Ty Barnett, stand-up comedian and finalist on NBC's hit "Last Comic Standing," will fill the Academy of Natural Sciences with laughter when he headlines the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 2nd Annual Comedy Night at the Academy on Saturday, May 12, 2007. Read more...
This year's conference is expected to bring together more than 500 lawyers and judges from the Philadelphia area for two days of programming that lets practitioners and the judiciary share ideas and best practices. Up to 7 CLE credits will be available.
Bally's Atlantic City offers a world-class spa, salon, fitness center and 18 restaurants to meet every craving. Experience the Old West at Bally's Wild Wild West Casino with nearly 74,000 feet of gaming accessible via a short walkway connected to Bally's.
Bally's is now accepting hotel reservations for attendees. Book early for the best rates: rooms on Thursday, Sept. 27 are $99; rooms Friday night are $144, and Saturday night rooms are $189. Call 1-800-345-7253 for reservations and mention you are attending the Philadelphia Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference to get these special room rates.
In this week's column, Lisa Goldstein discusses how to overcome obstacles in your law firm. Read more...
Attorneys have the opportunity to gain valuable insights from senior practitioners under the Young Lawyers Division's Attorney Mentoring Program (AMP). A group of 25 senior lawyers have agreed to serve as mentors to members of the Young Lawyers Division. These distinguished lawyers come from diverse backgrounds and include solo practitioners, attorneys from large firms and attorneys who have been in government service.
If you would still like to be matched with a mentor through this program, please contact either Dan McKenna or Kate Skubecz.
The Young Lawyers Division and the YL will co-host an evening for summer associates at the National Constitution Center on Thursday, June 21 from 6 - 8:30 p.m. Tickets include an open bar, hors d'oeuvres and culinary stations.
To register, please click here. For vendor information and pricing, please call John Palmer at 215-557-2335.
Ty Barnett, stand-up comedian and finalist on NBC's hit "Last Comic Standing," will fill the Academy of Natural Sciences with laughter when he headlines the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 2nd Annual Comedy Night at the Academy on Saturday, May 12, 2007. In addition to a night filled with entertainment, attendees will join together to raise money for the Philadelphia Bar Foundation -the charitable arm of the Bar Association, supporting legal agencies assisting the indigent, elderly and disabled, as well as abused women and children. The event, which runs from 7-11:30 p.m., features comedy, dancing, an open bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction.
Comedian and Philadelphia-native Chris Coccia will open for Ty Barnett and serve as emcee for the night.
The YLD Comedy Night is part of an annual mission to raise money for the Philadelphia Bar Foundation by promoting access to justice for all people in the community, particularly those struggling with poverty, abuse and discrimination. That mission is accomplished by providing grants and technical assistance in support of quality legal services, addressing unmet legal needs and providing education on matters in the public interest.
Tickets are $65 per person and the show is open to the public. All tickets are general admission. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Even with the best of maps and instruments, we can never fully chart our journeys. - Gail Pool
Getting Lost
I just returned from a trip to Italy. I had booked the rooms and airfare on the Internet for the six night trip to Capri, Naples and Rome. With one exception, our trip went smoothly considering neither myself nor my husband speaks Italian, and neither one of us are very good at map reading.
When we exited the Termini train station in Rome on the last leg of our trip, we arrived at the taxi line and gave the address of our hotel to the first cab driver. He walked away and approached the other cab drivers. There seemed to be a lot of discussion around it, none of which we understood. Finally, another driver grabbed our bags and told us he knew where the hotel was. He spoke fairly good English, and we found out that he and my husband had mutual acquaintances in Norristown, PA. He charged us $15 euro (approximately $20), and we arrived safely at our hotel.
Later that day after we became somewhat acclimated to our surroundings, we realized that we could actually see our hotel from the bus station. The driver had driven us in circles.
Finding Your Way
As lawyers, we tend to think that we can navigate any challenge by ourselves. After all, we serve as guides to the legal system for those who do not understand it. However, in order to succeed as a rainmaker, the obstacles you need to overcome are not so obvious. Not only must you be well-regarded by clients, you must be well-regarded by others in your law firm. In order to accomplish the latter, you need to navigate law firm politics.
Like finding your way in a foreign country where you do not speak the language, law firm politics can be very confusing. It seems as though it should be as simple as getting from point A to point B. You perform well. You are rewarded for your performance and well regarded by others lawyers in the firm. Conversely, you will find that your success is intertwined with the perception that others have of you. This may or may not be related to the "quality" of your legal work.
There has been a lot of discussion around the mentoring process and how it will help you to achieve success within your law firm. It does help to find someone that will take a personal interest in your success and help you to plot your course. Be wary, though, as sometimes mentors appear to be championing your success and they really are very much like our Italian cab driver. They may be nice and appear to be moving your agenda forward, however sometimes their own agenda is actually inconsistent with yours. To successfully navigate law firm politics, make sure you find many champions within your law firm and outside your law firm-or you may get stuck "spinning around in circles."
