Op-Ed: The Part-Time Lawyer Layoff Myth

CynthiaThomasCalvertContributed by Cynthia Thomas Calvert, Co-Founder of and Senior Advisor for the Project for Attorney Retention

Part-time lawyer layoffs can now join sewer crocodiles and kidney thefts on the list of attention-grabbing hoaxes.

During the recession, the “highest number of terminations occurred amongst part-time attorneys,” said a recent op-ed that appeared in The Glass Hammer. The source of this assertion was the respected and influential 2010 national survey of women in law firms by the National Association of Women Lawyers, but the report does not say that more part-time lawyers were laid off. A close reading shows that the report says only that male and female full-time lawyers were laid off in equal proportion but because most of the part-time lawyers are female, it follows that more part-time females than part-time males were laid off.

The NAWL report does not expressly compare the termination rates for part-time and full-time lawyers, but it does say that in 2010, 93% of firms terminated “lawyers” and that 56% of firms terminated “one or more part-time employees.” Although this does not negate the reality that a handful of firms did terminate all their part-time lawyers, it clearly suggests that law firms in general did not target part-time lawyers for layoff.

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Mentoring and Millennials

judylindenbergerContributed by Judith Lindenberger

In their book, The 2020 Workplace, Jeannie C. Meister and Karie Willyerd report that the top three things Millennials want from their bosses is straight feedback, coaching and mentoring, and personal development. There is a danger in not providing these kinds of learning experiences in your organization – one in four Millennials anticipate leaving their present employer or work setting within the next year and one in three Millennials admit they are not putting their full energies into their current job.

Jack was hired four months ago to work in research and development for a company that specializes in health care products. Jack graduated from college last June and this is his first professional job. He was assigned to a few projects and has done a good job so far. Because Jack has expressed a desire to take on more responsibility, his boss, Karen, asks him to take on lead for researching a new product. Jack is psyched … this is his opportunity to show what he’s got. After a couple of days, Jack has researched a lot of information from specialized magazines, on the Internet, and by connecting with college friend through Linked In and Twitter. He wants to meet with Karen to ask her some questions and keep the momentum going but she has been traveling and sends him a few quick emails in response that don’t really answer his questions. Frustrated, Jack posts on his Facebook page and his Twitter update “My boss is useless … not answering my questions so it’s keeping me from getting my work done.”

What mistakes did Karen make in managing her new Millennial employee, Jack? First, she should have let Jack know the company policy on using social media to be critical of the company. Next, for a new project like this, where Jack will have a lot of learning, she might have had him work in a team with more experienced researchers. And, because she won’t always be around to give Jack on demand coaching and counsel, she could assign him a mentor.

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Why Women Are More Trusted Than Men, and How to Use Trust to Our Advantage

Vanessa HallBy Vanessa Hall “The Trust Lady” and author of The Truth About Trust in Business

In a recent survey by Management Today and the Institute of Leadership and Management, female CEOs were found to be more trusted than their male counterparts. In a number of sales training sessions I’ve attended over the years, women have been lauded as more trustworthy sales people than their male colleagues.

At the same time, women are more sensitive to trust and mistrust. In a survey I conducted through an independent researcher we found that only 1 in 20 women will deal with someone they like but do not trust, as opposed to 1 out of 5 men.

So what does this all mean for women in leadership?

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Op-Ed: Overcoming the Main Barriers to the Advancement of Women in Law

iStock_000008227662XSmallContributed by Sandra Roberts

As a female attorney, I often witness firsthand the barriers that women face in advancing careers in finance, law, and business. Rarely are women promoted as often as men in these fields, and more tragically, their salaries typically remain lower.

According to a recent research study in 2010 from the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), a majority of staff attorneys at large law firms are women. Women make up about 60% of the staff attorneys at a large law firm, which means they have little to no chances of receiving promotions or moving up to partner. In addition, further research from the NAWL found that over 90% of law firms terminated lawyer positions in the year of 2010 for economic reasons. While the numbers of men and women laid off were in equal percentages, the highest number of terminations occurred amongst part-time attorneys. Unfortunately, a majority of women hold positions as part-time attorneys, meaning more women than men were let go. In 83% of firms that let go part-time attorneys, women made up a larger percentage than men.

Even more disheartening, women only currently make up 15% of the partners at law firms across the country. This number also compares with the business field, in which only 11% of senior executives at Fortune 500 companies are women.

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Managing Leadership Styles and Overcoming Stereotypes

JaneSandersContributed by Jane Sanders, President, GenderSmart® Solutions

Yes, things in the corporate world are getting better for women. And yes, we still have a ways to go. Women in leadership and executive positions stare down a double-edged sword daily. If their style is primarily assertive, decisive, task vs. relationship oriented, etc., they are labeled as too tough and masculine…the ‘b’ word. So does this mean don’t act like a man? Or, if a woman’s style is predominantly collaborative, supportive, and friendly, she is perceived as nice but less competent. So does this mean don’t act like a woman if she wants to advance? But what’s left – how is she supposed to act?

Managing Gender Stereotypes

Women must walk a fine line in the corporate world, especially in longer-established industries such as financial services, insurance, automotive, and manufacturing. Using solely one gender communication style or the other can often backfire, much more so than it would for a man, as this inflexible behavior will illicit stereotyping and misperceptions of women’s competence and personality. Such behavior by men can cause judgment too, but less often and less severe, with milder consequences.

Eliminating these gender stereotypes is a valid but lofty goal and, for the foreseeable future, completely unattainable goal. So instead of focusing on eliminating stereotyping, the world would be better served by becoming aware of gender styles, accepting them merely as differences rather than right or wrong behaviors, and learning how to work with them more effectively. In a way this is a form of eliminating typecasting, but it approaches the issue by managing stereotypes, not expecting them to disappear.

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Advice for Managing Millennials

judylindenbergerTeriKlassContributed by Terri Klass and Judith Lindenberger

One of the biggest challenges for businesses today is integrating the Millennials twenty-somethings into a Baby Boomer culture. They are the newest generation to enter the labor market, arriving with their distinct ideas about what they expect from their jobs. They are our future leaders and our next generation of revenue-generators. So who are the Millennials and how do we manage their expectations while maintaining high performing organizations?

How Millennials Operate

The Millennial Generation was born between 1977 and 1998. They are 75 million strong in size and were raised by “helicopter parents,” who doted on them, giving them an ample supply of attention and validation. Because they were heralded with high expectations, Millennials tend to display an abundance of self-confidence and believe they are highly valuable to any organization from day one. They are extremely focused on developing themselves and thrive on learning new job skills, always setting new challenges to achieve. They are also the “can do” generation, never worrying about failure, for they see themselves as running the world and work environments.

Unlike other generations, the Millennials are very connected to their parents. As they move through their twenties, they still speak to their parents frequently and turn to their parents for personal and career advice. Some are still even living at home, not uncomfortable with the arrangement. Organizations must remember the parent involvement factor when dealing with this group.

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Four Expert Tips on Personal Finance for Executive Women

Myra Salzer for Investment Advisor Magazine -10/09Contributed by Myra Salzer, author of Inheritor’s Sherpa and Living Richly: Seizing the Potential of Inherited Wealth

Everything I ever needed to know about becoming financially independent, I learned from my grandmother’s one-sentence motto. I can still hear her thick Hungarian accent repeat, “You can always live on 90% of whatever you make, and save the difference.” That’s it. Really! It’s that simple. Makes you wonder what all the self-help, get-rich-quick books are about.

Yes, accumulation is simple. It’s the keeping it that is tricky. Fortunately, everything I ever needed to know about preservation, I learned from Steve Henningsen, my business partner. Once it’s accumulated, everyone wants a piece of it and there are more ways to lose it than self-help books at Barnes and Noble. In my grandmother’s day, at least it could all safely be put into bonds. Not so today.

Even more complex, what if you were born “accumulated” – i.e., you inherited enough that you could afford to skip that long, drawn-out accumulation phase? The library of potential losses is many times greater than the likelihood for one who has spent decades accumulating because you have to preserve your accumulation for a lifetime, rather than the typical retirement years. That provides many, many years of opportunity to make mistakes. What can you safely do under those circumstances?

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Lead with Confidence: Four Ways to Develop Your Leadership Style

NatalieRunyonContributed by Natalie Runyon

A common belief is that leaders are born not created. Today, our society believes anything can be achieved with enough dedication and commitment, and this is true for leadership. I see success all the time in my work as a leadership trainer. Leaders can be developed, yet it can be confusing to figure out how to go about it. Where do you start? How do you learn? And how do you determine what works within the culture of your organization?

Build Confidence

In a recent cnn.com article, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, was quoted at the TED Women conference, “Women systematically underestimate their own abilities.” She is right. We often lack the confidence to give the credit we deserve. A key ingredient to great leadership is self assurance. One of the best ways to boost it is to speak up, and I mean everywhere. Every time you go to a meeting, go in with something to say. Don’t have something prepared? Ask a question, and be the first person to raise your hand and ask it. Don’t wait. Giving time and space to communicate your ideas will actually build confidence. You will also enhance your visibility, credibility and communication skills all at the same time. Establish presence by dressing the part of senior women. One of the best pieces of advice I received early in my career was to dress the part of the next level up. Rather than adhering to the business casual norm, wear a suit every day. It will help you and others see yourself in that next more senior role, reinforcing your confidence.

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Replenishing Resilience: Tips for Bouncing Back

laurie fergusonContributed by Laurie J. Ferguson

How is it that some people encounter significant failures and setbacks, and yet keep showing up and producing? There are those who collapse from the stress and those who navigate through rapid change with style and grace. What is their secret and where does it come from?

Social researchers call it resilience, a quality that is ever more important in our current work climate of constant change and shifting demands, and a key skill of effective leaders. Losses can be a valuable learning opportunity – ask anyone who’s played team sports – and studies have indicated that leaders who are able to learn from failure and move on are able to build more effective companies and organizations.

The word resilience comes from the Latin verb “salire” which means to jump. When you add the “re” it connotes back, so the word resilience means jumping back, or rebounding. It has an almost tensile physical feel, a kind of active energy.

Resilience is about jumping into the game – being flexible and involved even in stressful times. Resilient people have a bounce that keeps bringing them back even when they have been pushed down.

The great news about resilient energy is that it is not a trait or the product of your genetics. It can be cultivated and deepened. With some attention and intention, you can become more resilient and create reserves to draw upon when needed.

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10 Ways to be More Powerful

IMG_3383EnhancedColorContributed by CEO Coach Henna Inam

Many women I work with have a love-hate relationship with Power. They want to be powerful, but the definition of power in their heads leaves a bad taste in their mouths. For many women, power conjures up pictures of a dictatorial, hierarchic, dominating, aggressive, “my way or the highway” person. So, without even realizing this, many women give away their power.

Women often try to fulfill what they believe is society’s version of an acceptable type of power for women, which is much nicer, much more accommodating. This leads to what Catalyst calls “The Goldilocks Syndrome.” Women find themselves in situations where they are perceived as either “too hard” or “too soft,” but never just right for that top job.

The interesting thing is that power is not just something that is bestowed from the outside. It is something that is developed from within, and when others recognize you as having personal power, the external power comes to you. The good news is that how powerful we are and feel is 100% in our control. Here are the 10 tips to BE more powerful.

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