Alé Dalton
@aledalton
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#Healthcare partner @Bradleylegal . Passionate about #mentorship , #firstgeneration professionals, & building the kind of law firm where folks can happily thrive.
Tweets are my own.
Joined November 2015
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Pinned Tweet
Closing out the work year with a happy update (effective 1/1/24) . . . ✨
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Really sharp law students: "I saw you were on law review. How has it helped in practice?"
Me, internally, to me: [I can spot an italicized period even if it's 7 pt. font. I can tell when a document is misaligned (i.e., ugly) or a font is wrong from five miles away . . .]
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Exhibit A: Partners who see that your door has been closed all day and tape your favorite cookie to your door to get you through the rest of the week. 14/10 mentoring.
Lawyers out there that are not miserable, what’s your secret sauce!?
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Hello, I have found the applicability of LSAT games in day-to-day lawyering. Large call with proposed times provided in various time zone formats.
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@freelancelawmom
"Hi! I'm so glad you reached out and that you found the conversation helpful. I think you might have mistaken me for [other speaker]. I haven't worked on [XYZ], but happy to chat if you'd like! Here's more about my practice [firm bio]."
BE NICE. IT'S NOT THAT HARD.
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If I had a dollar for every time a classmate or person in the profession thought I got here because of my [insert one of my many underrepresented identities], I would not have to practice law. We can be the first and be excellent.
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One of our senior associates sets up a fancy pants hot chocolate bar in her office, which includes fancy gourmet marshmallows that look like little pillow clouds in your mug.
It's 4 pm and pitch black? No worries, get you a mug. File under "reasons I work here" volume 12.
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Our janitorial director makes me tamales whenever she makes them for her family 🥲 and I just sit in my fancy office, eating the world's most delicious tamales, all teary-eyed from remembering how much my being in these spaces means to folks who gave up so much to come here.
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@ItsMattsLaw
On a related note, doing social media due diligence is always a treat. Like the dessert of diligence. 😂
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As summer associate season winds down, my two cents for folks picking firms (especially in split market where you might have 2 offers in hand in a few weeks): Consider the partners and sr. associates you'll have to go to when you make a big mistake or put your foot in your mouth.
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No one told me how much of my life as a lawyer would be dedicated to understanding (and misunderstanding) time zone conversions.
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Not to overdo this reprise, but y'all, WFH is just the best. 😂
Comfy clothes, Peloton-proximity (you can workout more than once), snacks on demand, office dog, Christmas movie somewhere in the background, and somehow still bill more hours. 🥲
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Law Twitter has been a really wonderful place for mentoring/support & I hope others can experience that too. Are you a first-gen student interested in law school or currently in law school (or a new grad!)? I am happy to chat, take a look at your resume, or tell you about my job!
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Afterhours
#PracticeTuesday
: You can be an invaluable associate by drafting great emails. LS focuses a lot on memos and formal writing, but for most of practice, emails to clients and partners are your bread and butter. Organized, concise, and easy-to-forward emails are 14/10.
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*looking yourself up on your state's attorney directory before you can sign into a CLE because you never memorized your license number*
Or as we say around here, tell me you're a transactional lawyer without telling me you're a transactional lawyer.
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If you're Tweeting about that email, you need to read the complaint. That email is the least of the issues here.
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Doing a presentation on Gen-Z lawyers for one of our practice groups that is doing an excellent job prepping for the arrival of our summer associates and I'd like to remind folks that only 23% of Gen Z anticipate pursuing law firm partnership as a long-term career goal.
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I read a thread yesterday asking "what makes a corporate attorney great at what they do?" and can't get over this answer because it's so true. Nothing a good checklist can't solve.
--
At junior level: attention to detail
Mid level: project management
Senior: industry knowledge
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OUR BABY LAWYERS PASSED THE BAR. 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
Welcome to the profession, friends!
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@LaurieLynn8308
@clhubes
@JoanPassey
I assumed all parents were living off scraps that kids didn't eat. Y'all getting real meals?
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Happy 2024! One of my favorite corners of OG
#lawtwitter
was
#PracticeTuesday
(so much crowdsourced wisdom re practicing law!).
One of my goals for '24 is to help revive it, so lawyer/legal adjacent friends, what's the best piece of advice you have received in your practice?
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Last night, the partners and spouses in my practice group hosted a dinner welcoming us to the partnership. To hear toasts from folks who have known me since my summer associate days and who have invested so much in my career truly made my year.
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Here's a tip for sr. associates that does not involve a scorching slide deck hazing juniors:
SUPPORT THEM. Answer their questions. Show them how to be a good lawyer. Give them opportunities. Share their wins.
Do this even (especially!) if you didn't get this treatment as a jr.
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I interrupt your New Year's scrolling to inform you that my dog got "Dog of the Month" at doggie daycare and I am the proudest human ever. 🥲 She's truly just a joyful little hound living her best life.
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I did law review because I was a first-gen student who took the $$ at my state flagship and not the highest-ranked school that accepted me. I wanted to work at a large firm and I knew getting my foot in the door with zero connections would be a big challenge.
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I never thought there would be a better upgrade than pockets in dresses until my husband gave me an early Christmas present. I am now wrapped in A READING SHAWL *WITH* POCKETS (CAN FIT TWO BOOKS AND SNACKS).
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I am obsessed with our first year associates. They are so HELPFUL and have excellent attention to detail and just get it. I cannot imagine Q4 without these excellent humans.
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Y'all. Partners who teach well are worth their weight in gold. I asked partner about change in the docs & partner walked me to one of our filing rooms to pull several closing binders from before my time to show me what these relics from OG deals looked like/why they mattered.
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Y'all, kind partners can make such a difference in associates' QOL. After a long week, partner said, "go home and don't do anything."
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@_chismosa_
I thought the families who went to Golden Corral after church every Sunday were super wealthy. It was SUCH an experience/treat the handful of times we went.
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After being incredibly angry reading the complaint last night, I'm honestly just sad. I don't know this person IRL, but I do know that it is really hard to be the only one in a firm room (w/ your background, the first in your family to "make it out," like Nina in In The Heights).
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@inreGray
Nah, Mads, we're Millennial dog parents, we work insanely hard to pay for that doggie daycare/adventure outing tuition.
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One of the most challenging parts of this transition is going from eager associate who is always available to eager associate who has new/evolving priorities & scheduling but still wants to always be available. It feels like you're doing a bad job b/c your rhythms have changed.
#lawtwitter
email from assoc: I like to let all the partners that I work with know that I have a 10 month old and between the hours of 5:30 – 7:00 (when she goes down), I may be a little slower to respond. But I am usually back on and able to respond quicker by 7:30. 1/
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POV: Being a person of color at a large firm. 🙈
I wish folks knew how many of us take the time to do these. It's not an insignificant amount of non-billable time. I believe we're paying it forward and it's worthwhile, but it's truly like a side job of the job.
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@Mr_Jeffcoat
Angry. Certain I'd failed. Irritable. Wanted to avoid the world, especially "oh, you'll be fine!" folks. I got a lot of kindness from my community and spouse, but I was physically & mentally at negative numbers. Took a few weeks to recover. Low grade anxiety until results posted.
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#lawtwitter
/
#appellatetwitter
: I'd love any tips/tricks, etc. on how to remain effective/efficient when you have days with long blocks of calls/meetings (i.e., lots of 20/30 min. pauses in between) and you are not the scheduler (can't change it).
cc:
@JayHarrington75
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Bar takers: It's okay if you feel like today was infinitely worse than yesterday! I never felt comfortable with my essays but knew I was a strong law exam writer and at least I had that in my favor. I walked out of the MBE ready to call my firm to tell them I'd be retaking.
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Lawyers: "We must harness technology to create the practices of the future!"
Lawyers: "THE FONT AND FORMAT OF THE WORKING FILE LABELS HAS CHANGED. WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT?"
I am lawyers. 😂😂
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It never stops shocking me that my marriage "qualified" me to become an American more than the contributions I've made to my adopted home country. I urge folks to amplify our stories b/c the lack of knowledge on how the system actually "works" prevents us from effecting change.
Three tries, three degrees from top schools, a JD from a T14, associate at a V20 firm, top graduate, fluent in three languages, none of it was enough to get the H1B
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@KayeEllen17
I am so sorry for your loss. Our family made a donation to
@iplaylikeagirl
in memory of Molly. May her memory be a blessing to your family and everyone who heard her story.
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A nod to the partners who let you draft all of the deal documents and walk you through the stickiest of provisions, even though it means they have to answer ALL of your questions.
I strive to have this level of patience/kindness (and teaching chops) as a sr. associate.
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"Don't let the stress of the profession make you into a mean person." -
@strowhiro
on
#HowILawyer
podcast
Reminds me SO much of "Myth of the Nice Girl" by
@fran_hauser
. Best thing I read as a first year lawyer. Being nice is a superpower. ✨✨
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Having sponsors and mentors who are sold on your long-term success at the firm is crucial to being happy in your role and feeling supported. It sounds so obvious but so many associates I know (especially diverse associates) have left their firms to find this elsewhere.
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I was just a lost jr. associate wondering how in the world to do my job when I stumbled into
#lawtwitter
. I think
@RMFifthCircuit
was my first lawyer follow. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here but it changed my life and career.
On this Thanksgiving Eve, I am thankful for so many things—including my Twitter friends. I hope all of you have a wonderful and meaningful time tomorrow with your loved ones.
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@bradford_hardin
Not to go off on a work-related thread but having a supportive partner is so important to being successful in a demanding job.
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Something folks rarely talk about is the v real onset of imposter syndrome that can happen when you finally reach a big goal. I've been open with the jr. associates on my teams about how this transition is feeling (incredibly excited but feeling the weight of the responsibility).
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Started a new thing that I wish I'd done sooner! I keep a cute little notepad on my desk for my "Things I Learned Today" list. It's an ongoing list of things I would normally flag in my mind as "mistakes" (e.g., redline comments from sr. attys., feedback after a call, etc.).
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Being a working lawyer parent. 🫠😂
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Me, to the jrs. on my team: BALANCE, PEOPLE, BALANCE, UNPLUG, BOUNDARIES, SELF-CARE, PROTECT YOUR VACATION.
Me, IRL: [circus music]
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Not me on my usual soapbox on this fine Monday morning, but FIND PARTNERS THAT MAKE YOU EXCITED TO WORK WITH THEM AND LEARN FROM THEM AND WHO MAKE TIME FOR YOU AND TEACH YOU THINGS AND PUT YOU IN FRONT OF CLIENTS AND MAKE YOU LIKE BEING A LAWYER (even when you're 7+ years in).
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Who will help you fix it? Who will help you learn from it? Who will put it in perspective so it can make you stronger/better?
Being well supported is key when the bumps and bruises of learning law IRL happen.
Find your people and culture. The rest will follow.
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*I joined law review because I was a first-gen. student who took the scholarship (not the highest ranked school) and whose baseline of law school knowledge was informed almost entirely by Legally Blonde since I'm 1st in fam. to go to college & law school.
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"Find and replace" in a document (e.g. "the Company" to "the Company"). 🫠🫠🫠 NEVER EVER DO IT ALL AT ONCE--read through each edit and then once over.
Nothing makes you die inside like a redline striking a made-up word from your crtl.+find/replace.
What’s a small thing you got wrong as a jr that you’re now extremely, overly aware of in practice?
Mine is checking whether a company has a comma between its name and entity designation. Not all of them do. Some are “Fake Company, Inc.” & others are “Fake Company Inc.”
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Trying to pick between two dresses. Husband asked, "Okay, which one has pockets?" I've never felt so loved in my life.
cc:
@SaraBWarf
@alittleleader
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How do you develop a niche to your practice? Sometimes it's intentional--you are passionate about something, you actively chase experiences in it, maybe you get a certifcation.
Most often it's purely by luck/chance/where you happen to be at the time when something big happens.
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I asked one of our jr. associates if she wanted to go for a walk break and she was so happy. She reminded me that most of her practice has been in isolation because of COVID restrictions (including not having a graduation) and hanging out with colleagues feels like a treat. 🥺
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Formal mentorship and training tied competitive compensation as the most important factors for Gen-Z in selecting an employer.
They would also willingly give up part of their compensation for more time off , a more flexible schedule, and a reduction in billable hours.
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My life as a partner is mostly writing "No apologies needed!" to associates.
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Wellness check on our employment lawyers. Y'all okay?
I assume
@strowhiro
read the entire rule and is about to live Tweet it for all of us on pins and needles. 🫠🫠🫠
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#PracticeTuesday
: Not enough praise for partners and sr. associates who are impossibly gracious when you mess up, get turned around, and/or are super green on a project and need lots of hand-holding.
Sound like a broken record, but find your people and the rest will follow.
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#lawtwitter
/
#appellatetwitter
: I have graduated to the part of the legal career where I sometimes have to be the bearer of bad news (internal or external) or push back on a major deal point w/ the other side. Aside from not being a jerk, how do you handle these?
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My heart is so full after watching
#InTheHeights
. It may not represent every Latina's experience, but feeling so very seen as the kid who "made it out" carrying all the barrio's dreams on her shoulders and working hard to pull up the next generation. 😭
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Y'all, the absolute patience that good partners have is everything. This partner is really out here teaching me how to do math so I can truly understand what we're doing.
You walk on coals for this kind of mentorship. (And all associates deserve this kind of support.)
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This is particularly true the more senior you get. I LOVE project management. Directing ships, air traffic control, whatever you call it, it's like an organized/Type A human's dream.
Star lawyers need elite level project management skills.
The gig isn’t singularly about “the law.”
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It hits different when your dear friends make partner. 🥺😭
Y'all, the future of our firm is so bright! Great way to start the weekend.
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Tell me you're a deal lawyer without telling me you're a deal lawyer: *drops off the face of the Earth (i.e., the Interwebs) during the thick of Q4*
Hope you are all doing well,
#lawtwitter
/
#appellatetwitter
!
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Wild last few weeks over here! Unexpectedly had to take medical leave (the deets of these adventures are straight out of
@nytimeswell
's Diagnosis), but I am doing well, feeling great, and back in the saddle at work. Thank you for reaching out after seeing my OOO message. ❤️
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There will never be enough words to thank
@UTKnoxville
(and
@UTKLaw
) for everything it has given me. Last weekend's festivities were a reminder of what Volunteers hold to be true, "One that beareth a torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.”
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Today is my work anniversary (yay!) and the first day of (supervised) law practice for some of my mentees and all I can say is that it is my absolute joy to welcome two women of color to my practice group, just a few doors down from my office. For many years I was the only one.
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What is the most valuable* skill I brought into the practice of law? Sleuthing. Being a curious human who can find anything about someone on the Internet from their first name and a random fact about themselves.
*most valuable in the context of the regulatory side of my practice
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I have had more work travel in my short time as a partner than I did the last three year of my associate career! Overall, the transition to partner has been a huge adjustment and that was really unexpected for me as someone who is homegrown (with the firm since 1L summer).
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@bradford_hardin
SO MUCH. He is universally adored at my firm. Coordinates golf outings, brings golf course mementos from trips for partner I work with the most, volunteers with our attorneys, never misses a summer recruiting event, is on a football listserv with colleagues, could talk to a wall.
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@LizCGil
+1 to the moon. Let them find their own voice and make sure they are aware of client preferences (e.g., this client loves small talk/extra niceties so throw in some exclamation points, etc.) but don't move two words around because "style."
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@c_estclairee
There's a calendar/scheduling wheel that litigators use! A super awesome attorney mailed me one when I tweeted basically the same thing you just did. It's amazing.
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Seeing "Alé's enthusiasm is contagious" in my written recap of my associate review has me 🥹🥲.
If there is anything I want younger lawyers to know is that you can be a nice and kind and enthusiastic person in the legal profession. And it can absolutely be your super power!
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I am a huge fan of hybrid schedules & flexibility for everyone on the team. I have also learned that in order to mentor my team (and continue to learn what I need to learn from folks more sr. than me), IRL interactions and walking through documents/issues/calls still matters.
I’m surrounded by attorneys who say that you can’t learn remotely. And so, I go into the office every day. Only to have assignments given to me through phone calls and emails exclusively and almost never through in person contact.
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Same here for sending out the "We release signatures, pls send confirmation of wires" and the "Congrats! We're closed!" emails when the wires are confirmed.
As a junior associate, I remember the pride of getting my name on a brief’s signature block. Then as a mid-level or senior associate, I remember the same feeling when I got to actually *sign* the brief.
Now, it isn’t a big deal to me. But it still is to my more junior team. 1/
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Went to to Buc-ee's for the first time and y'all. BRB, moving in. 😂💁🏽♀️
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Tip for keeping more sr. attorneys organized: Check out tomorrow's calendar. Would a status update, file refresh, updated checklist, agenda make their life easier on the call/in meeting? Particularly helpful habit for standing calls you know about. Easy way to "own" your matters.
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The sacrifices our parents made make us non-stop. Our success is the whole barrio's. We walk across the stage for everyone back home. Immigrant work ethic is in the fabric of our lives. I grew up cleaning houses with my mom, 10 hour lawyer days still feel like I won the lottery.
The children of immigrants are nearly twice as likely to become rich as the children of people born in the United States — great data viz
@nytimes
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"Don't let work* become your hobby" is too true 🫠😳💀. ✨✨✨✨. The job will take whatever you give it, but you can't be 100% at the job if you're not getting what *you* need to fill up your bucket.
*This includes fun non-billable work like recruiting and leadership opps.
These types of actions and experiences are invaluable, and they're fun and interesting as well.
Final tip: Find something you enjoy doing outside the office. Don't let work become your hobby.
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It'd be untrue to say that it didn't give me a leg up. Now whether it should have, it's a different discourse.
The reality is that for some folks, law review and similar markers on a resume can open certain doors. It's okay if you choose to participate for those reasons.
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Our newest associates arrived today and I am so excited for them to join our team! I have the utmost respect for these folks--remote schooling, remote/rescheduled bar exams, remote/no graduations. Incredibly resilient people who will do incredibly awesome things!
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Earlier this year, I started a "Things I Learned Today" list. Today, I read through it before starting my work for 2023! New fave tradition. We all love to joke (cry? 🥲) about billable hours resetting to zero, but it was such a boost to remember all I learned in 2022.
Started a new thing that I wish I'd done sooner! I keep a cute little notepad on my desk for my "Things I Learned Today" list. It's an ongoing list of things I would normally flag in my mind as "mistakes" (e.g., redline comments from sr. attys., feedback after a call, etc.).
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I made it through a seven call day.
Please clap as I start my actual work day. 😂😂
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She's baaaaack.
@RobinNYC
, the self-made mujer, back from maternity leave, reminding us to reclaim our swagger. 💃🏾🎉
@onepeloton
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