Law And More

Catholic Church Lawyers Up - Jones Day Represents Cardinal Donald Wuerl

This has all the makings of an episode from "Law & Order SVU." The plots for that long-running series are, as the saying goes, "ripped from the headlines."

So, the ongoing saga of sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic clergy will likely be a two-hour special on "Law & Order SVU." The extent of the traumatic horror will shake Olivia Benson to the core.

That all began when the Boston Globe broke the story. However, experts analyzing the recent scandal in six counties in Pennsylvania assess that as small potatoes compared to the outing of 1,000 priests taking sexual advantages of 300 girls and boys over decades. And much of that had been covered up.

Outrage has gone global among many of the Roman Catholic church's 1.29 billion members. For example, the powers that be in Canada want more details. Among the immediate impacts is the falloff in donations. Expect layoffs of devoted employees.

Meanwhile, of course, everyone deserves a defense. The heavily brand-damaged Cardinal Donald Wuerl has gotten his. 

The law firm representing him is Jones Day. Here are the details from Kathryn Rubino at Abovethelaw.com.

That's not Jones Day's first rodeo with Wuerl. And the Cardinal tells his story on his website TheWuerlRecord.com. 

As we know, it is also Jones Day which stocked the Trump White House with lawyers. Former Jones Day partner Don McGhan is head counsel. This weekend we learned that he has been watching his back and/or helping the Trump Administration be transparent. For 30 hours over nine months McGhan participated in the Mueller investigation of alleged obstruction of justice by Donald Trump.

Yeah, Jones Day has been enjoying a run of influence in Washington D.C. As Joe Patrice at Abovethelaw.com has noticed, it is promoting that as an edge. However, if the Trump Administration implodes, that could mutate into a liability. 

That's futuristic. 

Right now, many wonder how Jones Day will strategically manage the legal affairs of the Roman Catholic Church. Taking this account has been a risk. The court of public opinion has soured against Roman Catholicism. 

Therefore, what Jones Day does or doesn't do on this account will be scrutinized. The media will be gunning for it, just as it did when The Washington Post outed the McGhan, then a Jones Day partner, was representing the Make America Great Again campaign. 

If the legal moves made by Jones Day aren't assessed as smart the firm's branding could take a hit. Those lawyers who oppose Jones Day on this one and succeed could go down in history as superheroes. Expect a global documentary. Yes, this is that seminal an issue. 

Reflection: Is Jason Farrow digging in this whole enchilada for his next feature in The New Yorker? He tends to not be kind to lawyers. 

Communications Strategy/Services and Career Coaching. Special areas of expertise include professionals over-50 and students applying to degree programs in higher education.

 

Complimentary initial consultation. Sliding scale fees. Contact Jane Genova for an appointment janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Law Schools - Make Available Online Re-runs of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"

In movie theatres is the documentary "Won't You Be My Neighbor."

It recounts how Fred Rogers, a minister in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, created and sustained a very new kind of television show for children. Unlike the action-packed mindless cartoons produced for television, it took the risk of being slow-paced - and embedded with message.

That programming was "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

Among its memes was that every child is special without any need to be famous.

Too bad there isn't a current analogue of the "Neighborhood" to assure stressed-out law students that they can just be. If they carry that compulsion for showy achievement into their careers they could wind up as a media report of lawyers who lost it all, including their freedom. In addition, if they just permit themselves to be there could be more feeling okay about serving the public interest. 

Another poignant theme was that no matter how different a person may be, no human being is a "mistake." At that point in the documentary, tears were flowing today among members of the audience in Northeast Ohio. Overweight as a child, Rogers had been bullied. In recovery groups for substance abusers the statement "I feel like a mistake" is tragically common. Lawyers are among those making those admissions. 

But, what could be the key takeaway from the documentary was how Rogers gave slow unique power. He didn't only walk, move, and talk slowly in order that little children could digest his message. In all his public speaking his delivery was slow.

Here you can watch his nurturance of slow in front of a hostile Senate intent on snatching away funding for public television. That supported the "Neighborhood."

Usually that kind of setting would push most human beings to rush through their remarks. Right on the spot, Rogers was told he could hold on to the $20 million grant.

Of course, no fools, many whose business is in the field of oral presentations, such as trial work, do slow. The jury could interpret that pace as the lawyer's attempt to help them understand the complex issues. Perry Mason was sure a patient guy in court. On his best days so was Jack McCoy on "Law & Order."

In my coaching those over-50, I have learned how effective slow is. That includes those critical pauses of silence.

Rogers treasured silent pauses. Currently, more professionals are attending day and weekend silent retreats. At one at the Zen Center in New Haven, Connecticut, I got it that words were getting in the way of the success of my two enterprises.

For those older human beings who come to me for career coaching silence reinforces the reality that they have most of he the answers within themselves. Once they allow themselves to become unstuck they are able to go on to being their own coaches. That's part of the specialness of every human being.

Here, free to download, is a guide on locating the ramp out of stuck. 

All the episodes of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" should be available online at law schools. 

Communications Strategy/Services and Career Coaching. Special areas of expertise include professionals over-50 and students applying to degree programs in higher education.

 

Complimentary initial consultation. Sliding scale fees. Contact Jane Genova for an appointment janegenova374@gmail.com.

Lawyers Wanting to Work Until 90 - 4 Secrets from Mickey Mouse

This year Mickey Mouse turns 90.

Mickey carries the kinds of good genes Betty White, Rupert Murdoch, and Warren Buffett have.

Like them, he keeps beating age bias and stays prominent in the business world. On November 4th, he even bagged a two-hour gig on ABC (which is owned by Walt Disney).

What can the rest of us over-50 learn from Mickey about remaining marketable? Here are 4 lessons:

Be sunny. The guy manages to let troubles roll off his back. From the days we Baby Boomers took in his show daily on primitive TV until today when we stand in the long lines at his theme parks with our grandchildren he has always been an up.

Create a solid network. His pals, although heavily flawed like Goofy, serve to enhance his presence. 

Find new sources of revenue. Soon enough after the daily television show there were the films, parks, retail stores, and promotional tie-ins. That's exactly what I hammer in my new book, free to click open and read, about always being able to land, hold, and move on to better work, no matter our age  Download Outwitting ageism.

Work at the primary relationship. His bond with Minnie is sustaining. All we need to share our work joys and sorrows is one person who cares. Then, rejection doesn't become a wound which festers. 

This blog wishes a Happy Birthday to Mickey and may he have many more.

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Richard S. Thompson - A Time for Compassion

One doesn't have to have advanced degrees in psychology to conclude that Richard S. Thompson is a troubled human being. 

Through his aberrant behavior he had to leave positions as a U.S. Attorney and lawyer with Levy, Thompson (a workers' compensation defense law firm). He also had spent time in a psychiatric facility and completed a family violence 24-week prevention course. Along the way he had been jailed for about a week.

When he found himself in even more trouble, he threatened suicide. That included pointing a gun to his head and scribbling suicide notes which the police found in his car when arresting him.

The most recent trouble had been, reports Abovethelaw.com, alleged aggravated stalking. There had been a warrant out for his arrest and cops spotted him outside his former law firm. When they attempted arrest, he fled.

It was when the police caught up with Thompson that he kept pointing the gun to his head. After the police called for backup and other law enforcement officers showed up, Thompson dropped the gun and surrendered.

Can psychiatry or even spirituality save this tormented human being? There is always hope for salvation through self-forgiveness and determination "not to sin again."

However, anyone who has been closely involved with those who did take their own lives knows that sometimes suicide seems the only method of release from extreme emotional pain. Much of society had not wanted to hear that. However, the reality of suicide as an answer might be getting through. 

On the Eastern European side of my family there seems to be a suicide gene or cluster of genes. I accept the members' decision to, as it is put, "check out." 

This blog transmits good karma to Thompson so that he can figure out how to find relief from his obvious suffering. 

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Retire - Hell, You Don't Want to Do That

Tufts University, which always stood in the shadow of Harvard, made an announcement. A full professor from its Department of Psychology - David W. Harder - has retired. 

That list of who retires and who hangs in there - like Rupert Murdoch and Betty White - has become a must-watch. Actually, since the concept of retirement has been disrupted, it probably is more followed than obits. 

Retirement, a 19th century innovation by Germany's Otto von Bismarck, is in play.

More and more are finding retirement boring.

They notice that folks treat them as invisible. That even happens to lawyers who were once powerful Brandnames.

And soon enough the angst takes over that they could run out of money before they run out of years.

According to the Federal Reserve Board, one-third of those who retire unretire. There is even a term for that: reverse retirement. 

Harder's retirement is noteworthy to me because I first bumped into him when we were both doctoral students at the University of Michigan.

He was doing a clinical for the Department of Psychology and I, as would characterize my life, was in a state of high drama because of life.

For three years he played Freud to my Shakespeare. Later over the years, while he was at Tufts, I again tapped into that dynamic. He provided psychotherapy.

The whole thing soured when I requested and he refused to turn over my clinical records.

I ponied up the bucks to have a Greenwich, Connecticut lawyer send a letter. The records came.

My hunch for decades had been right: We were not a good fit. Of course, that was more drama. I loved it.

Now that Harder is retired, he's off one kind of radar. That's the focus on those who are determined to continue to work full time or open new businesses, in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and soon enough it will be in their 90s. 

As a coach for the over-50, I help them outwit ageism. It's the last form of discrimination employers can get away with in developed economies. Yes, the UK is riddled with it. 

 Here is my most recent book, free to click open and read, on bypassing aging and continuing to earn a very good living  Download Outwitting ageism

Most of my coaching clients are in their 60s, encountering ageism flashpoints. Those moments are analogous to the severe unraveling we Baby Boomers experienced when we finished our formal education and had no choice but to take on the rite of passage of getting a job. Remember the film "The Graduate?"

Now that Harder is off the watch list, in a sense he ceases to exist. Bye-bye. One wonders will his wife Debbie Greenwald also retire? Will the two uproot and relocate to places like Arizona or North Carolina? 

We Baby Boomers recall Roy Rogers and Dale Evans riding into the sunset, with the lyrics playing "Happy Trails to You.'

This is capitalism. We are how we earn income.

Yesterday, when I went to donate blood, someone asked me the usual: Are you still working? Yes, I replied. Their eyes lit up and they decided I was worth having a conversation with. 

The last time I surfed the internet chasing obits was 2014. I found my childhood friend's name - Mary Ellen Butcher Gallo. She had been 58 when she passed over. Stunner. That's when I embraced tracking retirements, instead.

Don't contact me if you retire. The whatever is over. 

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

“Over-50: Outsmarting Your Comfort Zone” http://over-50.typepad.com/over-50/2018/05/outsmarting-your-comfort-zone-free-book.html

 “Over-50: The Four Monsters in the Mind” http://over-50.typepad.com/over-50/2018/04/ageism-bites-.html

 

Lawyers Who Don't Make Partner - Not Being Able to "Shake It Off"

The phrase "Can't Shake It Off" resonated with audiences who experienced Lee Chandler's suffering in the 2016 film "Manchester By the Sea."

Played by Casey Affleck, Chandler couldn't let go of the tragedy he accidentally put in motion. He won an Academy Award for that performance.

To keep up a beer high he walked to the convenience store for more booze, forgetting to properly attend to the fireplace in that New England winter. His three young children perished in the fire which occurred. 

However, the movie ends in hope that through his relationship with his nephew he can find an emotional exit ramp from the pain that's keeping him stuck in the past.

The concept of shaking it off is grabbing some of us.

Last Sunday, it proved to be an effective way to enter our state of meditation at the Unitarian Church in Youngstown, Ohio. The leader instructed us to shake off what we had brought into the room. 

Today, in a session with my executive coach I asked how long will it be until I could shake off a bad fit of a relationship with a client from another culture. I terminated it yesterday, relieved but haunted with questions such as why hadn't I fled that force field earlier - or, more to the point, not even accepted the assignment. 

The coach's answer: The black cloud will hover over me until I can forgive myself for my own myopia.

And, that's exactly the insight I usually pass on to my own coaching clients. They wind up tangled in an emotional and spiritual straightjacket because they keep replaying the past in their heads, trying to reconfigure it. The scenarios go: If only I did this, if only I did that …

That pain becomes so embedded in lawyers who don't make partner. Perhaps it's the sunk costs years of education and on-the-job training. Their identity is totally their professional one. They can't shake that off and open themselves to The Next. 

What's the direction out of the past, into the present - addressing the current problems?

It's surrendering to the reality that the scenes from the past can't be done-overs.

One physical exercise that is useful is to literally shake our heads and bodies, chanting "Shake it off." That panned out when I was coaching a group of sales clerks during the high-pressure holiday season. Together, we shook off whatever mindsets were getting between them and customer service.

Free to click open and download is my book on escaping a comfort zone  Download Over50OutsmartingYourComfortZone

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

The New Aging - Will Lawyers Nurture Their Inner Madonna

Those who I assumed were envious of Madonna Louise Ciccone would tsk-tsk: Wait 'till she gets old. They figured that curse of aging would finish her.

Well, she is old.

Soon she will be celebrating her 60th birthday. And she isn't finished. Maybe, like Clint Eastwood in film and Rupert Murdoch in empire-building, her influence will go on and on into her 80s and beyond.

In The Guardian, Barbara Ellen chronicles how she has already reshaped global pop culture. 

Her presence might have been and could endure as an extension of Andy Warhol's realization that being embedded in the worldwide consciousness is how celebrity is created.

Madonna did that, primarily through continually transforming herself. There had been a Madonna of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.

Among the personas were the young woman who was imbued with Catholic memes, the musician who wore underwear as outerwear and simulated the movements of sexual intercourse on stage, and the earth mother. 

That presence so dominated that it was difficult for it not to seep into her acting roles. Never could she fully portray a character the way Edie Falco gave us Carmela Soprano. 

In her aging, she could be the one who pulls off totally overhauling the image of what "old" is.

Given her transformational powers she could reset how the world perceives the aging.

As with those becoming 13 in the post-war era, she can cook up a whole new category of those who should be watched, analyzed, feared, and imitated.

Back then, that emerging demographic was labeled "teenager." Thanks to them, Elvis, the record industry, television, the drive-in where in pre-pill days it didn't go beyond petting, rebellion, and going to college caught fire.

Our 60-and-over demographic could become the prevailing model for professional success on your own terms.

Many who already analyze us, such as psychotherapist Thomas Moore, observe aging tends to soften us and we become calm about many aspects of life. Instead of one-dimensionally chasing after our individual success to pile up material rewards, we embrace an other-directed purpose. Younger generations sense this and head toward us as mentors. Moore's brisk-selling book is "Ageless Soul."

In addition, other thought leaders such as journalist Dan Lyons note how resilient we are becoming in the face of age discrimination. His book is "Disrupted."

Frequently that takes the form of getting the boot because we are at a high salary. At age 52, at Newsweek, Lyons received what has become known as the "tap on the shoulder." Soon enough he got it that supporting his family meant continually scrambling to find work.

That's exactly what we aging have learned to do so well. We are the heroes of the revolution in the global labor market.

In this 600-unit rental complex in Eastern Ohio, about 40% are over-60.

We have created an informal network about where the work is and the savvy way to apply for it.

A 64-year-old told us not to work at X retailer, whose branding is all warm and fuzzy, because it, when sales receipts aren't meeting quota, sends workers home. No it doesn't ask if they want to leave early. It tells them to go. 

When I let it be known I was hunting for retirees to interview for a book I'm assisting with, two volunteered. With grace and humor, they described a life they hadn't expected: Retirement which demands part-time jobs to financially survive.

In a sense, we have all taken on the brash confidence and experimentation of Madonna. And, hahaha, like her we are shocking.

Colleagues were bug-eyed when I took a vow of poverty after my mind, enterprise, and nest egg blew into a million pieces in 2003. I had been one of those with the This Old House on the Gold Coast of Connecticut and a getaway at an EastCoast beach. Currently my lifestyle is that of a medieval monk. 

Takeaway: Allow our inner Madonna to point us to our emerging purpose in work and our personal lives.

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

“Over-50: Outsmarting Your Comfort Zone” http://over-50.typepad.com/over-50/2018/05/outsmarting-your-comfort-zone-free-book.html

 “Over-50: The Four Monsters in the Mind” http://over-50.typepad.com/over-50/2018/04/ageism-bites-.html

 

Balance - What Lawyers Always Knew

How do you know a client is pleased - at least in the field of public-relations writing?

Answer: There is an immediate payment of the invoice via PayPal. And, of course, no questioning of the amount billed.

How to please the client? Provide a fast turnaround while still maintaining quality. 

I discovered that is the top competitive weapon in nailing down an assignment and holding onto that client. 

After vetting me to determine if I could manage the research/ghostwriting part of the assignment, the prospect then moved onto the time issue.

He needed the complete draft pronto and the outline for the book within 32 hours. I did bargain for a little more time but still received the assignment. I did wind up meeting that 32-hour deadline. 

Satisfied with the outline, then he wanted a short-form version of the first chapter. Trust had built so he didn't specify a specific deadline. But, obviously, the sooner the better. I hunkered down this weekend and got what he wanted to him by 8 P.M. Sunday. Within a half hour the invoice was paid.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to pull a fast one. In my transmittal note I stated that I wouldn't start the short-form version of the next chapter until I received feedback on the first one. My intention was to have time to recover from that whirlwind of writing.

I didn't get that time. The marching order was to focus on the next chapter, feedback would come later. 

That's the way it is in 2018. I feel blessed I have stimulating well-paid work. So, I have to ignore the platitudes about balance. Lawyers always knew those clichés represent magical thinking.

Maybe there is no such entity as work-life balance, not any more. Maybe there never was.

However, there will always be those who bully us with the balance mandate.

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Donald Trump Jr., Andrew Bachman, Ambitious Lawyers - Stop Playing (so much) in the Book-Publishing Sandbox

The threat of legal trouble would generate lots of attention for a book.

That would, in turn, boost sales.

Right?

That's not how the book publishing industry seems to be thinking. In that sense, it's a conservative player.

Here's the latest example of that. Book publishers are not racing to provide Donald Trump Jr. an advance for his proposed Daddy-Defense book. The primary reason is that the Mueller team is interested in his 2016 meeting with a lawyer associated with the Kremlin. That was allegedly focused on information about Hillary Clinton.  Here are details from Fortune.

Such a negative mindset by publishers seems surprising. After all, what Jr. would publish would set in motion a kind of battle of the books with anti-Donald Trump books as by Michael Wolff ("Fire and Fury"). Surely, that would sell books. Talk shows would be hungry to interview both. 

But, the risks involved are apparently outweighing the possible rewards. That's an interesting dynamic in the book industry.

Here is a less recent example. Several years ago, Wiley accepted for publication a memoir by Boston entrepreneur Andrew Bachman. I had been in the loop. I had researched and ghostwritten parts of that how-to on entrepreneurship.

At the time, Bachman was the Mark Zuckerberg who had created a wildly successful enterprise in the dorm - Tatto Media. But, unlike the Facebook founder, Bachman hung in there and graduated. He went on to fund a major scholarship for that alma mater - Babson. And even taught a course there. All that helped his brand.

Then darkness fell quickly.

The FTC accused him of mobile cramming. Even before Bachman agreed to a settlement, Wiley put the project on hold. At the time, there was no admission of any guilt. Just a cloud hovering over. 

The situation did worsen. Currently Bachman is awaiting sentencing in his guilty plea for fraud in the Southern District of New York. Given the book publishing industry's mindset, it is unlikely that book will ever be out there.

That's the way it is. However, those under a legal shadow or when actually convicted/taking a plea can turn to other mediums to get their story out. It's odd that there is so much defaulting to book publishing.

Actually, books are a very old-line platform for story-telling. If I were Jr. or Bachman I would hire a top film documentary team. What's shown on outlets such as YouTube could have much more influence than a book per se.

Of course, those convicted of a crime can't profit from their misdeeds. But the initiative doesn't have to be configured for a monetary gain. It can be a public service. Jr. can set the record straight for history. Bachman has lots to teach about entrepreneurship. 

Watergate lawyer who served time in prison - Chuck Colson - went on to tell his story through preaching. That is, formal public speaking. He took on the role of a spiritual leader and positioned and packaged his message as a public service. Incidentally, Colson became perceived as one of the good guys. He died a hero of our corrupt times. 

Those I coach about careers ask me if they should publish a book. I explain that a book used to be the price of entry for influential branding.

That was then, though.

A brilliant four-minute video which catches fire online can achieve that objective with better results, faster and be more fun.

In addition, in this Amazon era books carry risk. If they never take off and sustain low Amazon rankings, along with no or bad customer reviews, the authors can be written off as losers. 

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Public Relations Representatives, Like Michael Sitrick, Working Directly for Lawyers Are Covered by Attorney-Client Privilege

The world of public relations is complex - at least at the high end.

And that's where legendary spinmaster Michael Sitrick operates. His client list ranges from Paris Hilton to Theranos. And, as today's The New York Times profile of him points out, representing Harvey Weinstein is one of his rare fumbles. 

Among what we find out from Abby Aguirre's NYT reporting is that when a lawyer directly hires a public relations pro like Sitrick, that professional is covered by attorney-client privilege. So, it's not smart for the client to go for the representation directly to the public relations firm.

Among the attorneys who have hired Sitrick has been Marc Kasowitz who is associated with Donald Trump.

In addition, working at the high end can command the same high fees lawyers mandate. Sitrick bills at $1,100 an hour. 

But not every assignment produces a resolution that enhances Sitrick's branding in the reputation-restoration industry. No surprise, he is tight-lipped about why he is no longer representing Weinstein.

All he reveals is that Weinstein has not paid his bill. That is in arbitration. 

Aside from that, the world might never know why the two players stopped being on the same team.

Does this parting of the ways throw shade on the Sitrick and Company brand? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, some discontented lawyers whom I coach wonder about the career path as a sophisticated, well-connected public relations representative. One advantage is creative freedom.  They develop strategies and tactics not locked in by all the rules of procedure of the legal sector. 

Coaching, auditing, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on ageism.  

 

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The displaced over-50 get back to work. Mature professionals who are working advance their careers. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.