Law And More

Retention of Talent: What about Pawternity? (and paid leave for pet grief)

It's not crazy. The pandemic showcased that those four-leggers are humans' soulmates. So, a novel idea about providing a benefit to help with retaining talent could be Pawternity. That would be a few weeks paid leave so that the new pet parent can bond with the four-legger. 

Not that it's a wildly popular idea, reports Guardian. Roger Wade operated one of those polls on LinkedIn Updates. More than 60% gave it the thumbs down.

But what is more a human touchpoint than connecting to lawyers through their dogs? The benefit could be unique. And law firm public relations can bet there will be lots of media to showcase how the law firm is struggling with addressing what lawyers want and need.

Related to that is paid leave for pet grief. As the Vanessa Bryant lawsuits are indicating, mourning is complex. Also it's a human experience that is poorly understood - and accepted by society. The law firm leadership can come across as superheroes if they are able to respect the grief when the human-animal bond comes to an end.

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Best 6 Halloween Costumes for Law Firm Junior Lawyers

Halloween might be the most enjoyable holiday in Americana.

For most, it can be celebrated in a relative-free zone. No drunken embittered Uncle Bob. 

It's also the unique opportunity to comment through a costume, just like "SNL," on the way of the world. 

Just as much fun is to shop for a costume for one's four-legged soulmate. He or she will need one for the mandatory party at the vet. No show? Damned to be judged as a bad pet parent.

So, here we go with the best 6 costumes for law firm junior lawyers.

Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) from "The Office." There has been such a dustup about returning to the office.

Unlike the leadership at PwC, the brass at so many large law firms are mandating a return to the office. Some, like Baker & Hosteller, are even nudging back associates into the office before the official reopening date. 

And maybe associates are too young to recall Jeremy Blackman's "Anonymous Lawyer" priceless satiric post. It was about the partner who gleefully announced hot chocolate will be served in the kitchen during certain hours, as long as the cold weather persists. Meanwhile, associates are dragging out of office post-all-nighter. Well, Kirkland & Ellis folds into its reopening announcement the notice of free eats. Like, who have time to eat. Anyway, it can make one sleepy.

Yeah, let them eat cake.

Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani. The costume should be dated for when Cupid was still shooting arrows. Those texts from that time, read during the trial of "US v Elizabeth Holmes," showcase the Theranos founder's poetic ethos.

In prison, former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen penned his best-selling book "Disloyal." If she is convicted and could serve up to 20 years Holmes can produce books of poetry. Maybe even teach poetry workshops. 

Class of 2024, Carrying "Hire me" sign. 55% of law school IL classes are overenrolled. Do the math. It will be tough, maybe even impossible, to land that first job.

Could there be another Lost Generation of JDs, as had played out in 2008 -2009? Not unthinkable.  

The Regulatory Sandbox. Recently in Arizona's regulatory sandbox, LegalZoom had been approved as an Alternate Business Structure. It will not only be permitted to provide legal services in the state. It also can hire lawyers as employees. Before that it could only operate with contract lawyers.

So this is the new non-law firm law firm. Maybe there should be a contest open to marketing communications players like myself to name this new entity. 

Karen Dunn, Best Poach done recently. Pulled off by Paul Weiss. And poaching is what brings the unique kind of prestige to a law firm. Media outlets make it big news, like they're announcing an award.

Those law firms which have been raided will lay low. It's a: Mirror, Mirror on the wall, I'm the most shameful of them all.

The law, like most lines of work, is a gossipy profession. There is endless speculation why the law firm lost a star or a group of stars.

Recently Dunn won for Uber, in an antitrust case brought by the Boston Taxi Conglomerate, its biggest legal victory so far. 

The young Tony Soprano, played in "The Many Saints of Newark" by Michael Gandolfini."  The genius of that portrayal was capturing the pain.

Remember the middle-aged Tony had been in psychotherapy. Yeah, that mother of his. 

Michael is, yes, James Gandolfini's actual son. He was with the father when he died. That pain could serve him well in his artistic career. There is an anecdote floating around that Jon Hamm had been hired to play Don Draper in "Mad Men" because those screening actors saw the pain in his eyes. 

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"Vanessa Bryant v County of Los Angeles, et at." - Grief Is So Hard

"Vanessa Bryant is being asked to undergo 'a physician-ran test on her mental state' to assess and 'evaluate' the extent of her alleged emotional distress regarding the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash images." - Daily Mail, October 17, 2021.

Essentially the defendants are attempting to discern if Bryant's suffering is the result of the original trauma of the death of her husband and daughter or is primarily related to what she contended in her lawsuit "Vanessa Bryant v County of Los Angeles, et al."

She claims that the photos of the dead had been distributed among law enforcement. As a result, she is accusing those in authority loop of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the invasion of her husband's right to privacy.

Previously, she had refused a psychiatric evaluation requested by the plaintiff. Also, as many know, psychiatry does involve subjectivity. On the popular series "Chicago Med," the respected psychiatrist Dr. Charles admits that the science is an imperfect one. He is a humble man and and equally humble member of the healing profession.

Also, grief is a complex force field. How can even a trained expert separate out its parts?

During the first week of January, just a few weeks after my four-legged son LOV and I arrived in Arizona from the midwest, he could no longer hold up in his battle with congestive heart failure. One overcast Sunday morning I allowed the vet to let LOV go.

To today I am overwhelmed with sadness. And there isn't a day that I live that I don't remember a joy we had shared together. 

My pain of loss is my pain. Bryant's pain of loss is her pain. But understanding it may be beyond the imperfect science of psychiatry. 

This blog passes along wishes for strength for the Bryant family.

 

Kirkland & Ellis, et al. - November Is the Cruellest Month of All and More about The Office

COVID is easing.

Like a growing number of law firms, Kirkland & Ellis announced a date for the formal reopening of the office. That is November 8th.

Those entering the office will either have to be fully vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID testing. Note, Kirkland & Ellis isn't mandating the jabs. At least, not at the present time.

For lawyers who found calm and maybe some work/life balance operating remotely, November could prove to be the cruellest month of all.

The transition to the pressure-cooker of the Big Law office - an arena of fierce competition - could be brutal. So much so that after a few weeks or even a few days they can make concrete plans about exiting. There are options. Some other law firms have truly flexible arrangements. Also there are more virtual ones like Rimon Law. There is also establishing a solo office or boutique.

In almost belly-laugh fashion, Kirkland & Ellis notes that back at the ranch there will be free eats. Those include breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Also a concierge service will run errands like dropping off the dry-cleaning.

This gesture calls to mind the satiric blog post on Jeremy Blackman's "Anonymous Lawyer." In it a partner, totally full of himself, announced that hot chocolate would be served in the law firm kitchen during certain hours, as long as the cold weather persists. Yeah, and many of the associates had already pulled an all-nighter.

Legal media, ranging from RollonFriday to Abovethelaw, which cultivates relationships with inside tipsters, are bound to get plenty of dirt from the get-go as associates reenter office life. 

The challenges of trying to get work done in the formal office setting are not unique to law firms.

That's why the tone and content of that former series "The Office" resonated. The distractions range from gossip to drama. No one, not even the brass, is insulated. That's why everyone watches everyone else watching everyone else. 

At the end of the 1980s, the technology of the PC and a year's severance from a major consumer food corporation allowed me to rehome my career outside a formal office. 

In the small digs of the New York Metro area I set up my startup near the kitchen sink.

I had to climb over the bed to get to my files (paper never went away, did it). 

I often tripped over the extra phone line for the fax machine. 

Within seven months, I was grossing 30% more than my previous corporate base salary. Yes, lawyers you can hang out a shingle or join together to establish a boutique.

Success depends about 70% on marketing. I had lectured about that at the New York State Bar Association.

Another 20%, including for a job search, is confidence. During the past seven months, as I repositioned and repackaged my communications/coaching boutiques, I got help from an unexpected source. 

That had come from Paul Weiss Chairperson Brad Karp. That mortal turned out be a superhero on that front. Yeah, for a legal-sector roast celebrating his innovations (especially redefining the business of a law firm) those in the loop should create an action-figure comic book about his life and career.

Also, Karp supported my thinking and writing in blogging. This week Feedspot selected Law and More as among The Top 100 Legal Blogs. 

The other 10% is luck.

Meanwhile, for a growing number of lawyers, it's hiho hiho, off to the office they go ... But, maybe not for long.

Envision work on your own terms w/o a downsizing of income.

Now my home office is next to a fireplace.

Because of a very good year I am researching interesting holiday gifts for clients.

My only angst is not tripping over the cat. 

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Return to the Office - Ease Transition with Four-legged Soulmates

No matter the kind of stress, animal companions tend to defuse all that. Put a hand on the fur and the pressure melts away, immediately.

Results of a new survey for Figo Pet Insurance confirms the profound effect domestic animals have on humans' emotional and spiritual lives. 

For example, three in five experience their pet companions as soulmates. And, 81% would risk their lives to save their pets. 

Therefore, it makes sense for policy makers in offices, including those of law firms, to embed in the return to the office some kind of arrangement to include animal companions.

That could take the form of a company dog. Or it could be configured as rotating permission for who gets to bring their four-legged soulmate to the office that day or week. However, it could be pretty basic as having rabbits, birds, and/or gerbils in the common areas. Since many law offices operate 24 hours a day, the animals wouldn't be lonely. When the office does close, there could be designated animal lovers to bring the critters home with them. 

Returning to the office is playing out to be one of those brutal rite of passage experiences. Animal companions could provide a brilliant solution. 

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Binx - He's Alive

Cats are said to have nine lives.

Well, Binx has eight left.

He had resided in unit 904 with the Gonzalez family at Champlain Towers South. Two the members of the family - Angela and Deven - have been hospitalized with serious injuries.

However, Binx seemed in pretty good shape when he was spotted roaming around the condo's ruins. 

As Daily Mail reports, animal rescue took him to a shelter and eventually he was reunited with a member of the Gonzalez family. 

Binx could evolve into a symbol of resilience for Florida. 

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Time to Trade in the Executive Coach for the Chaplain - That Could Do It for Overwhelmed Lawyers and Angst-ridden Law Students

" ... demand for spiritual care in 2021 may seem surprising; religious belief is in decline across the U.S., and clinical therapy is becoming more widely available and increasingly destigmatized. But in secular institutions around the country—from the New York metropolitan transit system to universities, labor unions, and government bodies—chaplains have maintained a constant presence ... focusing on the intersection of spiritual and mental health." - Diana Kruzman, Vice, May 3, 2021. 

Remember when having the executive coach was a must-do? Lawyers and even law students might recall those days. Those came after therapy didn't work, at least not all that well. 

So many on my networks looped into hiring an executive coach when Henry Cloud became a brandname. Probably his 2011 book "Necessary Endings" accomplished the branding part. The book remains high on Amazon - 11,464. So, his influence still resonates. Yes, there are those who still swear by their pricey exectuive coaches.

However, the "reign" of the executive coach might have peaked. There seems to be a shift to another kind of guidance: that of the chaplain. 

We went to the coach rather than the therapist because he or she operated within the career box. Therapists often were too much in the emotions box. Even the supposed cognitive therapist tended to be too emotion-bound. Not that was wrong. It just wasn't an effective and efficient way to decide whether to hang out a shingle or to opt for job security.

Overall, in what Vice refers to as these times of existential crisis, both the coach's and the therapist's frames of reference too often fall short. Like, the distress was still there. 

What the chaplain provides is more holistic. Its "it" manages to reach into the entire abyss of this thing we call "life."

At the end of Janaury 2021, I could not longer navigate the abyss. I was undone by a combination of relocating across the United States, not getting a major book ghostwriting assignment and the death of my dog. Instinctively (I had been a devout Roman Catholic until age 23) I decided to talk to a chaplain. I looked one up on the internet for the city of Sierra Vista, Arizona. She was a minister of the Unitarian Church. No, I hadn't tried to sort out the situation with the coach I had consulted with for about eight years. 

After talking with the minister - Tina Squire - on the phone for about 45 minutes I felt better. The distress was less, actually a lot less. In the Catholic religion we called that kind of transformation a miracle.

Also, Rev. Squire plugged me into a regular Zoom meditation group of church members. They turned out to be very good human beings.

I moved on to other situations I had to navigate. Maybe that's the new take on supposed "healing." We can at least pivot. We aren't stuck.

No, lawyers and law students don't "have to join a church." As yet, I haven't become a member of the Unitarian Church. Probably I don't have to. Probably we just have to know that there is a spiritual presence we can connect with. It's that simple. 

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The Unforgiven - Salil Zaveri Allegedly Guns Down Dog For Poaching His Golf Ball

"Former Long Island resident Salil Zaveri, 60, is accused of gunning down the pooch on Saturday at the well-known Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort in coastal Río Grande." - Tamar Lapin, New York Post, May 10, 2021

According to the media, Zaveri became enraged when the dog poached his ball at the 17th hole. With a 9mm, he allegedly shot the dog twice, hit the ball, then shot the dog again. The dog died. Zaveri was arrested at the 18th hole.

According to Zaveri, it was an act of self-defense. He contends the dog was chasing his friend and tried to get into the friend's golf cart.

Zaveri, who is chief executive officer of Zaveri Consulting, is out on $60,000 bail. His passport and his driver's license had being taken by law enforcement. He will be back in court on May 16th.

This kind of alleged crime is among the unforgiven. Throughout most of human history, the dog has been mankind's best friend. That bond deepened for so many of us during the lockdowns of COVID. During that time, to quote W.B. Yeats from his poem "The Second Coming," when "the centre cannot hold," our dogs were there with us. What preoccupied us was: Who would take care of our dogs if we died during the pandemic?

In Puerto Rico, where the alleged crime occurred, there should be a streamed memorial for this particular pooch. The world will have the unique opportunity to join in collective mourning. 

Kentucky - Branding Shift from Coal to Tourism

In a proactive move during this era focused on climate change, an organization in Kentucky is shifting branding from coal to tourism.

In Odwyerpr.com, Kevin McCauley reports that Eastern Kentucky Pride, formed in 1997, is searching for a public relations firm to promote The Kentucky Wildlands.

If the promotional campaign is successful, it could provide the platform for Kentucky to shake off its Appalachian image. Although that ethos may play in nostaglia about the old days, it doesn't resonate with The Professional Class seeking out cool locations to live which are still affordable. That demographic is experimental. They have been willing to exit the once-prestigious coasts to try out where land is cheap and the neighbors friendly.

Tourism is a good place to start the reimagining of Kentucky. In fact, pent-up demand is so strong that MarketWatch reports on a possible shortage of hotel rooms in certain parts of the U.S.

But Kentucky doesn't have to worry about not being able to provide enough lodging space. It can embed in its tourism message how welcome Recreational Vehicles are. RVs represent their own kind of boom in wanderlust. In addition, the American Dream is changing from owning a house to being able to tool around in the RV, usually used. Work can be picked up along the way. Children can be homeschooled. Animal companions can find happiness.

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Peloton Tread+ - Consumer Product Safety Commission Issues Urgent Warning about Danger to Children

Crisis management experts might have questions about how Peloton is responding to the danger warning issued today by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) about the Peloton Tread+.

As CNN Business reports, Peloton has not taken the Peloton Tread+ off the market. In addition it has not indicated that it is taking corrective action in how that fitness equipment which retails for about $4,295 operates.

The press release CPCS issued today starts off this way:

"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the danger of popular Peloton Tread+ exercise machine after multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured beneath the machines. The Commission has found that the public health and safety requires this notice to warn the public quickly of the hazard.

"The urgent warning comes less than a month after Peloton itself released news of a child’s death by a Peloton Tread+ and CPSC’s announcement of an investigation into that incident."

The CPSC is aware of 39 incidents. Essentially, when the Tread+ is activated children can be sucked in by the rear rollers. In addition to the death there have been fractures and abrasions. As the press release says, pets are can also be in harm's way.

CNN Business notes:

"Peloton (PTON) blasted the CPSC in a release Saturday, calling its warning 'inaccurate and misleading.' Peloton said there's 'no reason' to stop using the machine if safety instructions, such as correctly using its safety key, are followed. It also said that the Tread+ should be kept away from children under 16 years old and pets 'at all times."

The future of the Peloton brand and the revenues for the business could depend on how this crisis is managed. So far, Peloton seems to not be following best practices in crisis communications. As the old adage hammers: It isn't what happens, it's how you handle it.

Those in the loop of both public relations and personal-injury law will be following this closely. 

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