literacy? Is it the government's responsibility to adequately fund schools, so students learn what they need to reach appropriate reading levels? In the Detroit public school system, it was recently found that only 7 percent of its 8th grade students were proficien...

A handful of large law firms recently announced limited telecommuting plans for associates, which is a somewhat radical change for the profession.  Does this mean that for lawyers, office face-time may no longer be central to demonstrating you’re a valuable team member? In this month's episode of Asked and Answered, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Sara Sutton Fell about lawyers working remotely...

You want to expand your book of business with networking events, and think that planning one yourself might be the most rewarding. But how can you develop an event that lawyers will actually attend, doesn’t go way over budget and brings you some great new connections? In this month’s episode, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Alycia Sutor, managing director at the sales-effectiv...

Many of us don’t think of ourselves as biased, and we don’t want to be prejudiced towards others. But we’re also reluctant to acknowledge the ways bias can creep in, according to academics who study implicit bias. In this episode of Asked and Answered, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Jeffrey Rachlinski, a Cornell Law School professor who has done various studies about implicit...

It's not terribly unusual for a law grad to need to take the bar exam more than once to pass. But the experience of failing the bar can be crushing to one's confidence–and concentration. After failing the bar exam, many students have a hard time studying for a retake. This is not necessarily because they can't do the work, but because anxiety and fear of failure get in the way, Jamie Kleppetsch of...

While negotiating for one’s client is second nature to most attorneys, many find it a lot harder to negotiate for themselves. How can you advocate for a better position without being seen as too aggressive or off-putting? In this month’s Asked and Answered podcast, the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward talks to Kathleen Kelley Reardon about how attorneys can ask for what they want without jeopa...

You landed someone you thought would be a great client, but now you’re finding out that the client isn’t great about paying the bill. What should you do?  In this month's Asked and Answered podcast, Stephanie Francis Ward speaks with Bob Markoff, a Chicago lawyer who has done collections work for many years. Markoff, a past president of the National Creditors Bar Association, gives tips and advice...

Lawyers are in the suffering business, says bankruptcy lawyer and meditation instructor Jeena Cho. "Rarely do clients come to us with happy news." Taking on clients' tough problems can be source of a lot of stress for practitioners. Cho speaks with the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward about how practicing mindfulness--which at is heart, is about living in the present moment--can help lawyers q...

Are you unhappy at work? Is it time to leave your job, or should you look for other options to improve your current work conditions? Trust your intuition, and don't beat yourself up with negative thoughts about workplace problems being all your fault, says Gayle Victor, a Chicago-area lawyer and social worker who counsels attorneys and their families. She spoke with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Fra...

Business development doesn't come naturally to all lawyers. Some hesitate to take advantage of social opportunities out of fear of looking desperate or needy, but that's wrong-headed, says business development coach Larry Kohn. He speaks with the ABA Journal's Stephanie Francis Ward about ways that attorneys can promote themselves and their skills in ways that help both the lawyer and their potent...