Law And More

Ideal Shelter Solution for Your Kids/Mom - Lawyers, Lobby for Boarding-House Zoning

"Young professionals who fled big cities for small towns during the pandemic are providing an unexpected boost to a type of real estate geared toward communal living ... They have been looking for companionship at remote co-living spaces, where tenants rent furnished rooms in big, shared homes." - Konrad Putzier, The Wall Street Journal, January 26, 2021.

Essentially, youth is circling back to the multi-purpose boarding house. That's where millions of Ok, Boomers bunked during the college and graduate/professional school years.

That living arrangement saved money. It was usually less expensive than the dorm, one-bedroom apartment or even an efficiency. It provided a built-in system for companionship. At any time, day or night, there was someone to talk with. And there had been the safety of numbers. 

With housing costs currently so inflated and given the difficulty making friends once you leave your formal education, Millennials are pivoting to a version of the co-living we Boomers had treasured.

Enlightened policy planners for the aging should be lobbying to bring back the boarding house for those over-50. That would prevent homelessness. It would reduce the isolation that is common as we lose family and friends to death and relocation. And it would be safer than other kinds of shelter. One challenge is the zoning. Not every neighborhood wants a boarding house. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Aging Lawyers - Thinking the Unthinkable, that is, Retirement (or simply stepping back)

"Many baby boomers—especially those at the top of their game—struggle with the decision to step down. And when they leave, the transition is often ‘painful and messy ...'" - Betsy Morris, The Wall Street Journal, January 24, 2021.  

The classic template for retirement is that established by Johnny Carson. He left at the top of his game. His final show celebrated what he had put in play. And that was that.

Later David Letterman modified that model. Essentially he put aside his personal brand as The Comic. But he still remains in the game. For instance, he did a bit on the 2020 Emmys and hosts on Netflix "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction."

However, most brandname aging professionals, such as lawyers, find retiring unthinkable. Even "stepping back" horrifies them.

There is lots to be said - and they know it - to exit or "step back" when the reputation is still intact. But, that entails so much loss. It entails everything from money to being in demand (the email box is full, plenty of texts ping, the phone clamors). The reality is that once the job per se is over so often also is the personal branding.

In capitalism, you are your official title. Retirement can mean becoming invisible. Thought leader Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld detailed that tragedy in the book "The Hero's Farewell." It's painful to recall how one-time business giants Lee Iacocca and Jack Welch struggled to hang on after they retired from their chief executive officer positions. 

Those who opt to embrace some version of getting off the career track frequently make a mess of it. They often attempt to hang in, becoming a kind of public nuisance. One former law firm partner I coached came to me with the awareness that he was making a pest of himself spouting off plans to create a class-action law firm. The pain of that humiliation set him off abusing alcohol. His first step back to finding post-career work with a purpose was climbing out of his comfort zone. Here is my book, a free read, on that process. 

On the other hand, if lawyers dig in their heels and conjure up strategies and tactics to remain just where they are on their career paths they also risk humiliation. They may experience cognitive decline and it shows. Ambitious younger lawyers could be launching stealth attacks, including on the reputational front. There are smirks in the background. The good assignments might not be coming to them. The power brokers could be forcing them out. Initially it begins with a pay cut. 

There are no absolute answers about when to let the big job go. Those who are equally in-tune with how the marketplace perceives them and where they are in their own overall abilities can do an audit. What can they continue to contribute to their organization and simultaneously prevent what could trigger downward trajectories? Of course, that assessment is an encounter with raw reality.

Capitalism is a harsh task-master, usually unforgiving. In addition, there are the usual monsters of the mind which undermine rational thinking. That inner chatter can and usually does have professionals in vulnerable situations shoot themselves in the foot. 

What makes the coming-to-jesus moment of clarity less traumatic is to get serious about creating a post-career plan. Yes, the big career ends. But work doesn't. That plan has a better shot at playing out well if there is no visible decline in performance or reputation before stepping back. 

The next kind of work can produce a fresh type of success. Lawyers who let go of what they had could discover the unleashing of talents which makes them authentic late bloomers. There really is such a phenomenon. University of Chicago researcher David W. Galeson documented how talent might find its way of manifesting itself when youth is over. His seminal book is "Old Masters and Young Geniuses."

Also, the Future of Work is an unknown. Lawyers who step back may be surprised what they step into. The world they left behind back there may vanish. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Universal Basic Income - Support Grows among Mayors

It's a combination of the new poverty created by a pandemic and the Future of Work which is already underway and eliminating many traditional kinds of employment.

What that has generated is the growing embrace of Universal Basic Income. That could become the model for making ends meet - and preventing political unrest.

Among the supporters are the 30 mayors who are members of the coalition Mayors for Guaranteed Income (MGI). It had been launched in 2020 by mayor in Stockton, California Michael D. Tubbos. 

Meanwhile, in New York City, in his campaign for mayor Andrew Yang has Universal Basic Income as a main part of his platform.

In Canada, a piloting of Universal Basic Income - the New Leaf Project - had been successful in helping the homeless rejoin society. Many of them secured shelter and found jobs. 

Given the momentum this initiative is having, more government officials will be questioned about their stances on it. 

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Harry Brant - Lawyers Should Notice How Addiction Is Hard to Shake

The death of fashion icon Harry Brant at age 24 is a familiar saga.

Like musical icon Michael Jackson he developed an addiction to a prescription drug. And addictions can be very difficult or even impossible for many to shake.

Just talk candidly with counselors at rehab centers and "regulars" at 12-step recovery meetings. And, yes, so many of those compulsions to use prescription medication start accidently. There is the dental work. There might be the sports injury. There could be surgery on the arm. There is a party.

In his short life, Brant had modeled for Italian Vogue. He had done journalistic work for his father Peter Brant's magazine Interview. He and his brother Peter created a unisex makeup. And most of all he was an acknowledged influencer in fashion.

What should be obvious to those in the legal sector, where substance abuse is common, is not to start.  Once off to the races, the ritual of drug-taking can become a needed habit. Or, at least, that is the default assumption. 

The classic case of that had been the death of Wilson Sonsini partner (San Diego office) partner Peter Munson. As I cover in this article, he died from a condition related to the IV use of drugs. For him, drug use seemed to be the tool which enabled him to go along with the demands of his career. Like many addicts - whether that be to pills or alcohol - he connected the dots in this way: He had discovered a good thing. Without it, his supposed "best thinking" likely told him his career would go kaput. 

Yes, there are lawyers who do take the exit ramp out of addiction. However, usually that is too late to save their careers and much of the rest of their lives. 

In a northeastern Ohio 12-step program a disbarred lawyer told how his impaired judgment from substance abuse resulted in bizarre decisions. At the top of the list was to embezzle rather than lay off the relatives employed by him in a real estate firm during the 2008 crash. For that he spent two years in prison and lost his family.

His message is: Don't start with the substances. His hunch is that going to law school had been the wrong career path. His discontent practicing law could have been what opened the door to experimenting with substances to tolerate the discomfort of a bad professional fit.

The good news is that there are currently accepted as treatment modalities other than Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12-step programs it had generated. According to addiction specialists, AA has a success rate of between 8% and 12%. Back in 2015 in The Atlantic, Gabrielle Glaser published the seminal article discussing the program's weaknesses. It's now obvious and doable: If AA doesn't pan out for you, move on to try what might. 

Recovery can begin with a call to a free, confidential hotline for emotional distress. No, you don't have to be actually suicidal. A proven-out one among my clients is New York City's Samaritans. It operates 24/7. Those who answer do eloquent listening. The number is 212-673-3000.

Meanwhile, those considering empowering themselves though the use of addictive substances might play around with the question: Am I on the wrong career path?

Had I not drank my way through a professional bad fit of a doctoral program at a prestigious university I might have been able to pivot to the careers I eventually pursued - with joy, money and satisfaction.

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Of Course, There Will Be No Retirement

"After improving slightly in 2019, the outlook for financial security in retirement for workers ages 30 to 59 deteriorated in 2020, according to a study released Tuesday by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research." - Anne Tergesen, The Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2021.

According to that survey, the majority - 51% - risk not being able to maintain their lifestyle in retirement. That is up from 49% in 2019. 

The primary cause for the increase is the fallout from COVID-19. Both the present and the future are in play. No one knows what will really happen on the macro level of the world economy, national economies, industries and companies. There are also as many unknows on the micro level of the individual worker or the self-employed. 

Meanwhile, the Future of Work is scary for human beings. The robots seem to be getting the upper hand. 

Because of the extensive uncertainty, there are no absolute answers as there had been in our parents' work life. 

Back then, a comfortable retirement could be assured by sticking with one employer which guaranteed a job for life and a pension. In addition, sock something away for emergencies such as if the divorced son or daughter bounces home with grandchildren and you have to pitch in financially. And that was that. 

Currently the very possibility of not working for income seems elusive. Sure, some might be able to financially pull that off and live the good life. But most will discover, even before stopping work, retirement is 20th century. Those who do retire, the Federal Reserve found, frequently bounce back into the workforce. The common reason is that they cannot make ends meet. So far, one-third of retirees have returned to the labor market. 

Instead of planning for retirement per se, it is more realistic to create a strategy to have enough income as you age so that you don't have to work full-time and/or do what you hope not to do any more. For example, if you are putting in those hellish hours in professional services such as law or management consulting, focus on money-management so that eventually you can do that part-time or on a contract basis. 

With the gig economy on a growth trajectory it is easier to land just-in-time assignments in your field of expertise. Between gigs, you can enjoy living your life on your own terms, just as you daydreamed about during the peak years of your career. That phase of your work life can be labeled "semiretirement."

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Hermit as Hero - Flight from Nuisances and Comforts of Civilization

Some personally remember what could be thought of as "The Fire This Time."

In 1967, urban areas such as Detroit, Michigan and Newark, New Jersey went up in flames. The front lines of those uprisings were alleged to be people of color.

Currently, the insurrections are very different. Instead of fire, there are firearms and bombs. Instead of people of color there allegedly are those championing the white race. Likely more lives will be lost this time around than back in the late 1960s. In addition, there could be greater fear of society unraveling. The veneer of civilization becomes just that - clearly an illusion.

How well the guardians of civilization - law enforcement - can uphold that concept will be on trial during the transition in Administrations. That will be played out both in D.C. and in the states.

What could attract more interest is the saga of a modern-day hermit who turned his back on the nuisances and comforts of civilization. That had been Christopher Knight. His story is told in "The Stranger in the Woods" by Michael Finkel. In 1986, he entered the woods of Maine. Until he was discovered there in 2013, Knight got by without human companionship, a job, medical care or technology. At 133,490, the book remains a best-seller.

More of the wealthy are doing a less radical version of what Knight pulled off. They are pivoting out of sophisticated urban areas and putting together a lifestyle beyond the parameters of what had been considered The Good Life. The New Paradise is a large ranch in Wyoming. Telecommuting makes that more and more possible. 

I found my Eden in the small town on the border of Mexico: Sierra Vista, Arizona. My vehicle had been vandalized in Toledo, Ohio. During the 1967 riots my parents' car had been pelted with rocks. The local police station had been invaded. Fires raged on main streets. 

A liberal arts major (along with picking up advanced degrees in literature and language) I align with the world view of William Shakespeare. He saw mankind as "cankered in the grain." In his tragedies and history dramas he captured that dark side. 

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Inauguration Day - Diversity Symbolism

Diversity takes a giant step forward on Inauguration Day - at least symbolically.

The global media cameras will be panning on the administration of the oath of office to Vice President Kamala Harris by United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Both are minorities. 

As the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday comes around again, it's interesting to reflect what that activist for racial equality would make his priorities today. And what strategies and tactics would he be using. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Kent Halkett - Yes, Clinical Depression Is a Chronic Disease and, You Bet, Legal Sector Tends to Be Unforgiving

Those who suffer from clinical depression when practicing law might be labeled "The Unforgiven."

Even when treated effectively there can be "tells" that the lawyer is predisposed to some kind of depression.

That's not unique to law, though. In my corporate career in executive communications I had kept my history of clinical depression confidential. Given that I was in a "creative function," I got away with that. Creatives are allowed fluctuations in mood. Had I stayed at Harvard Law School beyond the 1L year, I might not have been so successful at concealing my condition when practicing law. 

As Abovethelaw reports, one-time lawyer at Sidley Austin Kent Halkett seems to have wound up among The Unforgiven. There and at another prestigious law firm, the "tells" seemed to do him in. There were negative impacts on his career.

Yes, Sidley Austin was also where Gabe MacConaill, who committed suicide, had been a partner. When in extreme emotional distress MacConaill didn't seek treatment because he sized this up: Data about receiving treatment could have finished his career. 

Yet, the statistics about clinical depression specifically and mental illness in general in legal sector are well-known. In addition, what more experts and victims are acknowledging is this: Clinical depression is a chronic disease. It can return again and again, after years of being free of the symptoms. 

Of course, there have been initiatives in the legal sector to address that reality. But, given the brutal individualism of capitalism, those who find themselves with some form of psychiatric challenge are primarily on their own. Their first instinct, before deciding to get help, probably is to assess how much damage this development could have on their careers. 

There are, of course, DIY approaches to dealing with clinical depression. Those bypass the still-stigma of having been treated by a professional. The DIY remedies include over-the-counter medications, aerobic activities, meditation, prayer and "changing the channel" in one's head. Regarding the latter, we tend to be our thoughts.

Also, depressives like myself have experimented with more what be considered radical solutions. Recently, after a depressive episode in the midwest, I tried out relocating to a part of the nation which seemed less of a closed system and the weather was milder.

For now, that has panned out. No surprise, I am attracting a better-quality client. My coaching blog has been syndicated. "At my age," when making new friends is difficult, I have made several. And, I have been able to get on the other side of my dog's death. 

Increasingly, I have become disenchanted with the medical establishment and its perspectives on clinical depression. Most of those on the front lines lack deep-listening patience. Also, there seems to be a lack of transparency. 

What has reduced much of the pain I have experienced on and off since age 11 has been experimentation. However, since this disease is also unpredictable, I will not rule out seeking professional help in the future. In 2003, I got amazing results from consulting for several months with West Hartford, Connecticut cognitive therapist Amy Karnilowicz.

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What Trial Lawyers Could Tell the 2.4 Million Who Lost Their Jobs in the Restaurant Industry

According to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, 2.4 million of you lost your jobs since the pandemic began.

Some of you are opting to, as the saying goes, "wait it out." You're optimistic the industry will bounce back and you can pick up in your career where you left off.

But more of you are telling me in coaching consultations you are pessimistic about the future of the restaurant industry. Sure, it could recover. But that will take a long time. That's time you don't have to pay your bills.

The good news is that no matter what your particular function had been in the restaurant business, you have an edge in reimagining your career path. Primarily, that's because you have been in the front lines of service. That could be as a waiter/waitress or in the back office planning what food to order, how much of it and when. Every aspect of that requires insight about soft skills. Dan Goleman called that "Emotional Intelligence."

Soft skills are in-demand. That's even in tech. New applications have to be made user-friendly (UX) and introduced to target markets with human touch points. The era of tech for tech's sake is over. 

Restaurant workers have all that down cold. They have to. There is that old joke in the legal sector. A parent asks a famous trial lawyer what the daughter should do to prepare for a career in law. The parent specifically asks about joining the debating club. The lawyer laughs. Hell no, the lawyer answers, get the kid a job in a restaurant. There she will learn how to size up people. 

What are the soft skills most valued right now? They include:

Creativity

Communications

Leadership

Problem-solving. 

The challenge is this: You have to take the time to do a comprehensives audit of what you used to do on your particular job. Start out with what you went over in your mind on the way to work and continue that into what you reflected on about your work day on the way home. Put all that into these boxes:

Accomplishments (quantify what you can)

Experience

Knowledge Base

Skills 

Next, go to massive online help-wanted listings such as Craigslist - Site. Bring up all the categories in, for example, Los Angeles, California or Cleveland, Ohio. Analyze what those hiring need. Then create resumes, cover letters and interview scripts to align with what's in demand. 

Yes, that can be done DIY. If you find that too complex or overwhelming, I am here for you. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

BigLaw Firm Crowell & Moring Calls for Removal of Donald Trump as President

"This morning, the leaders of Crowell & Moring, a Washington, D.C.-based Am Law 100 firm, issued a statement calling for the 'defense of Constitutional democracy.' In that statement, the members of the firm’s management board demanded that the 25th Amendment be used to strip Trump of his title and duties. " - Staci Zaretsky, Abovethelaw, January 7, 2021.

BigLaw firm Crowell & Moring is the first law firm to issue a public statement indicating the need to remove Donald Trump from the office of the U.S. President of the United States. But it will likely have much company in that stance soon.

Increasingly, large law firms have been using their resources to shape current events.

That was most evident when Paul Weiss chairperson Brad Karp organized an initiative among myriad law firms to help the victims of COVID-19. That had been the Coronavirus Relief Center. Later the firm had funded social justice projects. 

In this time of extreme crisis, America seems to be circling back to the ethos of interdependence, as it had been articulated by the Renaissance literary giant John Donne. His classic poem had been "No Man Is an Island." The takeaway lines are that a community should not ask for whom the bell tolls during tragedy. It tolls for them.

The bell is tolling for all of America. Law firms which have the influence are leading the way in responding to that.

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