Earlier today, I participated in a #Peri10K #Sharathon and did a Facebook Live Video about “How Your Mindset Affects the People Around You.”   The first thing I thought about was the mindset of perfectionism and how it affects the people that lawyers typically interact with.   A perfectionist is a person who refuses to […]

I am extremely excited to share that my article “Mindfulness: A Simpler Way to Alleviate Attorney Stress” was published in the American Bar Association’s GP Solo magazine this month. In this article, I openly discuss my challenges with stress and anxiety as a result of my legal practice and how using mindfulness techniques such as […]

One of the most exciting things about being a litigator is receiving a new file. I love pouring through all the documents, jotting down relevant dates and incidents on a timeline and formulating a story in my mind. Practicing law is like taking a big picture, transforming it into a puzzle, throwing all the puzzle […]

In this week’s video, I discuss how one of the best quotes from The Wire, “It’s all in the game,” can change a litigator’s perspective on situations and circumstances that can often be stressful and frustrating.

  This week’s video discusses how busy litigators can learn from the characters in The Wire. Here, I discuss one of my favorite scenes in Season 3, where Lester Freamon and Jimmy Mcnulty face off about which is more important: the job or the life outside of the job?

Last week was stressful. Nothing particularly went wrong. It was just a convergence of several deadlines at once in addition to other non-billable work that needed to get done. I felt like I literally dragged myself home last Friday. And then, something wonderful happened: the sun came out on Saturday and it was finally warm […]

I cannot stress how important this affirmation is. No matter how much work you need to do, how many deadlines you need to meet or how many big wins you get in your career, those pale in comparison to the importance of being around the people you love. We’ve all heard people say that at […]

There is something about uncertainty that freaks most people out. When I was in high school, the next logical step was college. When I was in college, the next logical step was law school. When I was in law school, the next logical step was graduating, passing the bar exam and finding a job. Now, […]

Most professionals work with people who have strong personalities. They have good days and bad days just like we do. And every once in a while, we encounter them on a bad day. We are all grown adults but we have a part of us that hates to be yelled at and wants to be […]

Nothing can cure a stressful day better than time spent with people who love and support you. Whether it be family, friends or supportive acquaintances, just being around the individuals who genuinely care about you can make a huge difference. This doesn’t mean that these individuals have to be physically near you in order to […]

Do you ever have one of those days where everyone that you need to speak to in order to finish several assignments is unavailable? Every email you send goes unanswered and you are convinced that everyone is deliberately not clicking the read receipt confirmation so they can pretend they didn’t see your email. Every person […]

When a got the job offer to move across the country five years ago–out of my comfort zone, away from my family and friends–I knew within my heart that I was meant to accept the job. I didn’t care that I couldn’t afford to bring furniture. I knew that it would work out. I didn’t […]

When I walk into work expecting to work on one thing and something unexpected comes up that requires a lot of my attention and time, I must adapt, make sure I complete both assignments or get extension on one. When I get a new file with one set of facts and another set of facts […]

Often, people ask me if the practice of law is what I expected it would be. I always reply that it was actually better than I expected. It also has the inevitable ups and downs inherent in all career paths. The practice of law isn’t all cupcakes and sunshine. It requires almost constant critical thinking, […]

Being open to change makes you more likely to identify and attract new opportunities into your life. Plus, one new exciting opportunity often leads to another and soon, circumstances and changes may lead you in a direction that you thought you would never go. Change can sometimes be scary because predictability and stability are things […]

People aren’t mean in a vacuum. There is always a reason why. Sometimes, compassionately identifying the reason for the person’s behavior towards you may be helpful in coping with the situation. First, the person may be fundamentally unhappy and by making others feel small, that person may have momentary feelings of superiority and importance. Second, […]

One of my favorite books is Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends & Influence People.” The first chapter of the book explores how murderers, gangsters and thieves in the 1920s believed they were good, misunderstood and undervalued. If none of these people blamed themselves for any of the pain they caused others, what makes us […]

Admittedly, I am not a super-religious person. But Psalms 91 and 92 are my go-to whenever I encounter a person with a challenging personality who I can’t seem to get away from. These verses make me feel empowered, supported and free of the emotional turmoil that the person normally seems to cause me. Usually I’ll […]

No matter how positive you are, you cannot control the fact that jerks exist and that you have to interact with them in professional settings. Whenever I have to work with someone who is unreasonable, ridiculous or just plain nasty, I visualize them in my mind’s eye as the Fisher Price Little People toys I […]

I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions because I believe this is the time of year where they all fail. I did, however, tell myself that I was going to make a conscious effort to be consistent with workouts and healthy eating. It is difficult to maintain a workout plan when your work plan […]

This is a tough one. The first time I heard this affirmation, I was annoyed. If a person is being a jerk, then how is it my fault when I get upset? Clearly, it is that person’s fault for being a jerk! After really thinking about it, however, I realized how powerful this affirmation was. […]

A cluttered desk is commonplace for a lawyer. But it is also something that subconsciously adds to an already stressful situation. I find that when I am scattered and having difficulty focusing on one assignment, the best thing to do is clear my desk off. It will keep you from getting distracted by the 10 […]

Recently, I realized something. That little voice that used to tell me that I wasn’t good enough or that I didn’t belong here and told me I wasn’t a good writer or a good lawyer wasn’t shouting from the back of my skull like it used to in the beginning. It used to take me […]

We all know clients, adversaries, co-counsel or judges who have a reputation for having strong and sometimes challenging personalities. This affirmation reminds us to approach each of these individuals with the expectation that we will interact with their best self. This means, that when we encounter these individuals, we will have an expectation of a […]

I believe that the key to manifesting success is to avoid speaking with people about it. Sure, there may be some people who will encourage you in your journey of self improvement and may be inspired to start their own journey because of you. Others, however, won’t understand what you’re doing and may even say […]

You may love practicing law, but not every case or assignment is going to be engaging, interesting or fun. When you find yourself putting off an assignment, try to work on it first thing in the morning. With a cup of coffee in your hand and the morning’s motivation at your disposal, you will be […]

My fellow litigators, you may currently have a case or several cases that are really stressing you out. You may have an adversary that won’t stop writing nasty emails, a client who disagrees with your advice, or a Judge that rules against you on every issue. These challenges may lead to your mind creating the […]

These days, it seems like everything that is supposedly good for us is often called a “challenge” such as diets, exercise plans, fundraisers, etc. Calling it a challenge encourages you to start doing it, but it also suggests that it will be difficult, mildly inconvenient and that you get to stop doing it one day. […]

Are you waiting for some specific event, award or moment to define your success? This is a byproduct of a belief system that you have to “pay your dues” to be successful. Yes, you have to go to law school to be a lawyer but there is no set amount of work you need to […]

“If you want to see time fly, ask for a two-week adjournment.” I heard a Judge say this during a CLE a few years ago and he was absolutely correct. As the work load becomes heavier the time seems to fly faster and faster. Time moves at an unnatural pace when you are a lawyer. […]

My fellow litigators, have we all experienced this, or is it just me? You meet with a potential client, even though you usually don’t do free consultations. You spend over an hour with them, going over the strengths and weaknesses of their case. They thank you for your time and say they will be back […]

Last week, I argued a fairly straight forward Motion in Superior Court. My co-counsel, adversary and the Judge were all women. There were pointed questions on and off the record regarding the case status and the implications of the grant or denial of the Motion. All parties were prepared and passionate and after nearly an […]

Some of us spend most of our lives and careers wishing we were somewhere else. When we were in law school, we wished we were lawyers. When we became lawyers, we wished we could absorb all the experience and expertise of the partners in the firm and do what they do. The affirmation “I accept […]

You are a first year associate and it took you 2 hours to fully research an issue and 3 hours to write and proofread a 2-page memo. There’s no way you can bill the time that you actually spent on the project, right? Absolutely. Unless your supervising partner tells you otherwise, bill your time honestly […]

My fellow litigators: how do you save your billable time? Throughout the day, I have so many potential distractions lurking around my work desk. Social media websites and apps on my phone, the temptation to look up sports experts’ reactions to the Detroit Lions’ chances of winning a playoff game (Lions fans: we’ve been here […]

My fellow litigators, as you are aware, you will win some cases and will lose some cases. In reality, you, personally, are not really winning or losing. You are taking the facts you are given in each case and trying to tell the best story that you can. Sometimes those facts are good, sometimes those […]

So often, we are bogged down with our negative thinking and limiting beliefs. How many times, when something bad has happened, have you said, “This always happens to me,” “This always goes wrong,” or “I knew this wasn’t going to work.” On a subconscious level, all of these negative thoughts and beliefs come from a […]

As we approach the end of the year, we all have time to reflect on the last 51 weeks. There are things we are happy about, things we are sad about, and maybe things that we wish we could change. But every year we are reminded that we don’t have control over many of the […]

Does this mean that you can leave work whenever you want to? Not necessarily. Does this mean that you can tell your boss, “I’m not working weekends ever again?” I wouldn’t recommend it. For lawyers, boundaries are less about saying what you’re not going to do and more about common sense proper planning for self-care. […]

As the year comes to a close, the stress levels start to go up. You have work to do, you have gifts to buy and you have to worry about everything else and everyone else but yourself. This affirmation reminds us all to take a moment for ourselves. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Try […]

I love watching women dominate in a sport that has been dominated by men for so long. Similarly, I love seeing women excel in the practice of law which was also created by men to be practiced by men. Saturday night’s NXT Takeover Brooklyn may prove to be World Wrestling Entertainment (“WWE”)’s Pay Per View of the […]