I graduated with honors and landed an associate position at a respected, multistate law firm. I practiced for several years, then quit. I am one of the many female attorneys who show promise but never achieve “success,” leaving many asking “Why?”
How can newly powerful, global tech companies fulfill their legal responsibilities to customers, employees, shareholders and the different societies in which they operate? And how can lawyers help?
Three developments this summer—as well as generations-old choices at IBM—highlight these questions:
In July while watching my local New York Mets get massacred 25-4 by the mediocre Washington Nationals, the nadir was to see shortstop Jose Reyes play pitcher and give up 10 RBIs over 48 pitches. While the team was losing badly anyway, it was humiliating to watch Reyes fail in this way.
Recently, a colleague called to ask me for my “feedback and insight” on a case. He then proceeded to interrupt me every time I opened my mouth. Eventually, he finished and, apparently satisfied with his own “feedback and insight,” he ended the phone call and thanked me for my help.
As sometimes the only African-American student in my otherwise all-white classrooms at Harvard College, chatting in the dining hall surrounded by peers and friends, I have learned this: For a diverse learning environment to occur, racial diversity and not racial homogeneity is key.
My classmates come from the varying socio-economic…
When addressing a jury, lawyers can often be suckered into getting carried away with the sound of their own voices. Talking for the sake of talking. Continuing to be the center of attention because you're under the impression the jury cares what you have to say or will be more likely to find in your client's favor the longer you talk to them.
Last March, ABAJournal.com posted an article about DePaul University law professor Donald Hermann and a controversy that arose from his use of the N-word in a law school class. The following essay looks at the use of inflammatory words in an academic setting.
The moments are rare, but they exist—moments when a plaintiff’s screams for justice are (almost) drowned out by the cries of laughter from a courthouse. Today, we bring you an interesting new case of epic proportions: the trademark dispute of SpongeBob SquarePants.
Survey data is at its most useful when it shines a light on the daily challenges that play out in the workplace. Recently, the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) released findings from its survey of behaviors in law offices. The report, Survey of Workplace Conduct and Behaviors in Law Firms, reveals how the combination of silence and the imbalance of power perpetuate negative behaviors at work.
The rule of law is under siege and it’s incoming on all sides.
The judiciary, the Department of Justice, the intelligence community, and the State Department have all been rebuked repeatedly, undermining their legal and moral authorities. Our electoral process has been compromised and efforts to investigate the culprits, circumstances, and motives of the perpetrators have been resisted even as the intelligence community is in unanimous agreement that all signs point to Russian interference.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
