Law And More

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.

 

Authenticity - Approach With Care

"Authentic" is the meme in public speaking, consumer relations, and personal relationships.

In all three categories the concept frequently is misunderstood.

That triggers so many messes - professionally and personally.

For example, the managing partners being coached to deliver a speech are told they must reveal who they are.

Unfortunately, too much of the 20-minute delivery is self-focused. Yawn. The audience files that event as an un-requested selfie.

The front lines in a consumer products corporation, represented by your law firm,  is instructed to be real with those contacting them inbound.

Unfortunately, in those situations, too, the results are negative. Customers phoning in with a problem want the problem solved, not a heavy dosing of empathy.  Or conversations about all the snow in their part of the country.

Then there are personal relationships. Too many too early reveal too much, both good and bad, in their struggle to be authentic.

However, the other parties didn't put in an order for that level of intimacy. Not yet. In fact, they expect the best-foot-forward kind of performance art in the relationship, at least for a while. 

What "authentic" really means is that the words are aligned with the behavior. When there's a disconnect, that's rightly classified as "inauthentic." 

The managing partners say they want to hear from the audience. They limit their remarks to 15 minutes, leaving 45 for the audience. They are being authentic.

The consumer products corporation says it cares about customers. Scripts for call centers are created totally for problem-solving, not social prompts. The corporation is awarded for being authentic. There are few complaints filed with regulatory agencies. 

The law associate has taken his "person of interest" to the tennis courts three times. He has promised to help the other person improve his/her game. Four-fifths of their time together is spent focused on tennis. The other party sizes up the man as authentic.

How not to be perceived as inauthentic? Don't promise what you can't deliver. That includes in recruiting new talent. Such an alignment could downsize negative employee reviews on Glassdoor.

Irritated with your communications results? Complimentary consultation. No pressure. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

Legal Marketers - Digital Not Numbers Game

Digital media is now a mature industry.

Sure, some early adopters have not only survived the volatility of the internet. They have scaled and keep on scaling.

The iconic example is the Drudge Report. It had established its presence by breaking The Intern Story, that is, Monica Lewinsky's quasi-sexual relationship with then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.

But many others haven't fared as well.

Gawker, whose MO was to max attention, pushed the envelope too far. One celebrity it flamed with a video tape - Hulk Hogan - pushed back. His lawsuit, funded by venture capitalist Peter Thiel (who also had been pushed too far by Gawker), ended Gawker.

And, some, such as Buzzfeed, seem to be cool. The in crowd is reading it. Social influencers link to it. Digital media startups identify themselves as The Next Level Buzzfeed.

However, what we know is that Buzzfeed is in the now-classic pickle of being able to create lots of attention without producing enough revenue to pass The Success Test. Today, many members of media, establishment and digital, are running with the story that Laurene Powell, widow of Steve Jobs, could be the philanthropist who "saves" Buzzfeed. Here is one bit of coverage from Recode.

That may or may not happen.

What is the takeaway for not only digital media but also all digital communications (including what public relations wizards and social influencers conjure up) is this: Attention, in itself, means less and less.

To be commercially relevant is how, specifically, attention is achieving objectives. Those range from producing revenue and then profits to enhancing the brand, in measurable ways, of an individual, cause, or organization.

Partner at public affairs firm kglobal - Gene Grabowski - presented a brilliant case study of how attention-getting can actually be counterproductive.

In his seminal opinion-editorial, Grabowski describes the additional problems created by lawyer Lisa Bloom. She had been representing alleged sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. The bottom line on that one is that Bloom lacked the background to manage the strategies and tactics associated with publicity. Here you can read Grabowski's analysis. 

What is most counterintuitive in digital communications is that how a blog post which received only minor traffic resulted in new business development for a law firm or a sponsored content placement for a social influencer.

That's The First Law of Digital Media.

The Second Law of Digital Media is to not assume that seemingly cool media players are the ones to partner with on projects.

Last year I endured the nightmare of such a supposed cool entity being the middleman on an assignment for a government contractor. Long story short, the invoice was not paid. After I turned over all that to a collection agency it was confirmed that cool doesn't necessarily mean financially solvent. 

Reflection: Digital is not a numbers game.

Irritated with your communications results? Complimentary consultation. No pressure. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Peace of Mind - Why the Need for Ongoing Cushion Time

Hmmmmm. I would look up from my cushion three times a week at the Buddhist meditation center in New Haven, Connecticut.

What the hell are they doing here? That's what I wondered. 

Among them were big-time successes ranging from those partners who commute on the Metro North to their Manhattan law firms to brandname journalists.  If I had their money, fame, and influence, I reflected, I wouldn't need to swing by the Buddhist temple multiple times every week. 

That was 2013.

I was so far away from understanding or experiencing what peace of mind was that, of course, I was clueless that there is no necessary correlation between what appears and what is.

Five years, hundreds of miles away, and lots of cushion time later it all seems so obvious. Actually, it is about what we in Roman Catholic schools were forced to pray for ourselves, our families, and the atheists in Russia: peace of mind.

Essentially, peace of mind represents that paradigm shift from wrestling with what was (as if we could really know that since memory plays many tricks on us), and what could be (assuming planet earth will endure) to embracing in the moment what is. And experiencing the blessings.

The ultimate test of that is when business is slow for an entrepreneur such as myself. Or the managing partner at a law firm.

My meditation teacher instructs me to be grateful for that state of enterprise being.

At the very least, it provides space to strategically and tactically up my game. Actually, that is exactly what happened in the fall of 2016. The outcome had been record revenues. 

More importantly, that pause is full of teachable moments.

I got it that it is counterproductive in personal branding to try so hard. When prospects contact me with possible assignments, I listen. I don't parachute in with the kinds of sales pitches law firms position and package on late-night television. 

Another bit of insight is that there is no way anyone can control what others are thinking or saying about them. Sure, branding experts can achieve some of that for clients. That's a growing trend for individuals and organization which fall from grace in these volatile times. 

But, on a human level, it's the path of madness to be preoccupied with what goes on in others' heads - and hearts. All we can manage is our minute-by-minute response to what the universe seems to be dishing out. Peace of mind is a difficult entity to hold onto.

That's exactly why the BigNames in professional life continue to do heavy cushion time.

Irritated with your communications results? Complimentary consultation. No pressure. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

When Thinking/Talking Like a Lawyer Hits a Wall ...

Both real-life payouts in litigation ("Hogan v. Gawker") and pop-culture ("Law & Order SVU") teach the need to think/talk like a lawyer.

In this Internet era, here's the good news: Many of those fundamentals can be acquired without attending law school.

You just have to key in, for example, "implied contract," to determine your legal grounds for demanding payment for services you rendered without a formal written contract. Here is a detailed briefing on that by Nolo. 

However, as prominent lawyer and book author - Mark Herrmann - explains on Abovethelaw.com, that might not be adequate to expose an alleged wrong and seek a remedy. Here is his column today hammering the importance of what is traditionally called "media protection."

Media protection is not bullet-proof. But it has a track record for being powerful in achieving what you want to out, obtaining justice for what you perceive as a wrong done you, and not being murdered or losing your career.

Most recently, the iconic play-out of that was the large settlement former on-air Fox News personality - Gretchen Carlson - received for alleged sexual harassment by the cable network's late head - Roger Ailes.

As someone who had long been a media player, Carlson understood how to get her story picked up by journalists and social media influencers.

In the process, she not only became wealthy. She carved out a new career path. In addition to publishing brisk-selling book "Be Fierce," she has, for instance, acquired power as voluntary head of the Miss America competition. 

Former Uber engineer - Susan Fowler - also has had outstanding results, personally and professionally, for discussing the company's alleged sexual misconduct in her blog. Along the way, she was protected from tech-industry blackballing through establishing a media presence which keeps resonating.

A much more mundane example of the importance of media protection is taking on small businesses in order to simply be paid for services rendered.

It was becoming obvious that a government contractor and the middleman on the account were likely not going to pay. I attempted to solve that by thinking/talking like a lawyer.

That didn't bring the check in the mail.

Next I turned it over to an official debt collection firm which does use legal tools. No results.

Then I blogged about the situation, using my three syndicated blogs and Twitter. Here is one of those posts.

It is reckless to assume a cause-effect relationship when we don't have the facts.

However, it might have been more than a happy coincidence that hours after I leveraged social media and a social network, the company handling the collection notified me that the invoice had been paid in full.

I will never know if using media had been tipping point. And, I don't care. The issue is the money.

Because I had objectively described my situation in the court of public opinion, I did not anticipate any blackballing for asserting what I perceived to be my legal right. So far, it doesn't seem to have happened.

The takeaway is that individuals seeking justice and advocacy organizations should consider investing in the resources media, establishment and social, can provide. In the long run, that might be less expensive and more effective than taking legal action. 

Place your sponsored content (short and long form) and links on this site. Affordable fees. Strategic guidance/ghostwriting also available. For complimentary consultation, please contact Jane Genova (janegenova374@gmail.com).

 

Beauty Is Power - How Female Lawyers Can Acquire That, At Any Age

Sure, traditional beauty can make females targets for unwanted sexual attention. 

Beauty, though, is also a source of power. The classic example is human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

Now I have it, or at least enough of it. And I'm experiencing its effect on others, both men and women. Female lawyers, of any age, can learn from my experience. 

At age 72, the magical "it" came together.

"It" happened over a period of about four months.

The "it" is a combination of facial features, hair styling, makeup, dress, and, of course, presence. 

I knew it was happening even before a woman in my Youngstown, Ohio support group pulled me aside post-meeting. "You're beautiful," she said. "Especially your hair," she added.

No surprise, the older man in an upstairs apartment cleared the snow from my car. 

A younger man blushed and asked me to Starbucks.

All this has been an unexpected development.

Toward the end of the 1960s, a Masters student in environmentalism at the University of Michigan fixed his friend in a doctoral chemistry program up with me. I had been a doctoral student in linguistics and literature.

I found out later, the briefing included, "She's not pretty." 

The chemistry student and I became engaged to be married. But if you don't love yourself how can you allow anyone else to love you. That ended. I never did marry.

That's the first part of my beauty secret: Love to love yourself. It took five years of zen training and daily meditation to get a hang of that. 

In addition, the miracle occurred: I found a hairdresser who understands my difficult hair. She is Lisa, the stylist at the JC Penney Salon, Austintown, Ohio.

Although Lisa could have earned a lot of money coloring my hair, she recommended I not do that. The thick white mop is, well, a stand-out.

There is also the acquisition of presence. I had to relocate from the rat race of New York Metro to the Midwest to figure out my worth. Now that I have, it shows in how I carry myself, my facial expressions, and the colors I select for clothes. 

Amazingly, I calmed down about operating my communications boutique. That has resulted in record revenues for 2107. Believe in yourself, and they will come. I turn down more assignments than I accept.

Of course, the challenge is to hold on to this state of beauty. Beauty is prized because it can be fleeting.

My confidence about that comes from a conversation I had had on a bus in Paris in the beginning of the 1970s. A woman about 80 radiated beauty. "You are doing what you want," she commented to me. "I can tell," she assessed. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hold onto that when I returned to the U.S. Now, I am wiser. Finally, at age 72, I have returned to doing what I want.

Get a second opinion about your marketing and advocacy communications. No pressure. No charge. Please contact Jane Genova, janegenova374@gmail.com or @genova_jane.

Displaced Partners - The Emerging Retirement Option (not retiring)

You are a partner who is no longer employed in a law firm.

The good news is that you don't have to retire.

And the odds are that you don't welcome retirement.

Read personal finance advice about retirement.

Likely you'll get the message that you will be run out of money. When I was living in southern Arizona, where many relocate after retiring, that was a common fear. 

Therefore the financially, emotionally, and socially smart way to retire is not to retire. The shift is primarily in the mindset. 

Retirement used to mean never having to work again. The mindset was to position and package work as, well, a burden from the past. 

The new mindset is to not rule out work.

You remain open to work that isn't as demanding as your career had been.

And, the bonus is that you don't have to take working as seriously. No more of that awful knot in the stomach about how the client is evaluating your performance or if revenues plunged and you are a target for a stealth reduction-in-force.

Here in Eastern Ohio, I am observing how that new phenomenon is playing out.

Some of those already accepting Social Security and drawing out of their retirement funds never rule out working. That means they stay tuned to the opportunities to earn income. They let others know they are available for work. But remaining continually employed is not necessarily an objective.

A common scenario is to continue to do what they used to do 70 hours a week for 25 hours a week. Or with different terms and conditions than they accepted during their careers.

The former law partner purchased a tutoring franchise. It's been interesting screening potential tutors in STEM. 

The management consultant is only inviting assignments within 100 miles. No more long-distance travel. There will be weeks without work in order to visit the grandkids in Spain.

The former corporate communications director parachutes in to handle social media for a moving company.

The former horse trainer puts in 28 hours a week checking out groceries at Aldi.

The former retail clerk has a paid position at a food bank.

The trick, of course, is getting hired for these post-career jobs and contract assignments.

The way to ensure that is to never stop talking the language of business.

It's through language that you apply by email with a resume and cover letter.

It's through language that you go through an interview.

It's through language that you create a pull force to attract clients and customers.

And it's through language that you send the signal to the world that you are employable. 

To keep fluent in the language of business you don't allow yourself to talk the traditional language of retirement.

Common snippets from the language of retirement are:

• "So great to not be working"
• "How I hated that rat race"
• "Am helping out my daughter by babysitting all day"

That kind of talk brands you as not someone who will be hired to do paid work.  Also, it embeds itself in your daily conversation. The mastery you had talking like a professional with a clear identity and status atrophies. 

A wonderful side effect of not retiring is that society will not treat you as invisible.

America is the headquarters for capitalism. Value comes from working. Without work, we are of less value. 

In social contexts, those who are retired tend to receive the glaze-over. Others in the room gravitate to the people who can provide insight and contacts related to professional success.

In this global economy driven by technology, it's all about having an edge. No one looks to the retired to help build and maintain that edge.

Get a second opinion about your marketing and advocacy communications. No pressure. No charge. Please contact Jane Genova, janegenova374@gmail.com or @genova_jane.

 

Christina, Headed to Law School, Is Among 2.5 Million Whose Education Is Being Paid for By "Sugar Daddies/Momas"

The digital platform bringing Sugar Daddies (and Momas) and Sugar Babies together is SeekingArrangement.com.

The arrangement is open-ended.

That ranges from the Sugar Babies providing companionship with no strings attached to allowing a physical relationship.

Some Sugar Daddies function as mentors.

Some simply want to be White Knights rescuing their Babies from financial burdens.

About 2.5 million of the Sugar Babies are students in higher education. Their motivation is have financial help paying for school. They refuse to be part of GenDebt.

Founded in 2006 by MIT alumnus Brandon Wade, a membership for a month for Sugar Daddies costs $80, for Student Babies $20. 

In BusinessInsider, Tanzo Loudenback presents a typical Sugar Baby - Christina. Since there remains a stigma attached to such arrangements, even in pragmatic America, her last name is not given.

So far, she has received about $90,000 from Sugar Daddies. She is matriculating online for an MBA degree and intends to go to law school. 

The typical Sugar Daddy on SeekingArrangement.com has a net worth of about $1.5 million. And annual gross earnings of about $250,000. No, those are not exactly high rollers. They just seem to be out for a bit of fun. Many might hope for more.

That hope make the earnings not necessarily easy money. Despite the terms and conditions agreed to by Sugar Baby and Sugar Daddy/Moma, there can be pressure to go beyond. Christina admits being asked for sex, which she doesn't offer. For that, she indicates:

" ... you need to have a backbone."

Since she is already 29 years old, hovering over her current arrangements is the very real issue: Will she age out of being able to provide this service? 

Anyone who has lived long term in a university town knows SeekingArrangement.com just formalizes the common practice of attractive young women being able to shake loose attention, mentoring, job referrals, gifts, and actual money from middle-aged men. 

Looks have always been a marketable asset, both for females and males. That's just the way the world operates. It follows The Law of Attraction. 

When I was doing doctoral studies there had been grousing that the most attractive classmates landed the tenure-track jobs in the downsizing academic sector. The assumption was that their male professors opened those doors.

Get a second opinion about your marketing and advocacy communications. No pressure. No charge. Please contact Jane Genova, janegenova374@gmail.com or @genova_jane.

 

Genius - No Longer Gets (allegedly) Flawed Human Beings Off the Hook

The raw reverence for genius might have become totally 20th century. That could be a consequence f digital times. 

No, not many are putting the knock on the unique accomplishments of film producer Harvey Weinstein or media builder Roger Ailes. But, those executions of brilliance no longer protect the human beings who had blessed with unusual gifts. 

After the allegations of sexual harassment, both the court of public opinion and the company he co-founded turned on Weinstein. Likely his obit in The Economist will not start out with praise. Instead it will headline with this scandal. Then there will be a laundry list of his breakthrough films.

His superlawyer Charles Harder may or may not be able to get him off the hook in the court of law. 

The sturdy foundation on which Ailes established Fox News endures. The alleged sexual harassment and banana-republic values still are being covered in the media. However, the cable right-leaning empire has regained its top ratings. Head of 21st Century Fox Rupert Murdoch seemed to make that a priority.

However, once Ailes was forced out of Fox News, he quickly seemed to give up his vision of a comeback. Instead of continuing to call in favors, he sold his assets in the New York Metro area. He and his family packed up and set up a life in Florida. Soon enough, he was dead.

A key supporter during the crisis legal analyst Greta Van Susteren fared little better. After a short time at MSNBC, she was fired. Her ratings were low. 

Reflection: Could pragmatic America be returning to a respect for old-fashioned values? Will we demand our innovators not abuse power?

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