Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I still remember my family’s first Thanksgiving eight months after we arrived from Poland. I was in first grade and came home to tell my parents who barely spoke English that we had to celebrate and needed to buy a turkey. They didn’t know what I was referring to because … Continued
Engaging associates to perform optimally in our new hybrid workplace is challenging. But proximity doesn’t guarantee trusted work relationships, personal investment does. Mentors, both formal and informal, are key to helping associates thrive at your firm. Along with training associates in the skills and client service mindset needed to perform optimally, we also need to train … Continued
This month I have continued to present How to Thrive trainings to new associates. I focus on teaching them to establish good work habits early in their careers. Habits are very powerful, and they can serve us or hurt us. Our brain creates habits because they are efficient. Let’s call them neural shortcuts. Think about driving a … Continued
This month I presented at four new associate orientations. These newly minted attorneys spent part of their law school experience in the pandemic and missed the opportunity to develop all of the skills that are needed to thrive in the practice of law. They learned over Zoom screens and missed out on the chance to … Continued
Our youngest son Jake left for Poland on September 2nd to work as a JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps Fellow. His yearlong assignment will be to work at the JCC in Krakow, where he will help to support Jewish life revival, care for Holocaust survivors, and feed hundreds of Ukrainian refugees daily. Jake first … Continued
The summer is almost over and back-to-school is just around the corner. September can bring exciting new beginnings as well as a feeling of overwhelmingness. What if we had well-being practices in place to support our busy lives? My morning routine, which is aimed at setting myself up for a positive and productive day, includes EFT … Continued
I spent last week on a 30-person boat in the Aegean Sea. Each morning before visiting ancient port cities in Greece and Turkey, we spent two hours learning how our thoughts and feelings impact our behavior, and therefore the quality of our lives. Our instructor, who I met when I spent one year studying with … Continued
This week marks the end of most 2023 Summer Associate programs across the country. This summer, I had the privilege of presenting to a dozen law firms’ summer associates, teaching them how to thrive and get the most out of their experiences. During our trainings, I heard many express their desire to forge strong relationships with … Continued
By: Shannan Buckley As hybrid work becomes more entrenched, hiring junior candidates with a high level of integrity and internal motivation is more important than ever. I’ve worked with interns who needed constant check-ins on remote days or else they’d treat it as a chance to get paid while playing on the computer or doing … Continued
This June I’ve conducted six Well-being programs for legal professionals, including programs specifically for summer associates. I poll each group to better understand what they struggle with most. Perfectionism is most frequently mentioned. This is not a surprise. Over the past 30 years of working with Big Law professionals, I’ve observed that many smart, ambitious … Continued