Lawyer Wellness

Law Practice Can Trigger Stress Disorder, Says Attorney Who Now Works as Therapist

A sense of impending doom is a common feeling for many attorneys in practice: From the mistake made when drafting a document or taking a deposition to a transgression that you may not even be aware of yet, there’s always something lurking in your consciousness to produce a feeling of…

Mar 17, 2010 7:04 PM CDT

Lawyer-Fashonista Behind Corporette Struts Out of Blogging Closet

Updated: Early on in her tenure at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, Kat Griffin remembers picking up a Diane Von Furstenberg dress that she’d seen on Gilmore Girls. She thought it would be totally acceptable for work. “But then I remember looking down in the middle of a meeting and realizing…

Mar 17, 2010 5:14 PM CDT

Ex-DLA Piper Partner Tells UK Tribunal She Was Fired for Being Pregnant

A former partner at DLA Piper told a United Kingdom employment tribunal yesterday that the law firm was “an old boys’ club” that fired her because she was pregnant. Former real estate partner Sarah Sweeney alleged that the managing partner of the firm’s Liverpool office, Philip Rooney, said women who…

Mar 16, 2010 3:08 PM CDT

When Not Working for Paying Clients, Lawyer Is Suing Officials ... and Growing Veggies

Larry Loigman has a general practice in New Jersey. But the 55-year-old Middletown practitioner is best-known for what amounts to volunteer work litigating against local government, reports the Asbury Park Press. From alleged fiscal mismanagement by government officials to illegal duck crossings, Loigman doesn’t hesitate to step in and file…

Mar 15, 2010 7:33 PM CDT

Firms’ Layoffs of Part-Timers Is Shortsighted, Orrick Partner Says

The thinning of BigLaw’s ranks and firms’ focus on profits for partner even during these times has been well-documented. And the layoffs particularly impacted the ranks of minorities and women—hitting women in part by firms’ “reducing virtually anyone working on a part-time schedule” in their downsizing, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe…

Mar 1, 2010 6:41 PM CST

Woman, 79, Finishes Law School, Lands 1st Job in Practice

At a time in life when many attorneys have either retired or are putting the brakes on their careers, Alice Thomas is revving hers up. Now 79, she completed her course work at McGeorge School of Law in December and has already lined up a job working with elder law…

Feb 23, 2010 7:41 PM CST

Lawyers Wrestle with the Constant Pull of 24/7 Technology

Last summer, Cincinnati estate planning attorney Aaron Byrd took a vacation … from technology. Byrd, 33, hadn’t planned it that way. When he first headed out with his wife, in-laws and two young sons on a rented houseboat on Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs, Ark., he was hoping for at…

Feb 15, 2010 2:31 PM CST

Lawyers in Love Share Romance Tips; ‘It’s a Cockroach, Isn’t It?’

In a legal romance story sparked by Valentine’s Day, four lawyers happily married to other lawyers share their experiences of successful relationships. And wining and dining a prospective partner at expensive restaurants isn’t necessarily required, according to Elizabeth Crowder, who was working as a Dallas County assistant district attorney when…

Feb 11, 2010 9:20 PM CST

Tips for Dating an Attorney: Be Ready to Cite Sources, Deal with ‘Lawyer Personality’

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, a lawyer search and legal information website is offering tongue-in-cheek advice about the dos and don’ts of dating an attorney. While members of the profession “are really very sweet at heart,” that quality is often concealed beneath a hard-charging, gruff exterior, says Avvo. Hence,…

Feb 10, 2010 8:40 PM CST

How Lawyers Can Help Depressed Colleagues

Lawyers who are concerned about colleagues at work who seem depressed should be aware of some of the warning signs of suicide. It only takes one person to make a difference in another’s life, and lawyers may be in a unique position to help friends or colleagues in a mental…

Feb 3, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Virtual Escape

Lawyers wrestle with 24/7 technology

Feb 1, 2010 8:10 AM CST

BigLaw Firm Unveils Flexible Partnership Track Intended to Appeal to Women Lawyers

Seeking to turn the tide on a wave of departing women lawyers, a London-based BigLaw firm today unveiled a new flexible partnership track. It will allow attorneys at Allen & Overy to opt either to work a four-day week or take an extra 52 days of leave annually, yet remain…

Jan 22, 2010 1:13 AM CST

Six Law Firms Make Fortune’s List of Top 100 Places to Work

Six law firms are on Fortune magazine’s list of the best 100 companies to work for in 2010, up from five last year. New on this year’s list is Baker Donelson, cited for increasing its number of minority lawyers from 12 to 40 and for reporting no layoffs. The other…

Jan 21, 2010 2:29 PM CST

Boat Commute & Luck Led to Lawyer’s 2nd Gig as Author of Legal Thrillers

David Hosp never intended to write a book. But, after getting married and moving to a new home in suburban Boston, the Goodwin Procter lawyer started commuting to work by boat through the Boston Harbor islands. And remembering how he used to enjoy writing, he decided to spend the hour…

Jan 14, 2010 4:09 AM CST

Ready to Come Out as Gay at Your Firm? Avoid Grand Gestures

Lawyers contemplating coming out as gay to colleagues at their law firms don’t need to make any grand gestures or announcements, according to a gay lawyer writing in a British publication. Instead, making a casual remark about attending a play with your “boyfriend” (if you’re a man) may be all…

Jan 11, 2010 7:16 PM CST