« The World's Most Client Friendly Firms |
Main
| Updates on Facebook's Top Lawyers »
How to Keep Your Career Above Water
Sure, we're in the midst of a financial crisis of a scale we've rarely seen. But if this is the 100-year flood, your career need not sink like a lead weight. Such is the look-on-the-bright-side advice of career counselor Stephen Seckler, author of the blog Counsel to Counsel, in an article he published yesterday, Your Career, Amid the Flood.
"Don't worry, be happy," Seckler says, in so many words. What is important is that you remain positive. That's easy if you happen to work at, say, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, the firm representing Lehman Brothers in the largest bankruptcy case in U.S. history, and stand to generate millions in legal fees. But what about the rest of us? Don't panic, Seckler urges.
First off, be positive and continue to do your best legal work. "The best defense is a good offense," he says. "The best legal talent will always be in demand." Next, enjoy your free time. "Try to look at the opportunities presented by your new free time," he writes. Among other good uses of your new-found freedom, Seckler suggests you organize your office, schedule lunches with people who might refer new business, take a CLE course or write that article you always wanted to write. One I'd add is research your state's unemployment compensation law.
Other suggestions Seckler offers for keeping your career headed in the right direction include shifting your practice area, networking and more networking and lightening your schedule.
While Seckler starts his article on a positive note, his conclusion is a bit gloomier. "This likely is only the first of several downturns you'll experience during your professional life," he writes. "It will never be easy to get through these periods, but if you apply some of these techniques, it can become a little easier." Meanwhile, you might want to run down to your local sporting-goods store and pick up a personal flotation device.
Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on October 2, 2008 at 05:46 PM | Permalink
| Comments (2)