Law And More

ABA Survey Confirms Known Professional/Personal Impacts of Law-School Loan Debt

The numbers are familiar.

In late October 2021, the American Bar Association released the findings of its survey about law-school graduate loan debt.

More than 75% owed $100,00.

More than half owed more than $150,000.

And, one in four owned more than $200,000.

The impacts on professional and personal lives were also familiar.

In career-planning, new graduates frequently saw themselves forced to go for the work situation which paid the most, not the one they really wanted. Also, some opted for positions which provided loan forgiveness versus risking choosing a more lucrative but employment-insecure path. On the personal level, of course, they perceived it necessary to delay or to completely rule out creating a family.

The ABA has made suggestions. Yes, the big financial nut could be reduced and/or its terms and conditions could be eased. But six-figure debt is six-figure debt. Anyone who has found themselves in that pickle knows how difficult it is to pivot out. Meanwhile, daily life can be a sustained nightmare of fear of falling behind in repayments.

Of course, law-school graduates have plenty of company in being locked into student loan debt. That could factor into the rising suicide rate of youth. 

Will the Biden Administration fix this? There is plenty of grassroots opposition to bailing out those burdened with debt from higher education. Yet, the existence of that debt is keeping aspects of the American economy stuck.

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Changing Administrations, In-house Budget Cuts - Displaced Older Lawyers Pivot Away from 5 Self-Defeating Defaults

Of course, with the Administrations changing and the budget cuts coming in corporate legal departments, older, well-compensated lawyers could lose their employment. 

Also, age bias in professional life is real.

Primarily because of it, documents builtin.com, by your mid to late 60s, 90% of you will stop working. That's despite the reality that most of you do not have adequate financial resources to see you through your 70s, 80s and beyond without bringing in more income from work. 

But, that's not the whole story.

The other part is how too many of you are shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to searching for work, pushing for a promotion, moving on to better work, starting a business and/or growing a business. 

In my coaching those over-50, I have observed five specific ways in which you are stuck in self-defeating patterns when it comes to work. 

Gluing the aging stigma onto you. You buy in. No need to. You know your value as a member of the labor market. In addition, that mindset hardens into self-hate.

Pivot from apologizing for "being old" to talking the language of results. Explicitly let employers and clients/customers know what you can do for them better, faster and more affordably than your competition. 

Sure, there will be lots of rejection. Just move on. Remember how much rejection there also had been when you were just starting out in the labor market. Also, when you aimed for promotions or to expand your business ventures. 

Feeling compelled to explain (usually with too much detail) how things used to be done. You may be assuming such a description showcases your deep knowledge of the industry. Instead, though, it can brand you as stuck in yesterday. Those in power probably conclude you might not be flexible enough to catapult into all the changes going in that work setting. Embrace as your new mantra: The past likely has become irrelevant. 

Still chasing status. Work has to become a matter of income. Not career paths and especially not prestigious ones. That's not only a situation with the over-50. Increasingly, predicts Wallis Towers Watson, careers are being replaced by what you put together as a portfolio of skills and experiences. The path probably won't be linear.

Members of all generations are finding that, to continue to bring in income, they have to start over, again and again. Their industry might have gone kaput. Their skills are no longer marketable. The region they're living in is losing jobs to other regions. That re-start likely lacks status. It may pay less. But, as the old adage goes: Nothing gets you work like work. Working is more productive than not working. Also, when not working skills atrophy.

Here, a free read, is the bible for the over-50 on landing, holding and moving on to better work Download Outwitting ageism.

Allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by technology. The reality is that you only have to know the technologies associated with your work or those which will soon enough be part of your work. You don't have to know everything. And, your objective in learning is not to become a whizz in tech per se. 

Technology is a tool. It's your responsibility to have all the tools you need or might need in your tool box. No employer or client/customer is requiring you to have the expertise or even the perspective of an insider in the tech industry. 

Never learning the art of self-compassion. The burden of your past setbacks, errors of judgments and actual crashes is what you continue to carry around. You are not alone in looping into the negative, without the ability to understand and forgive yourself. That's exactly why the emerging meme is self-compassion.

Capitalism is a brutal economic system. You can't expect others to nudge you on the path of accepting the past and your own role in what didn't pan or went very wrong.

That's an inside job. How to learn the fundamentals of self-compassion?

There are religions which teach those. Shop around for a religious organization which is a good fit for you. 

Also, meditation can clear the channel in the mind. You can learn that exercise free on the Internet. For example, here is American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron on YouTube guiding you how to calm the turmoil of the mind. In one school of Buddhist thought, the mantra is: Clear thinking, don't know. That helps you from assuming you should have been infallible in your past decisions.

There are free 12-step programs such as Emotions Anonymous.

If you have good medical insurance, your co-pay for psychotherapy can be low. 

Or, you can start your own support group for acquiring the art of self-compassion. You may be surprised that youth will want to join. 

If you can find your way out of these five self-defeating behaviors, aging can be a gift. You can enjoy working without being excessively driven. Also, you have the wisdom to know when to stay and when to leave. That gives you the edge in the entire process of earning income from work - as an employee, gig player or business owner.

You may even become a late bloomer. University of Chicago researcher David W. Galenson documented there is such an entity. The book he published on that phenomenon is "Old Masters and Young Geniuses."

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The Failure of Success - New Year Eve's Audit of Promotional Strategies

This is an object lesson to all those who don't audit their promotional tactics. Legal marketers are at the top of the list. 

Ever since public relations player Bob Dilenschneider put out there a book on power in the early 1990s, he has been using publishing print books as his MO for marketing his firm The Dilenschneider Group. That first book had done well.

On December 31st, 2019, he was at it again. Out came "Decisions." It never caught on. Today, one year later, it ranks below the one million mark on Amazon - 1,138,306.

Meanwhile, Dilenschneider had a growing number of options to enhance his branding, boost influence, prevent client churn and develop new business. Among his advisors is his long-term assistant Joan Avagliano. 

For example, podcasting was catching fire. He has a good speaking voice, is skilled at interviewing and has a network of contacts to interview. That audio medium would have been perfect for him. This week I published on Odwyerpr.com an article "Podcasting in 2021."

Instead of moving the needle on his business objectives, Dilenschneider plunked himself in the Amazon corridor of shame. That's where authors wind up whose books don't sell. 

What this clinging to old success formulas might remind us of is Ben Horowitz's seminal leadership essay "The Peacetime Vs. Wartime CEO."

In it, Horowitz depicts the peacetime CEO as settled-in, no longer hypervigilant about threats as well as opportunities for victory. Of course, that CEO could be a sitting duck for attack. He or she isn't sleeping with a gun, one eye half-open.

On the other hand, the wartime CEO is downright paranoid about the possibility of attack. That's exactly how the leader should be in an uncertain economy with lots of upstart competition. They are always assuming the enemy is trying to outfox them. They expect both stealth and big-bang competitive action. And, no, they won't fight this war as they fought the last one.

The Horowitz message is, however, nothing new. Rattling around since the beginning of civilization has been the old adage: Nothing fails like success.

It's during success that all promotional tactics should be audited for current results and the odds of future ones. 

This New Year's Eve is the perfect timing for that kind of audit. With such a glut of content in all mediums, that should be mandatory every month afterward. 

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Playing in the Elite University Sandbox - Potentially Hazardous to a Sense of Self (and probably no-sustainable career plus)

"In 2014, the economists Stacy Dale and Alan Krueger published an analysis of the benefits of attending a highly selective college. They found that, after statistically controlling for students’ SAT scores, economic background and college ambitions, the long-term financial returns are 'generally indistinguishable from zero.'” - Kevin Carey, The New York Times, March 15, 2019.

However, other research documents that there could be a return on investment from the struggle to be admitted to a highly selective university. 

Those include the studies by the Equal Opportunity Project and Mark Hoekstra. The former found going to a Harvard or Princeton, for example, could be a platform for migrating to becoming a member of the 1%. The latter documented that white men who had matriculated at large research universities earned 20% more than those who didn't. Note, though, that such entailed white male privilege which has become wobbly.

Despite the low odds of an elite education being a sustainable career advantage, helping students be admitted is a growing industry. There is even the ranking game for the best college admissions consulting firms. In short, CollegeAdmissionsGate didn't derail that business sector.

Yesterday, I interviewed for a contract coaching and communications assignment at one of those enterprises which strive for a track record in catapulting high schoolers into the top 20 university "brands." The process can begin sophomore year in high school. 

The game is played in such as rigid sandbox, I perceived, that there is no attention paid to the fit between the young person and the educational setting. A student focused on the family farm who would do well at a midwest state school is deterred from that. The goal - and the only goal - is admission to a top 20, the higher the better. 

In this business, the parent, not the student, is the client. At the firm where I interviewed there seemed to be anxiety about not satisfying the parents' mandates. The result of not doing that could be the parents' request for a refund. And, probably plenty of badmouthing on their networks about that particular college admissions center.

The process seemed revolting. I didn't follow up with a bread-and-butter email for all the time the organization gave me to analyze five case studies. My gut, always a smart-aleck type, kept nudging me to bow out during the interview itself. The elephant in the room was that the elite advantage was and is short-term. Sure, it opens some doors early in a career. But then the professionals are on their own. 

What I envisioned to be the real result of this kind of force-fitting was the kind of Lost Generation of students depicted by Yale professor William Deresiewicz in his book "Excellent Sheep." 

Those human beings have been shaped by forces such as their ambitious parents and admissions consulting services to conform. That circles back to to the ethos of the Eisenhower era of not-questioning. We Baby Boomers were instructed to walk the line. That would guarantee a standard of living way beyond that of our parents. However, of course, that wasn't sustainable. The counterculture, racial-equality activism and women's liberation changed just about everything.

Students who are admitted to elite institutions of higher education might consider their sunk costs too steep to dare think about how they got there and what kind of life lies ahead. Those "excellent sheep," though, might find it increasingly difficult to navigate a labor market totally disrupted by a world economy, technology, a talent glut and COVID-19.

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

Older Staff Forced Out of Law-Firm Jobs - 5 Pivots to Keep Working

COVID-19 has been brutal for the employment of older employees. 

The employers' need to cost-cut, along with senior workers' high compensation, has made aging employees a target for layoffs, early retirements and even outright firings. 

In law firms, the category of worker getting pushed out has primarily been staff - at least so far.

In addition to the need for more cost-efficiency two things have been going on. One has been that during WFH, lawyers had to learn to do many of the tasks staff had performed in the office. The other is the continuation of robotic automation. As in Corporate America in the early 1980s, technology is eliminating myriad administration positions. Next came the jobs of middle management. So, there are those who anticipate the next round of job cuts will be the even higher paying positions of lawyers. 

Typical of COVID-19 times, a 64-yer-old professional who was terminated from his job writes in to Greg Giangrande at the New York Post.

After the job was gone, in his job search he has encountered only rejection. Among his observations - and he is on the money - when the interview is via video, as with Zoom, he is bound to be turned down. His age, of course. The world is digital and it is tilted against anyone who isn't a digital native. The assumption is that older workers haven't kept up enough with technology. 

Of course, Giangrande answers "no." The man should hang in there. But he has to audit how he is searching for work, identify what isn't effective and experiment. Also, Giangrande recommends resources such as Workforce50.com and RetirementJobs.com. AARP is also in his corner.

Here also are the 5 pivots I found useful for those over-50 whom I coach:

At the top of the list is: Develop a positive mindset. Since you probably have to continue working to be financially secure, you will find work. 

Likely it won't be career-path kind. But that's okay. You are simply ahead of your time.

According to Willis Watson Towers, the career is 20th century. Instead, you will be setting up and updating a portfolio of skills and experiences. It won't be linear.

That applies to all generations, not just you. The members of the Class of 2020 could start out as a manager trainee in McDonald's USA. The next paid employment could be at a startup creating an app for reimagining the drive-thru aspect of fast food centers.

Number-two. Drop all concept of status. Sure, it was great to be known as working in a law firm. But, come on, work is work. And work leads to better-paying work. Not working not only triggers the atrophy of skills. It also erodes your ability to present yourself as a ready-to-work professional.

If you remain in the work box, it will be all about landing, holding, and moving to better work. A free read, here is my book on that fresh approach to bringing in income Download Outwitting ageism.

At age 58, I was a security guard in an inner city Home Depot. At age 59, I was putting together a boutique for digital marketing. That was way back in 2005. The loss preventing experience stated out as a contract job. Through hard work, I turned it into a full-time one with benefits. Management wanted me to accept a supervisory role. But, already I was on my way back to self-employment. Here is that story. Since I published it, which has had more than a million downloads, I have started up several new enterprises. You bet, I got over prestige.

Number-three. Reconfigure your network. Those from the past may be absolutely the wrong fit for you now. A useful book on how former networks can hold you back is "Necessary Endings" by executive coach Henry Cloud. As research on mirror neurons shows, we human being influence each other, cell by cell. Outdated influence can destroy your confidence in earning a good living, despite aging. 

There's a new version of you out there searching for work. No longer do you have the protective coloring of a law-firm employee. Part of this rite of passage is developing a fresh personal brand. 

Number-four. Learn new skills. The process can be cost-effective. For example, at a community college or trade school you can become certified as a substance abuse counselor or expert in a software. 

Public libraries provide free seminars in software packages. And universities often provide free non-credit courses to seniors. Some of them require a small fee such as $5 for registration.

Number-five. Ask for help if you sense you are "stuck." That could be in the form of a close friend, significant other, clergy, therapist, or coach such as myself. The answers are all inside yourself. But sometimes you need a guide to help you find them.

Anecdote: One of the handyman in this residential complex  - Bernie A. Fignar - has that full-time job. In addition, he has three other side gigs. He owns a super-large SUV and a giant camper. He exudes the confidence of a successful man. 

His secret to remaining working, even "at his age": He tells those hiring what results he can get for them and how. He doesn't recite an abstract laundry list of credentials. His presentation of self is in the now. Former law-firm staff have to be prepared to showcase how they are the best fit to do the job the employer needs to get done. 

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

5 of The Many Lessons Learned - Distressed Boies Schiller

The once-unthinkable is out there: Law firm Boies Schiller seems wobbly (think rumored cash flow problems) and could collapse. 

When Dewey & LeBoeuf was on its downward trajectory, there were myriad articles about lessons which should be learned from what would be a gigantic thud in the law-firm sector.

It's no longer premature to speculate about what lessons can be learned from the distress Boies Schiller seems to be in. 

Here are 5, of the many:

The court of public opinion can take precedence over what is done to be a fierce advocate for a client. There is a line not to be crossed.

The fallout from how David Boies sought to defend Harvey Weinstein has been brutal and sustained. Here The New Yorker exposes his strategy and tactics.

And his aggressive behavior on behalf of Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes will be even more obvious when "U.S. v. Elizabeth Holmes" goes to trial next March (which COVID-19 will likely delay yet again). Meanwhile we have the book "Bad Blood" to get the full details of Boies' strong-arm tactics with The Wall Street Journal.

Even in a prestigious firm the divine right of kings is less and less acceptable. The founders of the firm demanded a cut of the revenue. That was perceived by some of the help as a kind of tax imposed. Way back when England's King George III tried that with the American colonists. They broke away, as have 60 Boies Schiller partners just in 2020.

Official and unofficial law firm policies will have to become less despotic. A new generation of lawyers has entered BigLaw. Like their fellow Millennials they are focused on changing the culture. Their edge is that they have technology down cold, which the leadership doesn't. That tech savvy can be weaponized. If they remain unhappy with the organizational culture, they can band together and launch competitive boutique law firms. 

Compromise is often necessary, even when one is holding a strong hand. There was the possibility of a merger with Cadwalader. But that might never have gotten off the ground because the media has it that Boies Schiller was unwilling to share financial details. Also founder Jonathan Schiller mandated his name be part of the title for the new entity created. 

That merger could have saved the legacy of the major players at Boies Schiller. Now, all could be lost. Power brokers have to understand when to hold and when to fold. 

Make succession planning a priority. Without a clear succession plan for when the founder steps back, no one can feel secure about the law-firm brand or the terms and conditions of their employment.

What Boies fooled around with didn't have traction. He is 79 years old. The big gun in that loop - Nick Gravante - has left. 

Admittedly, even careful succession planning doesn't always guarantee the continuation of success. The classic example of that had been GE. Jack Welch bet on the wrong horse to succeed him.

In short, the transition in leadership is always a tricky time. Handled badly or in a misguided manner, it could be the tipping point for the decline of the business. 

Branding should transcend the founding fathers/mothers and the high-profile players. From the get-go, it's demoralizing to have what might be considered a "cabal" dominate the media headlines. And, some speculate the media is the most powerful entity in the world. Its reach is beyond that of wealth or government. In addition, there's too much risk to have the reputation of a business so totally tied to one leader or a small group.

It's a fundamental in public relations not to feature any one person in most kinds of messaging. That person could soon be in prison for embezzling or some other brand-eroding activity. 

The more sustainable positioning and packaging are the models established by Joe Andrew at Dentons and Brad Karp at Paul Weiss. They are only one among many. Their law-firm's identity is not tied to them. 

There are many other factors involved in the present troubles of Boies Schiller.

The real takeaway here is the old adage: Nothing fails like success. Every one in a law firm has to be hyper-aware of what is changing and what could change.

A reminder of how fragile businesses are is the seminal book from the early 1980s  "In Search of Excellence" by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. It focuses on how many companies that had been major players had failed. Ironically, some of the businesses those two management consultants praised, such as Wang Laboratories, had also gone kaput.

To paraphrase that line from William Shakespeare's history play "Henry IV" - Uneasy lies the fate of the business which wears the crown.

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Law.com Makes It Explicit & Public: Boies Schiller Could Collapse

"Nick Gravante's stunning departure from the firm he helped lead through a messy transition has put Boies Schiller Flexner's future in doubt, industry experts and sources close to the firm say." - Dylan Jackson, Law.com, December 4, 2020.

The death watch has begun.

That, of course, could hasten the collapse of Boies Schiller since clients could phase out or even bolt. New business would be difficult to attract. Talent will hesitate to even interview with the firm.

Meanwhile, as with the impending end of law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf, the media outfits are supercharged. If the end does come, there will be a New Yorker kind of autopsy as had been penned by James Stewart for Dewey & LeBoeuf. Meanwhile, there are hopes that those still working at Boies Schiller, both lawyers and staff, will leak to Abovethelaw and other media properties about what is happening and how dark is the mood.

Yes, Boies Schiller could pull out of the death spiral. Here are my 4 recommendations.

But, with the rumors of cash flow problems, bookmakers are unlikely to be betting on a turnaround, then a transformation.

For example, it would be difficult to find a merger partner. There is that famous quip from Lee Iacocca at a dinner for security analysts. Finally, his team was making progress in a turnaround for distressed Chrysler. One security analyst asked Iacocca why hadn't he sought out a merger. He answered: The girls don't dance with you when you're teetering on bankruptcy. 

However, as crisis experts know, this kind of development opens the door for big brandnames to be made.

There will be the journalist with the internal sources at Boies Shiller who chronicles the final days and how the firm got there.

There will be the law firms such as Paul Weiss which could poach the last remaining tigers still roaming around the firm.

There will be the lawyer who, like reformer Martin Luther in 1517, posts a declaration about what is so wrong in defense law practices.

There will be the associate at Boies Schiller who gets the book contract to publish a tell-all. That could become unofficial required reading at law schools. 

Yes, let the good times roll. Stars were made during the downward trajectory of Dewey & LeBoeuf. Among them had been David Lat at Abovethelaw. He didn't miss a move. Incidentally, page views on this blog soared.

Crisis is the mother of unusual success. 

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Saving Boies Schiller - 4 Strategies for Reputation Restoration

Bloomberg Law analyzed the pickle prestigious litigation firm Boies Schiller is in.

Some might conclude all seems to be lost. And a death watch should be launched. The keywords associated with that could be guaranteed clickbait.

But, as with just about any entity in this era of reputation restoration, Boies Schiller can be saved. 

Here are 4 strategies:

Co-founder David Boies confess his sins. He can admit there were times when he was a bit too aggressive in how he advocated for his client. Those hours meeting with The Wall Street Journal editorial board about client Theranos had been one of them. As an "amend," Boies can establish a foundation which assists defense lawyers with ethical decisions about client representation. Simultaneously, he can showcase how the members of the plaintiff bar have become too clever by far. Notice the nuclear verdicts they are achieving. Sure, publish a book. 

Pull off lateral transfers.  Currently, one of the most powerful branding tools is successfully poaching key players from other law firms. Those prominent lawyers can create a new practice or enhance a practice already in existence. Boies Schiller wants to remain a litigation firm so it should poach high-profile personalities from that niche in the AmLaw 100. At Paul Weiss, chairman Brad Krap pulled off big media bangs with the lateral coups he accomplished. Some of those such as Karen Dunn had been from Boies Schiller.

Launch a needed pro bono initiative. There is that adage: Do well by doing good. At powerhouse Dentons global chairperson Joe Andrew has become the champion of The Little Guy. Here is his iconic opinion-editorial, published in The Hill. The outreach by Boise Schiller partners can be on behalf of small landlords in danger of bankruptcy because tenants aren't paying the rent.

Hire an innovative fast-results public relations firm. This situation requires fresh bold thinking. There is also urgency. Partners at Boies Schiller can pitch in the funds to finance this kind of investment in breakthrough moves on reputation restoration.

At stake, of course, is David Boies' legacy in litigation. He could go down as a "Bad Guy."

The story history writes is the players' responsibility to shape while still alive. Everything sends a message and it's up to David Boies  to be transmitting the ones which reimagine his professional branding.

Meanwhile, for now, the Karps and Andrews types of leaders are playing nicely in the influence sandbox. Within Boies Schiller and other troubled law firms, an internal committee could be set up to monitor their strategies and tactics, and integrate those which fit organically.

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

 

Beyond The Bonus High - Economy, Stuck Lawyers Threaten Sustained Profitability

"Law firm business leaders at regional firms are cautiously optimistic about their growth strategies over the next three years, according to a recent survey [by Thomas Reuters]. At the same time, they are closely watching economic conditions and change-resistant attorneys that pose the highest risks to profitability. - Justin Henry, Law.com, November 30, 2020. 

'Tis the official season (as opposed to the off-season Coronavirus Appreciation one) of bonuses. And they are putting associates on a high. 

But, there is a undercurrent of anxiety. The survey by Thomas Reuters of regional firms picked up on the alertness to what could derail longer-term profitability. At the top of the list are:

The Economy

Lawyers Stuck in Their Ways. 

Despite the robust Dow Jones, things look iffy in terms of the global economy. The OECD cut its 2021 global economy growth forecast from 5% to 4.2%. And even that will be depend a lot on what governments do to shore out national and local economies. Any recovery could go kaput.

Obviously, lawyers set in their ways are going to be noticed - and not in a positive way - by clients and prospects. For example, when prospects ask them what software packages they will use for X or Y, they could be inappropriately mute. In addition, law firms stacked with stuck partners could have a difficult time recruiting the best and brightest associates and laterals. 

In short, law firms prospering currently have to strategically plan for the post-pandemic era.

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Belonging - Minority Lawyers Don't Have That Feeling

"The legal industry continues to underperform other professional services [such as accounting and consulting] when it comes to diversity and inclusion and lost ground on several metrics over the last two years, according to a new survey." - Ruiqi Chen, Bloomberg Law, November 30, 2020.

The survey had been conducted by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.

An interesting thing to note here is that, again, search firm Heidrick & Struggles is not part of seminal surveys. In addition, its leadership is not often quoted, as are those from Major, Lindsey and Africa. Here is the snippet from my encounters of the strangest kind with Heidrick & Struggles.

What's particularly lacking, minorities in in-house legal and law firms indicate, is a sense of belonging. They don't feel they can be themselves at work. In addition, they assess their voices are not being heard. 

Given there has been more progress in inclusion in other professional services, this is an indictment of the legal sector. Despite so much upheaval because of the global economy, COVID-19 and technology, the profession remains dominated by middle-aged white men. 

The situation is analogous in myriad ways to when we Baby Boomer women took on professional roles in Corporate America. No longer were we restricted to being secretaries. Of course, we got it that we had to take on protective coloring. So much for those cute little bow ties. Also, we assumed we had to adopt the M.B.A. rhetoric. Ironically, simultaneously, it was expected that we would wear high heels and be conventionally attractive.

It was a difficult time. My solution was to launch my own boutique. 

One has to assume that minority lawyers are also looped into such ordeals. 

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