Legal Practice
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Quarterly Report: Saving for Retirement
We’re back again with another post on money! Before we dive in, can I tell you a secret? Before I got married, I used to tell my boyfriend (now husband) that because I was Latina I didn’t need to save for retirement–my kids would take care of me, obvi. Of course, I was joking, but the idea that family helps our viejitos is so deeply entrenched that I never really gave much thought about saving for the long-haul. But then as I learned more and more about gender inequity, the wage gap, and saw how poverty continues to afflict women, I realized that saving for retirement at an early age…
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Organization for the Disorganized
What I really like about the beginning year is that it’s a fresh start for me to try to work on improving my organization at work. For many type-As, it’s pretty easy to stay organized, but I am basically the opposite of a type-A when it comes to organization. My motto is that there is usually a method to my madness, though on the surface my office could seem cluttered and well…disorganized! Because I know what my tendencies are when it comes to organization, I have developed sensible, easy, and visual tools that have kept me right on track at work. Some of these tips may not work in places where you…
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What Did You Miss?
We’re so excited for 2015! We have a lot of fun and informative plans in store for everyone! Though we’ve only been sharing information for the past four months, we wanted to share our favorite posts thus far: For prelaw students: our first part of the Breaking Barriers series. For law students: creating institutional change at your school even when faced with resistance. For attorneys: navigating the rules of professional etiquette, starting with your wardrobe. For those creating work-life balance: What to do when family obligations become obstacles. Of course my ultimate favorite is our mission statement! We’ve had a really great four months and look forward to the New…
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Setting and Achieving Goals
We’re keeping things a little light and easy since we’re easing back from the holidays, and are eagerly waiting for the New Year. During the new year, I really love taking this time to assess my current station in life and see where I can create change and improvement. I know some find New Year’s resolutions a little cheesy, but I think it makes sense to start the year with a clean slate and make an effort to progress in either our personal or professional lives. The problem, of course, is the difficulty in creating healthy habits (or stopping bad ones). So today we’re offering a few steps to take…
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Article Review: Women, Work, and Policies
I recently read this article by the New York Times that I thought required more than just a highlight on the monthly links post. The article is entitled, Why U.S. Women Are Leaving Jobs Behind. The author describes the difference in parenting policies enacted by the U.S. compared to Europe. This is always an interesting topic for me because I’m vehemently opposed with creating a façade that women have a choice, but really they’re arranging it so that only one choice ends up being the better option. The article discusses how the European policies seem to give favorable maternal leave, daycare subsidies, and higher protections to women once they have children. Whereas the…
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Responding to Performance Reviews
Having to sit in front of your boss and receive criticism, even if constructive, can be tough. Your ability to show that you can accept feedback in a stable, steady will help you move forward in your career, but it’s anxiety-inducing. It can cause emotional response that can affect your reputation at work. When there’s a face-to-face with your boss regarding your review, the key is to try to relax and go in with an assumption that this will be a learning tool. If you have moderately competent bosses then you should be aware ahead of time of any major issues. This really shouldn’t be a time with big surprises.…
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Starting your Job Search
Whether you were just sworn in a few weeks ago or have been a lawyer for a few years, dusting off your job search skills is never any fun. Looking for work is time-consuming, frustrating, and sometimes it seems never-ending. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of work upfront, but today we’re sharing five things you should consider doing to kick your job search into gear: One. Contact your contacts. Do all the people in your network know that you 1) graduated from law school, 2) passed the bar, and 3) are looking for work? Likely not. Consider sending a genuine individualized email to all your contacts (former intern supervisors, clinic…
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Gift Guide for New Attorneys
I love seeing all the status updates on people being sworn-in during this time of the year! Being admitted to the Bar is always such a special moment, and for us Latinas it’s a hard-won prize. It’s important to celebrate this milestone and if you have a new attorney in your life (or even one that has been practicing for a few years) the holidays are a perfect time to acknowledge this accomplishment! Business Card Holder. A very necessary tool for networking, and a card holder is the best way to keep your cards nice and clean. Giftcards. Yes, the new attorney may be starting their journey as a young legal…
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Advice to a Baby Lawyer
This week marked my fourth year as a practicing attorney. I still remember how excited I was to be shown my own office. It was the former windowless library/storage area that had been converted into an office, but it was mine! Thankfully, my first year proved to be a really great experience that confirmed that my life-long goal of being an attorney was exactly what I wanted to be doing. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t bumps along the road. So I thought it would be fun to give my old self some advice—maybe it will be helpful to all you new baby lawyers! Dear Nubia, Ok so you…
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Culture Conflict: Being Humble
Being humble is often held up as a positive attribute among Latino families. How many times have we heard our parents or family talk about being humilde? Humble is defined as not thinking of yourself as better than other people. It is someone who is not proud or haughty. This can be a great quality and one that is definitely venerated by most of our communities. However, there is a second part of that definition that blurs the line and makes me call into question as to whether this quality is a trait that will help you succeed in your legal career. For some, being humble also means someone who is easily…