Law And More

FIRE & Lawyers - It's a Mindset

Careers in the 21st century get played out in dog years.

That's especially in the already-demanding field of practicing law.

So, no surprise, as 2018 ends and resolutions for 2019 are being put together, some lawyers are looking at FIRE - Financial Independence, Retire Early. 

Essentially, FIRE is a mindset. Your values shift from pursuing a career to working, if you choose to continue with earning income, in a less intense, ego-driven manner. 

In FIRE, you made enough money. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just enough. 

You can leave practicing law behind totally.

Or you can downshift to leveraging your experience and skills in ways which won't suck out your soul - and perhaps preoccupy you with suicidal ideation.

The leveraging can be within law per se or toward something very different. For example, you can become certified to counsel recovering addicts. In that you have the edge since you know the legalities substance abusers encounter.

Ironically, you might be more successful, on many levels, post-FIRE. That's how the zen of detachment frequently operates. The less you care too much the more you might achieve. 

Here, free to download, is a guide for finding the ramp out of your comfort zone. We humans seem wired to be stuck.

Coaching and Thought Leadership Ghostwriting about Issues Associated with Careers.

Complimentary consultation, sliding scale fees. Please contact Jane Genova at janegenova374@gamil.com.

 

 

Not Hot? Get Locked Up for Murder

If not offed, Chris Watts could enjoy a lifetime in prison of romantic bliss.

The Daily Mail reports that from the get-go of his first weeks of being sentenced to life in prison for a triple murder he has received love letters. Some contain sexy photos, as well as money for Watts to spend in the prison commissary.

This attention is bound to continue. Some of it can escalate into proposals to marry him.

There is a phenomenon of women who pursue locked-up murders.

Those have ranged from Scott Peterson to Erik and Lyle Menendez. The latter two have married in prison. For Lyle, it has been two marriages. One was to a Playboy model, another to an editor who became an attorney. 

Of course, there are many theories why women become romantically involved with those imprisoned for murder. Here is a detailed account in the New York Post. 

At the top of the list is the lure of the Bad Boy. In her imagination he seems lots more exciting, on a variety of levels, than the Good Boy who is committed to god, country, family, and his employer.

Then there is the issue of control. That guy ain't going anywhere. Of course, he could drop her. But she could worm her way in with enough attention and money that that it wouldn't be in his self-interest to do that.

This is a two-way street. The inmate could also be a super-manipulator. He makes the woman believe he is innocent, misunderstood, and needs her. There are women who need to be needed.

So far, notes Daily Mail, Watts has not responded to the love letters. He probably has simply staying alive on his mind, instead.

His particular crimes don't go over well in prisons. Already he has been moved from the Colorado prison to one out-of-state for his protection. 

Out of the Box Communications = Unexpected Results

Complimentary Consultation janegenova374@gmail.com – I help, not sell.

 

Legal Sector - Predictions for 2019

For the legal sector and businesses associated with it (such as law schools) 2018 was the Year of the Comeback. 

But, that was then. 

The ambitious, those just starting out, the sidelined, and the game-changers are focused on what could play out in 2019. Speculating, of course, is all for fun. Those who pretend to do that with any authority are delusional, fraudulent, or just plain arrogant. 

Here are some hunches. 

• Nearly 80 and after having a bumpy 2018, superlawyer David Boies will phase out of the leadership of the firm he started Boies Schiller Flexner.  Employees might rejoice. On Glassdoor, they give the law firm a rating of 2.9 out of a possible 5.
• The correction in the stock market, along with a global economic slowdown, will precipitate actual and stealth layoffs in the law firms. It's unlikely it will be a repeat of 2009 when 6,000 lawyers were put on the street. But, it could be a shocker to those settling in to the illusion that better times are here to stay. Darkness could fall fast, with DEF notices sent to new hires to delay their start day. Recall how, on Abovethelaw, Elie Mystal chronicled that carnage. In the worst-case scenarios, some of those jobs will be cancelled. Those assuming they had a job will have to scramble to find work, any kind.
• The FIRE (financial independence, retire early) movement will continue to catch fire. That's being promoted by an anonymous player in BigLaw on @fine_independence. Law.com took a look at that stunner of a development in a profession known for conspicuous consumption. 
• Some reform of the dysfunctional firm culture will finally happen. High profile suicides such as of Gabe MacConaill has pushed this issue into can't-be-ignored territory. Here is a Law.com podcast in which former lawyer turned psychotherapist Will Meyerhofer explains the ugly underbelly of clinical depression. In his Manhattan practice he treats many lawyers. 
• More businesses will opt for M&A to survive and scale, providing lots of work for transactional lawyers.
• The lead paint public nuisance class action litigation will get traction, again. In 2018, SCOTUS, despite Jones Day's insight about its inner working, refused to review the conviction of the defendants in the Santa Clara, California litigation. Already two Pennsylvania counties have filed lawsuits against Sherwin-Williams. The litigation, which some feared would become The Next Tobacco, died down after the Rhode Island Supreme Court tossed the case. Now, yes, it could evolve into The Next Tobacco. All eyes will observe the moves Jones Day makes on behalf of Sherwin-Williams.
• With the Democrats in control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the media will cover lots of opining from brandname practicing lawyers and law professors about impeachment. It's an opportunity for those who can bypass platitudes to make a name for themselves.

Lawyers and law students who want individual readings about what the future might hold for them should ask around for a reputable clairvoyant. After Wizard George, based at Angelica of the Angels in Salem, Massachusetts, died, I had to search about 18 months for a seer I could trust. 

Attention is the currency of the 21^st century. Jane Genova helps you get it for products, services, points of view, causes, branding, careers after-50, and college admission.

In addition, this blog welcomes sponsored content.

Free consultation janegenova374@gmail.com

 

Want to Pitch to Partners? Leave Them Alone

On July 18th of this year, Clare Ansbery nailed it in The Wall Street Journal.

In her article, she describes how our Baby Boomer generation has become less social.

That represents a major shift from how we were socialized in high school to be gregarious.

Remember all those awards for being Most Popular.

And, in our personal essay for admission to college we had to put in a sentence or two about the satisfaction which came from our relationships. 

Over and over again in coaching those over-50 I am hearing the phrase, "I want to be left alone." That was the major reason why one semi-retired lawyer decided to rent rather than buy. Once he was a home owner the neighbors would monitor his property - and him - in terms of market value. As a renter he wasn't watched.

Another factor driving the Leave Me Alone ethos in The New Aging is the unexpected turmoil we have been experiencing in our professional lives and financial situation. Sure, there had been the normal recessions. But the impact of ageism on our careers and the Crash of 2008 removed solid ground from under us. 

Instead of being out there socializing, we got it that we had to figure out how to land, hold, and move on to better work, as well as rebuild our nest egg. 

I addition, many of us have experienced being simply disappointed or actually betrayed by friends. Wisely, we cooled it on investing so much in connecting. 

The funny thing is that, despite our push to be left alone services targeted at us hawk the old type of socializing.

Retirement communities feature in their commercials special events in which a roomful of couples are positioned and packaged having a communal good time.

Adult diapers are an urgent need as we participate in all those social events. 

Promotions for vacation tours have us happily enjoying the sunset in Barcelona, Spain with a whole bunch of other people. Why not just me reflecting on that awesome phenomenon?

The growing fantasy among those I coach is enjoying the next 10, 20, 30, or 40 years in a cabin off the grid.

The model for that is the real life story of Christopher Knight. For 27 years he avoided much of human interaction in the woods of Maine.

He slept during the day to prevent being detected. During the night he foraged for what he needed. It was during his pilfering of food from a camp for the disabled that he got nailed by law enforcement. Whether he can survive emotionally being forced into society remains an interesting issue for us all. 

That saga is recorded in the book "The Stranger in the Woods."  Here you can order it.

Meanwhile, I wrestle every day with the decision if I should take the ramp back into home ownership, which locks one into a community, or continue to rent - and be invisible. 

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.

 

“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 Over-50: Of Course, You Still Need a Close Friend

Pop culture has hammered the health benefits of solid relationships. That goes way back to the Beatles' tune "Eleanor Rigby."

In more scientific terms, there is that Brigham Young University report which found this: Those with strong friendships live 7.5 years longer than those with few or mediocre social relationships. 

Yet, too many of the over-50 I coach come to me because they don't have a close friend to sort things out with. Had they, they might not need to set up a formal relationship with a coach like myself after a career setback or unexpected success. Maria Paul even published a book titled "The Friendship Crisis: Finding, Making and Keeping Friends When You're Not a Kid Anymore."

In MarketWatch, Gary M. Stern looks at what I call The New Loneliness. His article is filled with expert advice on everything from how to maintain a long-term friendship to when to let it go. Other articles have covered the nuts and bolts of starting over on developing a close relationship later in life.

Of course, given the volatility of the 21st century, generalizations seem cartoonish. But there are common threads in our little lives after-50.

One is that ageism, that is the bias against seasoned highly-paid workers, pushes us to focus more and more on landing, holding, and moving on to better work. Simultaneously, no matter how much time we spend at the gym, the energy level is lower.

Our families or the significant other are just about all we can keep going, in terms of personal intimacy. Also, betrayals have made us more guarded. In addition, we change. The world changes. What we find relaxing changes.

But, it is possible to keep the old friendships going and to add new ones. That is the rite of passage of The New Aging. There seems to be the aura of what is best about closeness with non-family members and it hovers over our consciousness.  That analogy is the dream going to college was when we were struggling amid the regimentation of high school, still living at home. 

So, what are the friendship maintenance or new development musts? Essentially they come down to sending the signal that we are accessible. The mindfulness crowd calls that "Being Fully Present." Of course, we have to limit that to only a few. It consumes energy.

One 60-year-old lawyer I coached made her New Year's resolution to nurture one friendship from back in her law school days and to experiment with new ones at the gym. For that she had to slow down. That to-do list panned out. Currently, she contacts them with professional problems, not me.

In a sense, the best coaching helps professionals create their own resources for sorting out what goes down in earning a living. Ideally, we could all be our own coach, if we have a close friend in the loop.

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 School = 20th Century - Online Rat School = 2018

The message society is getting is: Yes, be a rat. Forget the old-neighborhood ethos that the snitch winds up in the ditch. 

The emerging success formula is to position oneself in a setting to pick up information that can later be ratted out. Along with fame, money, and power, there's the fun of watching the brandname players scared. 

Omarosa M. Newman is an amazing rat.

Her book "Unhinged" is #2 on Amazon.

It has received 52 customer reviews, earning a 4.6 ranking. That's extreme success even for books in The Rat Genre. And, as we all know, The Rat Genre is one of the few categories of books which had been brisk sellers in this post-book era. 

In media, thanks to the book, along with her many tapes, Omarosa is receiving even more attention than the supposed genius in that art - Donald Trump. Some watchers of this war even are speculating that Trump might now be punching above his weight.

Given that ratting is generating such outstanding outcomes, all of us must now become entirely circumspect.

There is no confiding.

No speaking our mind, not in public.

No being bad and then boasting of it to others.

We have to assume that the followers of the Omarosa model are recording. It could not only be on audio. It could also be on video. 

A clever entrepreneur will launch an online Rat School for the ambitious to learn how to retrieve, package, and distribute damaging data. 

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 - Guiding Your Children In Preparing Their College Application Essay

Admissions committees frequently take the essay part of that college application packet seriously.

That's because it provides them insight into who the applicant is as a person, what unique value can that person add to the mix of students, and if he or she will eventually enhance the brand of that educational institution.

In addition, they are aware of how they are perceived in terms of preparation for a career. Consequently, the applicants should indicate that they have a realistic understanding of that pragmatic issue. 

The importance of what they put down and how they do that is obvious. Even The New York Times published a how-to on that. 

In coaching students in the United States, Canada, and China on how to present themselves effectively, I hammer these 4 musts. You can go through the same process with your children. This is the drill:

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Make it personal. Tell them: This is about you. That means the tone and stylistics will capture your very individual identity. No, don't try to sound like the smartest, most community oriented, or most popular student in your high school. You are you, not them. 

However, you must, as the saying goes, stay in the box in use of language. Profanity and excessive use of slang/pop culture phrases are not in the box. 

Provide details. Soon enough when you get to college and take a formal course in exposition, the instructor will continually emphasize making your statements concrete. That is, provide details. For example, in the essay, you don't simply state you have gained from overcoming adversity.

Describe the nature of ordeal and specific takeaways. Here is an example:

"In May 2016, dad came home from work 'early.' We knew: His law firm had been laying off for 16 months. The first thought was about me and how the family would be able to pay for college. Then, somehow I got it that  I could help him and, therefore, mom and my brother. 'Dad, I said, the basement will be your office.' I gave up that private space. I asked at the deli for more hours on my schedule. I brought him more into my little life.

"Dad started a business in dog grooming. Now he has a van for mobile services. We all pitch in. I like what I'm learning about business and have decided to major in it. My dream is to create a service which guides families through transitions. Right now I am there to listen to a classmate whose parents are both unemployed. The ideal internship would be in an outplacement firm. The one my father used introduced him to how to work for himself."

Explain why you selected this particular college. That serves multiple purposes. First of all, that shows you have done your research. Secondly, through what you say, you are indicating that you have thought through that this is the right fit for you. The committee will be reassured you will stick with it for four years and not transfer or just drop out after one. And, three, you are using the charm offensive. Everyone likes to hear good things about themselves. Those include committee members. Cite what aspects of the college which you find awesome. 

Proofread. Of course, you're going to do that. However, you have to do it every time you revise the essay. That editing process frequently generates new typos and grammatical errors. Also, it's wise to have another pair of eyes checking spelling and grammar. 

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A question I continually receive from those I coach on essays is: Should they create a unique letter for each school?

Answer: That depends.

Frequently, customizing a pattern letter is enough. However, each institution has its own identity. If there is a major difference between the identity of School X and School Y, then it's smart strategy for your children to start from scratch on each essay.

Will your children listen to your guidance? Probably not. That's when you might have to parachute in a third party for coaching. 

Complimentary consultation available about coaching the preparation of your college admission essays. Please make an appointment at 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

 

Lawyers - Rebranding DYI

The world of Trump Administration watchers has noted that the president's  former personal fixer Michael Cohen has dropped that credential from his LinkedIn content. Here is the coverage from BusinessInsider.

The reason the deletion is significant is that LinkedIn has become the platform for rebranding. Its power is so intense that much if not all of reconfiguring our professional identity can be done as a Do It Yourself (DIY). 

About seven months ago I decided to transform a side hustle - coaching those over-50 - into my primary profit center. The one I had nurtured for decades - communications strategy and content creation - had become glutted. The results included reduced average compensation and abrasive treatment by clients. 

As with all startups, positioning and packaging the coaching business involved plenty of mistakes. But, we learn.

The bits of success I was experiencing were happening on LinkedIn. Therefore, I invested lots more energy on that platform.

That included taking the risk of overhauling my LinkedIn profile. I put myself out there as a coach, first, and a communications expert, second. Of course, I was scared.

The articles I published on ageism such as on Odwyerpr.com I repurposed on LinkedIn Updates and put links to them on my formal profile.

I refocused my blogging on my three syndicated sites and on the new one I launched on WordPress on aging. Those posts I also repurposed on LinkedIn.

I wrote and published four ebooks on some aspect of aging. You bet, there were links to them on LinkedIn Updates.

There were two results.

One was expected: Coaching assignments came in.

The other was unexpected: High-end communications work was offered to me because of the rebranding. Some clients assumed that since I am a coach I would demonstrate more empathy with who they were and what they needed. Others were thrilled to find out there was the hybrid who knew aging issues and communications.

What didn't work? Among the tactics which didn't have a high return on investment were email blasts, unsolicited pitches to carefully selected targets, messaging to contacts on LinkedIn, comments/likes on others' posts about aging, and posting on Facebook and Twitter. 

What also has been promising is posting content on Medium. It has no gatekeepers and its readers are hungry for fresh perspectives. 

Along the way in this rebranding, I also performed a Stalin-like purge on those on my network associated with my specialization in social media. That was necessary for me to fully embrace my new identity.

In the breakthrough book "Necessary Endings," executive coach Henry Cloud hammers the need to continue to prune people, places, and things which keep us tethered to the past. In the 20th century, Judith Viorst developed the same meme in "Necessary Losses."

When in the past we can't discern opportunity in the present. 

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.

 

Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" - The Pardoner

 

In medieval times, the religious pilgrimage was an acceptable way to get away from one's small village and see the world.

Geoffrey Chaucer, who had a wry sense of humor and extreme insight into pretense, used that journey as a platform for what became a literary classic: "The Canterbury Tales."

In the days when there were still English majors we had to read it in Middle English. But the ordeal was worth it. Long before Martin Luther had had it with the corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, Chaucer saw the darkness positioned and packaged as piety.

One of his most memorable pilgrims was the character known as "The Pardoner." With a quick eye for marketing, The Pardoner knew the target market to zero in on. He went along for the trip. He sold forgiveness.

In the Roman Catholic Church, there had been a brisk business in indulgences. For a price, sinners could have their sins removed (like paying a lawyer to do what it takes to expunge your criminal record). Anyone who understands what peace of mind brings to a life would get why that niche profit center thrived.

As Chaucer chronicles, The Pardoner was a busy bee hawking indulgences. From Chaucer's account, it seems that the seller knew this was a scam. The Pardoner was canny in sizing up what buttons to press. And that whatever he was selling was not going to save any souls. 

Of course, there are many versions of The Pardoner today. The very term "pardon" has a pull force. What human being doesn't want to be pardoned from the inner torment and public shame of past transgressions?

In my coaching I have found that it's often those inner demons which are the key obstacles in professional success. Here, free to download, is my book on them. An irony is that among older professionals, even those who haven't "sinned" assume they have. 

Today U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned conservative Dinesh D'Souza who had served prison time. Here is an analysis of that pardoning ethos by CNN.

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.