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Articles by Link Christin
Survival Skill No. 2 for Lawyers: Dealing With Chronic Stress
Last month, I kicked off our series on survival skills for lawyers, and stress by discussing emotional resilience, the ability to bounce back from the inevitable disappointments and obstacles encountered in practicing law. In this blog post, we’ll discuss essential stress management practices specifically tailored for lawyers and ways to deal with chronic stress. Lawyers are especially susceptible to professional burnout.
Survival Skill No. 6 for Lawyers: Bring Your Authentic Self to Work
Today, we bring together all the survival skills for lawyers we’ve discussed over the past five months: developing emotional resilience, beating long-term stress, staying grounded during difficult cases, balancing professionalism and compassion, and letting go of anger. What I’ve suggested over the course of this series is a new paradigm for what it means to be a lawyer. Our success as lawyers depends on us honoring who we truly are.
Survival Skill No. 5 for Lawyers: Letting Go of Anger
Having discussed the need to develop emotional resilience, beat long-term stress, stay grounded during difficult cases, and balance professionalism and compassion, we now move on to the next survival skill for lawyers: Managing anger, both yours and that of your clients. Why Is It Important to Have a Handle on Anger? Anger falls in the same category as stress. It is a natural human reaction that, if used in the right way, can protect and help us react to danger.
Survival Skill No. 4 for Lawyers: Compassionate Professionalism
share TWEET PIN IT SHARE share share 0 WHAT YOU DIDN’T LEARN IN LAW SCHOOL Keeping it professional at the office doesn’t mean you can’t be human. By Link Christin So far in this survival skills series, we’ve discussed developing emotional resilience, beating long-term stress, and staying grounded during difficult, emotional cases. Today, we cover balancing professionalism and compassion.
Dealing With Emotional Trauma
share TWEET PIN IT SHARE share share 0 What You Didn’t Learn in Law School By Link Christin So far in our series on survival skills for lawyers, we’ve touched on building up emotional resilience and learning strategies for beating long-term stress. Today we look at staying grounded in emotionally charged situations: While empathy is important for lawyers, we must develop tools to support our well-being when dealing with difficult, emotional cases.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse for Lawyers
Join us for this Knowledge Group Online CLE Mental Health Webinar. Mental health plays a vital role in the well-being of lawyers. However, due to extensive workloads, client demands, and toxic working environment, they become prone to chronic stress, anxiety, and depression which may put their mental health at stake. Recent studies show a significant percentage of lawyers who are suffering from mental health or substance use problems.
Survival Skill No. 2 for Lawyers: Dealing With Chronic Stress
Last month, I kicked off our series on survival skills for lawyers by discussing emotional resilience, the ability to bounce back from the inevitable disappointments and obstacles encountered in practicing law. In this post, we’ll discuss ways to deal with chronic stress. The Risks of Chronic Stress and Professional Burnout Lawyers are especially susceptible to professional burnout. Everyone complains about being “burned out” at some time in their work life.
Survival Skill No. 1 for Lawyers: Emotional Resilience
Practicing law takes a toll on your physical and mental health. It’s not only the long hours — it’s the stress. Lawyers face unique pressures ranging from the nature of their cases to high billable hours to dealing with around-the-clock client demands. Lawyers suffer from depression and are at least twice as likely to exhibit problem behaviors with alcohol than the general public.
Burned Out? Nine Ways to Reignite Your Professional Passion
Burnout. It’s particularly prevalent this time of the year. It’s dark when you come into the office. And it’s dark when you leave. For weeks and weeks, you’ve been striving hard to finish out the year, yet the work seems never-ending. It’s tough to feel a sense of accomplishment if you leave at the end of the day with more work than when you started. Typical run-of-the-mill burnout might just mean you need a good night’s sleep and a day off.
Want to Generate More Leads? Write a Book - Attorney at Work
If you are an established lawyer looking to grow your practice, or a young lawyer hoping to build a book of business for the long term, you should give serious consideration to writing a book. Why? There are few, if any, better marketing assets than a book with your name on the cover. As a lawyer, there are two steps to business development. First, you need to generate opportunities, then you need to capitalize on them. Writing a book helps with both. Here’s how.
Blockchain 101: What Attorneys Need to Know Now - Attorney at Work
Blockchain is one of the hottest business buzzwords of the past year. Many associate it with cryptocurrencies, thanks to the explosion of bitcoin and its counterparts. However, blockchain has far broader implications that affect businesses across all industries — and the law is no exception. Lawyers who want to remain competitive in the modern business world need to develop an understanding of what blockchain is, how it works and its impact on business.
Lawyers and Vacations: It’s a Necessity - Attorney at Work
Nothing But the Ruth I haven’t taken a vacation in over two years. In 2016, I took my dog Rosie to Flagstaff, Arizona, for a few days. We relaxed in front of the fire at our Airbnb and I spent an afternoon at a ropes course. It was so wonderful to have a break from being a lawyer. I suck at relaxing. Too much unstructured time makes me anxious. I have to be told to take a vacation. My therapist suggested it the last time, and my running coach recently told me I need to take a vacation or staycation.
Will AI Change the Way We Work for Better or for Worse? - Attorney at Work
Concern about artificial intelligence taking over jobs isn’t new — and it certainly isn’t unique to the legal industry. Fear and skepticism usually creep in when an innovative technology promises to change the way an industry works. Consider ATMs, once thought to portend the end of bank tellers. In fact, the labor-saving technology created more jobs and evolved the role of the teller into a more skilled position by automating the more mundane functions of the job.
Confronting Lawyer Turnover in Law Firms
Turnover in law firms, especially with young lawyers, is at its highest level ever. Nothing law firms have done to date has reversed this trend and the damage to firms is almost unfathomable. Thanks to turnover, the top 400 law firms lose roughly $9.1 billion annually, according to a report by JD Match and Right Profile. Further, high turnover rates compromise morale, taint reputation, forfeit hundreds of hours of training and teaching, and disrupt and challenge firm culture and practice groups.
Building Endurance Into Your Content Strategy - Attorney at Work
Producing content that serves readers and the business objectives of the publisher — in this case, your law practice — is the No. 1 goal of a content strategy. Building an effective body of content requires consistent outreach. If you’ve been at it for a while, you know the work that’s involved. So what happens when there’s a glitch in the publication machine? For the unprepared, it’s a crisis. Your article is due for a newsletter or a blog, and you’ve got zilch. Nada. A dry well.
Don’t Derail Your Career with Malpractice from Missed Deadlines - Attorney at Work
You have an 80 percent chance of a malpractice suit, according to the ABA. Find out how to beat the odds. Have you ever awoken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because you were worried you might have blown a statute of limitations date? If you have, that’s a solid indication that you’re in the right field, says Nerino Petro, Esq., technology co-editor for the ABA “GP|Solo Magazine.” “This should be something that keeps you up at night,” he insists.
Make the Most of Business Development Meetings - Attorney at Work
Over the years, I’ve conducted thousands of client interviews to gather feedback on outside counsel. The discussion frequently turns to how a firm first started representing the client, leading to stories about what lawyers do well — or not so well — when trying to pitch for business. Mistakes range from not doing enough to doing too much in business development meetings. Let’s assume you have an opportunity to meet with a prospective client to discuss helping with a company’s legal work.
For Business Development, Do What Comes Naturally - Attorney at Work
It is no secret that business development is a necessary component of the business of law. Whether a solo practitioner or a member of a large firm, you have a level of responsibility for maintaining a pipeline of new business. Unfortunately, there is no template or set of instructions that works for every lawyer. I have seen a lot of tactics executed with varying degrees of success. What seems to work best is engaging in an activity that is natural to you.
Do Your Gestures Belie Your Words? - Attorney at Work
Get to the Point My “Get to the Point!” columns talk about writing and speaking. But you communicate another way, too — through body language. Studies show that your gestures may speak more loudly than your words and can even contradict them. You may have learned to closely observe a witness giving a statement or in deposition. You may have even taken a CLE class on the subject. But what about your own non-verbal signals? The prospective client shows up for the initial consultation.
Content Strategy: What It Is and What It Isn’t - Attorney at Work
One fact that’s always acknowledged in this column is that good content requires effort. It requires yours (which equals time and money) or someone else’s (which equals less time but more money). When speaking, I’ve railed against random acts of content and one-offs. Everything you publish needs to adhere to your content strategy. To do otherwise is an exhausting waste of resources. There are dueling definitions. Some people confuse content strategy with a plan for what to publish where.
Advice to New Associates on Becoming a Rainmaker - Attorney at Work
You passed the bar and got your first job in a law firm. Congratulations. Now it’s time to start becoming a rainmaker. “Whoa,” you say. “Slow down. Become a rainmaker? I still have to become a real lawyer. You know, one whose work clients will actually pay for.” Calm down. I didn’t say become a rainmaker today. I said “start becoming” one.
Call Tracking and Live Chat for Your Law Firm - Attorney at Work
Do you know your ROI? We’ve all heard that doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. I want to put a new spin on it: “Marketing insanity” is continuing to spend money without knowing the results — meaning you can’t prioritize how to spend your marketing dollars. Many law firms come to us experiencing marketing insanity, usually coupled with a track record of overwhelmingly poor performance in their marketing efforts. They’re not alone.
Be the Hub, Not the Wheel - Attorney at Work
The best rainmakers are often great networkers. That doesn’t mean they are necessarily good schmoozers or enjoy working a room; in fact, many do not. It does mean they know and connect a lot of people. Many lawyers think of networking as disingenuous or self-serving. But your personal efforts will be more rewarding and effective if you focus on the best reason for networking: to know the right people so you can help others.
LMA Tech West Sneak Peek: Marketing, Professional Services and the Customer Journey - Attorney at Work
Legal technology is a $3 billion industry. Having established its roots in case and document management, it is increasingly infiltrating firm marketing departments. And that’s a good thing. Attorney at Work contributing editor Susan Kostal spoke with marketing technologist Scott Brinker, VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot, about how technology is changing marketing and elevating its role in organizations. Brinker keynotes at the upcoming LMA Tech West conference.
Video: Assigning Shortcut Keys to Symbols in MS Word - Attorney at Work
Inserting symbols like paragraph (?), section (ß) or degree (?) doesn’t have to involve digging through the Insert Symbols dialog box every time. Instead, make a shortcut key so you can insert the symbol without ever taking your hands off the keyboard.
You Lost Me Right From the Start: Avoiding Communication Turn-offs - Attorney at Work
Get to the Point! You’re articulate, right? You appreciate and emulate good legal writing. So why do you turn off so many listeners and readers so soon? In the film “Jerry Maguire,” Renee Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd tells Tom Cruise’s Jerry Maguire, “You had me at hello.” I say, “You lost me right from the start.” Too many speakers start off undermining their credibility. “Umm,” whether at the beginning or sprinkled among the words, creates boredom and disinterest.
Make 2018 More Productive With This HBR Strategy - Attorney at Work
A few months back, Harvard Business Review published a terrific article titled “In a Distracted World, Solitude Is a Competitive Advantage.” The authors reference numerous sources, from Yoda (Star Wars) to Eric Schmidt (Google) to David Rock (Your Brain at Work), to propose that working in a quiet mental and physical space maximizes the quality and the quantity of the work accomplished. Getting the work done is, after all, the ultimate objective among the many we wrangle each day.
Law Firm's Guide to a Low-Risk Holiday Party
Reality Check Law Firm’s Guide to a Low-Risk Holiday Party By Link Christin I know, I know — another cautionary tale about law firm holiday parties. We all know the drill: Have fun, but not too much. Keep in mind the party — whether it includes staff, spouses or clients — is a professional work event. What happens reflects on not only the individual but the firm itself. You have no doubt heard the same old warnings as each holiday season approaches.
Applying the 80/20 Rule to Your Content Marketing - Attorney at Work
The 80/20 rule is so ubiquitous that many of us have lost touch with its origins. Input/output? Sales leads/conversions? Clients/revenue? Greens/grains? Sharing my day/your day? Conceived by Vincent Pareto, the 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle, holds that roughly 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes. Writ large, it’s widely applicable, and for good reason. It’s a highly valuable indicator of where your focus should be.
Can Lawyers and Judges Be Social Media Friends? - Attorney at Work
Ask the experts at 2Civility.org QUESTION: I’ve been practicing in my medium-size legal community for going on 20 years. During that time, I’ve watched technology advance my private practice by leaps and bounds, including client development via social media outlets. I embraced Facebook, Twitter and Instagram early on — and it’s paid off in my case. As I’ve made new friends, in person and online, I’ve watched my social media presence grow. But now I find myself in a potential conundrum.
Overcoming Fear of Success Through Ethical Safeguards - Attorney at Work
Self-employed lawyers rely heavily on their ability to propel their businesses forward — more so than lawyers employed by others or members of large firms. Fail to keep the engines going and your practice will close. Too much propulsion, however, and you might have the opposite problem: a practice thriving beyond your capacity to handle it. Fear of success holds many of us back from fulfilling our true potential in solo and small firm practice.
Boost Productivity by Slowing Down a Little - Attorney at Work
You’re an unstoppable legal machine. You churn through a hundred pages of briefs and legal research every day. You’re running two phones, a tablet, a laptop and a portable fax machine off a light pole at the airport. Your inbox is an email volcano. You’ve heard of people who go for zero inbox but you figure they’re urban myths like Bigfoot or Jim Bob Kardashian. Which is great for the bottom line.
Keeping in Touch With Client Newsletters - Attorney at Work
It can be tough to keep up with the content hamster wheel. Especially if you are trying to keep pace with bigger firms that seem to push out client alerts 24/7. So don’t drive yourself crazy. Get off the wheel. There’s still a way to publish regularly, offer valuable content, and stay in meaningful touch with clients and contacts. That’s why I’m a big fan of regular client newsletters. Start publishing quarterly.
Top Five Keyboard Shortcuts - Attorney at Work
If you’re of a certain age, the first computers you used did not have mice. They certainly had no graphical user interface, or GUI, a term now as archaic as WYSIWYG — what you see is what you get. Then along came Steve Jobs and his merry band at Apple to popularize the GUI, and the rest is history. Chances are, you use a pointing device with your computer today. It could be a touchscreen. It could be a built-in trackpad. It might be a trackball.
How to Calm an Angry Client in 90 Seconds or Less - Attorney at Work
At one time or another in your career, you will confront an angry client. Unfortunately, law school does not prepare us for dealing with clients. We are dependent on our own life skills and common sense to handle these situations. Presumably, as we gain experience in practice, we get better at it. However, you don’t have to be a senior lawyer with 30 years of practice to be able to calm an angry client quickly and effectively. Here’s how to do it.
Attorney Safety: Interview with Stephen Kelson - Attorney at Work
Nothing But the Ruth! Earlier this year, I shared statistics about threats of violence made against attorneys. Stephen Kelson, a shareholder at Christensen & Jensen PC in Salt Lake City, focuses on commercial litigation, personal injury and mediation, but he has also studied violence against legal professionals and prevention for over a decade. He was gracious to answer some follow-up questions on lawyer safety, based on results from his 26 statewide surveys.
Four Productivity Building Blocks of Effective, Efficient and Happy Lawyers - Attorney at Work
Recently I posed this question to lawyers: “Why are you at the office until 10 p.m.?” Working late from time to time is an unavoidable consequence of being a lawyer. Still, many lawyers fail to structure their days in a manner that allows them to manage the day’s distractions and get important work done early, rather than late at night. And it’s a big problem: There’s probably no bigger contributor to your unhappiness than the sense that you’ve lost control and your career is consuming your life.
Would You Pass a Trust Account Audit? - Attorney at Work
Every lawyer knows mismanaging a trust account (IOLTA) can have terrible consequences. However, most lawyers receive little or no training in how to manage a trust account before opening one of their own. Law schools don’t address this in enough detail — at least based on the blank looks received when I mention trust accounting to new grads. And only the enlightened bar associations conduct a hands-on, mud-up-to-your-elbows trust accounting class for all new lawyers.
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