totallylegal

A Christmas stocking-filler

Christmas is a time for giving; there’s always room for gifts that have one’s career in mind. There are relatively few books for assistant solicitors about how to succeed at the business of law, looking at the human side of progressing one’s career within a law firm. One book that does this is Juggling the Big 3 for Lawyers: Brand, Business, Leadership, by ex-lawyer, Jennifer Overhaus.

For a start, it illustrates its wisdom, not just by anecdotes drawn from Overhaus’s own career in US tech firms and a Magic Circle firm, but also from case studies drawn from business, politics, and the law, whilst the glossy text is also full of diagrams, cartoons, and graphs. Atypical stuff, perhaps, for those who have honed their career wisdom on Glanville Williams and Richard Susskind, but a surprisingly digestible read, after the Christmas turkey.  
 

Seasons greetings from totallylegal

We’re drawing close to the end of what has been a tough year for everyone – whether you’re a lawyer, legal executive, paralegal or are newly qualified. However, the people within our industry have always been largely resilient to adversity and open to challenges, and will continue to face them head-on in the New Year.

There’s lots to look forward to in 2010 – not least the prospect of finding your next high-flying legal role or identifying new career opportunities.

This blog is your platform to have your say, comment on news, and even write your own features. If you want to share your expertise and build your online profile, be sure to get in touch with our editorial team.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at totallylegal.

Claire Whisker
Director, totallylegal

Claire is a qualified barrister and solicitor. She has four years experience in the Commercial Litigation department with DLA Phillips Fox and a further two years in the Commercial Insurance department at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain. Claire joined totallylegal in 2002.

"I’m a Newly Qualified lawyer … please help!" (FREE bottle of bubbly for the best response)

There are so many Newly Qualified lawyers out there, yet so few jobs to match. Figures are continually growing; 2009 saw a dramatic rise in NQs and I am sure early 2010 will be no exception.

I imagine that 2009 and the first part of 2010 will not go down in history as the very best time to qualify as a lawyer – in particular, a lawyer who wishes to specialise in any field that was not in any way contentious. I’m thinking of commercial property, M&A…and when was the last Public listing?

The glass elevator effect

The proverbial ‘glass ceiling’ that prevents women from progressing to the top of their field has been widely scrutinised in legal circles. The profession has always provoked gender-related criticism, often with good reason: research suggests that only around 15 per cent of all partners at legal practices are women.

Evidently, the recession has enforced existing barriers, with demotions and redundancies the common subject of office gossip across law firms nationwide. Rumours surrounding the rate of female departures are circulating from within top firms including Allen & Overy, Bird & Bird and Clifford Chance. However, since HR departments are generally reluctant to comment on the exact number of redundancies (not least the gender breakdown), a grey area exists. It’s no surprise then that office sentiment is one of confusion and fear – especially if you are a woman.