In this episode of the Counsel to Counsel podcast, host Stephen Seckler is joined by Jordana Confino, a certified professional coach and founder of JC Coaching & Consulting. Together, they explore the pervasive issue of perfectionism within the legal profession, discussing how it often leads to anxiety, burnout, and career stagnation. Jordana shares her personal journey from practicing law while grappling with perfectionism to discovering the transformative power of positive psychology, which helped her redefine success and well-being in her career and life.

Jordana delves into the cultural and psychological roots of perfectionism in law, explaining how it can hinder career growth and creativity despite being viewed as a badge of honor in the profession. She outlines effective strategies for overcoming perfectionist tendencies, including self-compassion, distanced self-talk, and setting healthy boundaries. Through science-backed techniques and her own experiences, Jordana provides valuable insights for lawyers looking to achieve sustainable success and fulfillment without sacrificing their mental health.

Additional Resources

• Self-Compassion Guide — Jordana Confino
• Episode 135-Tackling Mental Health Issues in the Law with Amy Levine and LCL
• Episode 70-Shailini George on Doing Well and Being Well in the Law

In this episode Stephen Seckler speaks with Lana Manganiello, author of the new book Careers in Business Law: Forging Your Path to Success (American Bar Association 2024).

Lana shares insights from her extensive experience working with AmLaw 200 firms on business strategy, attorney development, and implementing innovative growth initiatives. They discuss the evolving landscape of business law, the importance of aligning career choices with personal values, and how thought leadership can be a powerful tool for lawyers.

Whether you're a law student, early-career lawyer, or seasoned professional, this episode offers valuable advice on navigating and succeeding in the legal profession. Tune in to learn more about Lana's career journey, her motivations for writing the book, and the key lessons she hopes readers will take away.

Additional Episodes

• Episode 68-Are there Gender Differences in Legal Marketing?—What Men and Women Can Learn From Each Other About Building a Law Practice
• Episode 118-Paths to Partnership in 2023 and Beyond-With Laura Terrell

In this episode of Counsel to Counsel, I'm taking a summer pause from interviewing to catch up on some projects. I share with you my thoughts on using time blocking as a way to get to the things that are important but not urgent.

Related Episodes

• Episode 123-Setting Your 2024 Goals and Creating Your “To Don't" List with Jennifer Forester and Wendy Merrill
• Episode 57- Billable Work v. Investment Hours (Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking on Time Management)

Law is a conservative profession where change happens slowly. Law firms generally lag far behind accounting firms in creating new models. But since the explosion of the internet in the late 1990s, that rate of change has begun to accelerate. And with the rapid proliferation of ChatGPT and other AI tools, law will surely undergo a lot more change in the next five years.

In this episode, we dive into the innovative legal model of Aliant with Managing Partner Jacob Stein. Aliant is a global network of independent mid-sized law firms that combines the credibility of a large firm with the flexibility and profitability of a boutique practice.

Jacob discusses how Aliant LLP operates as a distributed/remote law firm in the US, offering back-office support while allowing lawyers to maintain high profit margins and operate independently. We explore the benefits for lawyers, including increased control over workload, high profit margins, and reduced stress, as well as the advantages for clients, such as personalized service and access to a global network. Tune in to learn more about how Aliant is revolutionizing the legal industry and providing a new model for legal practice.

Attorney well-being continues to be a hot topic in the legal community. While the most severe effects of the pandemic are now behind us, mental health continues to be a significant issue in our profession. But there is a lot being done to address these challenges.

To provide some context, several years ago, the Report of the Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, issued by the American Bar Association, Conference of Chief Judges, and other legal organizations, called well-being an essential element of a lawyer’s duty of competence. In Massachusetts, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers plays a vital role in supporting attorneys, and the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has established a Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being to enhance the well-being of lawyers, judges, and law students in the Commonwealth.

In this episode, my former colleague, Amy Levine discusses the many initiatives going on in Massachusetts and around the country. Amy is the Director of Programs and Volunteers at Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) of Massachusetts. Amy has over 20 years of experience in the legal industry. She has worked in in marketing, human resources, and legal recruiting and has a background in social work. In 2018, Amy was one of the first guests on this podcast where she talked about interviewing.

At LCL, Amy creates programs for the Massachusetts legal community and provides customized educational programming for various legal organizations. She also recruits and manages LCL’s volunteers, who assist in running recovery groups, provide peer monitoring services, and act as ambassadors for the organization.

We discuss the critical role of Lawyers Assistance Programs around the country, the extensive range of services offered by LCL, and the impact these programs have on lawyer well-being.

As the baby boomer generation of lawyers approaches retirement, many firms are facing the looming challenge of ensuring a seamless transition for their clients. This process is not just about maintaining business continuity but also about safeguarding the firm's legacy and client relationships. Unfortunately, many firms are not adequately addressing these issues, which can lead to significant disruptions.

In this episode, I speak with a consultant who is working with law firms to change this.

David Wood is a former senior partner with an AmLaw 100 firm, who planned and executed the succession of his entire $6 million practice to talented younger partners before he retired. Recognizing that many law firms struggle to achieve this outcome, he now advises firms and practice groups on retirement succession issues and strategies.

Key Takeaways

• Many law firms struggle with effective succession planning when senior partners retire
• Transitioning client relationships and revenue streams to younger partners is crucial
• Open communication about retirement plans and identifying successors is key
• Retiring partners need a vision for their post-law life to ease the transition

For many lawyers in private practice, going in-house is the ultimate goal. For transactional lawyers and for some specialties like employment law, the path to a corporate role is more obvious. For litigators, less so. Most companies outsource a lot of their litigation because the need tends to fluctuate.

But litigators can bring valuable skills to a corporate environment. And there are many examples of litigators who have gone on to have successful in-house careers.

In this episode I speak with Matt Campobasso, a litigator who has built a solid in-house legal career after having a successful career in private practice and public service.

Matt Campobasso is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Enfusion, Inc., a publicly traded fintech company headquartered in Chicago. He joined the company in 2020 as Deputy General Counsel and helped take the company public. Prior to that, he served as in-house counsel to two other companies.

He began his career as a prosecutor and then spent ten years litigating with a major firm in Chicago.

In addition to discussing his path to in-house and why he thinks litigators make good in-house counsel, Matt shares his philosophy about leadership and how he has grown the legal function and the legal team at Enfusion.

I was beginning to think that live conferences were in my rear view mirror...until I attended the Annual Education Conference of the National Association for Law Placement. It was my first live conference in over four years. And I was like a kid in a candy shop.

While I've made a point of going to an occasional live event, especially in the last two years (including speaking at live events), I had pretty much give up on conferences.

Attending the NALP conference changed that for me. The quality of the networking and the quality of the workshops convinced me that going to live conferences is still an important part of marketing and professional development. Listen in to hear my story.

Additional Resources

• Checklist for Networking Functions (before, during, and after)
• Active Listening-Do I Really Need to Say This?