Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know About a Career in the Law
Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know about a Career in the Law addresses the realities of law firm practice, especially in large firms, and gives pre-law students, law students, and new attorneys a realistic view of the opportunities and challenges most often encountered by women lawyers. Drawing on her many years of practicing law and mentoring young lawyers and with the help of other women in all areas of the legal profession, her "best friends at the bar", Susan Smith Blakely strives to help young women entering the legal profession begin their careers with open eyes and a more level playing field than women lawyers of past generations.

This concise paperback, which is written in a direct, personal tone that instantly engages the reader

  • Explores the experiences of the author and more than 60 private and public sector attorneys, judges, law school career counselors, and law firm managing partners who address a wide variety of issues as trustworthy mentors
  • Candidly speaks to the issues women face in law firm practice and provides invaluable advice for planning enduring and satisfying careers in the law
  • Critically addresses business, cultural, and personal conditions and offers strategies for dealing with them, including how to manage expectations in the context of actual job conditions and the dynamics of personal/professional life struggles

Full of helpful advice from attorneys, judges, law school career counselors, and law firm managing partners with wide and varied experiences, this book will be an invaluable resource to any woman planning a career in the law.

1110951643
Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know About a Career in the Law
Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know about a Career in the Law addresses the realities of law firm practice, especially in large firms, and gives pre-law students, law students, and new attorneys a realistic view of the opportunities and challenges most often encountered by women lawyers. Drawing on her many years of practicing law and mentoring young lawyers and with the help of other women in all areas of the legal profession, her "best friends at the bar", Susan Smith Blakely strives to help young women entering the legal profession begin their careers with open eyes and a more level playing field than women lawyers of past generations.

This concise paperback, which is written in a direct, personal tone that instantly engages the reader

  • Explores the experiences of the author and more than 60 private and public sector attorneys, judges, law school career counselors, and law firm managing partners who address a wide variety of issues as trustworthy mentors
  • Candidly speaks to the issues women face in law firm practice and provides invaluable advice for planning enduring and satisfying careers in the law
  • Critically addresses business, cultural, and personal conditions and offers strategies for dealing with them, including how to manage expectations in the context of actual job conditions and the dynamics of personal/professional life struggles

Full of helpful advice from attorneys, judges, law school career counselors, and law firm managing partners with wide and varied experiences, this book will be an invaluable resource to any woman planning a career in the law.

26.99 In Stock
Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know About a Career in the Law

Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know About a Career in the Law

by Susan Smith Blakely
Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know About a Career in the Law

Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know About a Career in the Law

by Susan Smith Blakely

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Overview

Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know about a Career in the Law addresses the realities of law firm practice, especially in large firms, and gives pre-law students, law students, and new attorneys a realistic view of the opportunities and challenges most often encountered by women lawyers. Drawing on her many years of practicing law and mentoring young lawyers and with the help of other women in all areas of the legal profession, her "best friends at the bar", Susan Smith Blakely strives to help young women entering the legal profession begin their careers with open eyes and a more level playing field than women lawyers of past generations.

This concise paperback, which is written in a direct, personal tone that instantly engages the reader

  • Explores the experiences of the author and more than 60 private and public sector attorneys, judges, law school career counselors, and law firm managing partners who address a wide variety of issues as trustworthy mentors
  • Candidly speaks to the issues women face in law firm practice and provides invaluable advice for planning enduring and satisfying careers in the law
  • Critically addresses business, cultural, and personal conditions and offers strategies for dealing with them, including how to manage expectations in the context of actual job conditions and the dynamics of personal/professional life struggles

Full of helpful advice from attorneys, judges, law school career counselors, and law firm managing partners with wide and varied experiences, this book will be an invaluable resource to any woman planning a career in the law.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781454804680
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business
Publication date: 11/17/2009
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Sales rank: 1,274,682
File size: 766 KB

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Preface xvii

Acknowledgments xxi

Prologue 1

Chapter 1 The Problem 7

Chapter 2 The Starting Point 19

Chart Your Career Plan Early 20

Define Yourself 30

The Economy Matters-A Lot 34

Chapter 3 Be Realistic About Your Expectations 49

The "Having It All" Debate 50

Maternity Leave 62

The Quest for Flex 65

The Off-Ramp Dilemma 77

The Gender Divide 80

Chapter 4 Legal Imperatives 85

Choose Your Specialty Well 87

Choose Your Employer Well 97

Be an Excellent Lawyer 117

Do Not Tolerate Gender Bias 122

Be a Team Player 134

Be Prepared to Reinvent Yourself 137

Seek out Women's Practice Initiatives 139

Find Good Mentors 141

Ask for Help When You Need It 143

Remember That Law Is a Business 144

Understand the Conditions of Partnership 149

Find a Comfort Zone for Promoting Work 161

Make a Graceful Exit 167

Chapter 5 Critical Lessons 169

Dress Appropriately and Practice Good Etiquette 169

Watch Out for Emotions and Temper 177

Understand That "No" Is an Answer 178

Support Your Female Colleagues 179

Get It in Writing 183

Treat Support Staff Well 185

Party Hardy at Your Peril 187

Avoid Office Romances and Affairs 188

Watch Your Mouth 190

Chapter 6 The Working Bar Speaks Out: As Heard From the Best Friends 193

Typical Profiles and Work-Life Challenges 194

Advice to Employers 215

Chapter 7 The Solution 219

Epilogue: The Male Perspective Sheldon Krantz Esquire 223

Bibliography 227

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