Lawyers in Transition

December 22, 2008

The Special Committee on Lawyers in Transition has been approved by the Executive Committee of the State Bar as a Standing Committee. We are reaching out to you to ask if you would like to become a member of the Committee. As many of you know, the Committee has been actively involved in assisting lawyers who are returning to the profession after an absence- male and female. We have a website with links to many interesting articles, programs for returning lawyers and job opportunities. We have also provided programming for lawyers to help them brush up on dormant skills, write resumes, interview and network and we are working on providing more of these programs for returning lawyers as well as law students and potential employers.

Now that many lawyers have become lawyers in transition, not by choice, we are in the process of creating a "resource center" which will provide more services for Bar members, outreach, programs, and even assistance with job searches.

There is a lot of work to be done and also a great opportunity to do your own networking — whether you need assistance or can offer it.

If you would like to become a member of the Committee on Lawyers in Transition and help us with these important and what we think will be "cutting edge" initiatives, please contact Kathy Suchocki at ksuchocki@nysba.org and provide her with your contact information. It is my plan to have a meeting right after the new year to start working on these exciting projects and we need your help!

Best regards,
Lauren Wachtler
Chair
Committee on Lawyers In Transition

NYSBA Annual Meeting Event

CAREER TRANSITIONS IN A VOLATILE MARKET

Monday, January 26, 2009
New York Marriott Marquis - New York City

Panel Discussion: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Networking Reception: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Co-sponsored by the NYSBA Law Practice Management Committee, the
Committee on Lawyers in Transition and the Senior Lawyers Section

(1.5 MCLE credits, including one hour of ethics credit)

This program will cover what you need to know when making a career transition in a volatile market. If you are looking to make a career change, leave your current job or transition back to the workforce after time away from the profession, you cannot afford to miss this event.

Topics:

• Ethics of Transitioning: Understanding the ethical pitfalls of the job search including conflicts
of interest, issues of competence and experience
• Resumes and Cover Letters: Learn how to get yourself in the door and how to talk appropriately about your past experience on your resume and cover letter
• Interviewing: Learn how to interview effectively and sell yourself not only to prospective employers, but to gain professional contacts and potential referrals; know how to answer tough questions during the interview process
• Maintaining a Positive Attitude through Transitions: Be able to keep your focus and relieve stress in your job search
• Networking: Techniques for maximizing success and minimizing discomfort
• Transitioning Your Career: Understand the challenges of transitioning to a new career and learn strategies for success

A reception for program attendees will be held immediately following the panel discussion. Panel speakers will be available to discuss issues raised in the presentations. Attendees for the panel discussion are required to preregister.

If you would like more information about attending this event, contact Pamela McDevitt at 518-487-5595 or pmcdevitt@nysba.org.

Go to www.nysba.org/LPM for further details.

Go to www.nysba.org/am2009 for a complete list of programs at the 2009 Annual Meeting.

For resources, recent articles and programs for lawyers in transition, go to www.nysba.org/LawyersinTransition.

"Making A Career Comeback" (April - June)

The Special Committee on Lawyers in Transition presents "Making a Career Comeback" - a five part series geared towards attorneys re-entering the workforce. Each program will be held at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLP (Office of Committee Chair, Lauren J. Wachtler, Esq.) located at 12 East 49th Street, Tower 49, 30th Floor, New York, New York.

The programs will run from 12:00 p.m - 2:00 p.m.

Lunch will be provided. The programs are free of charge, but pre-registration is required. Seating is limited.

04/30/2008
Comeback Lawyers: The Path for Lawyers to Return to Practice

05/14/2008
Networking: With or Without a "Net"

05/28/2008
The Resume and the Interview - Two Sides of the Presentation Coin

06/04/2008
Updating Your Substantive and Technical Skills: What do I do? Where do I go?

06/11/2008
Negotiating and Navigating Work/Life Balance into Successful Practice

April 30, 2008 – “Comeback Lawyers: The Path for Lawyers to Return to Practice”
During this program, you will learn the status and emerging trends about re-entry in the legal profession and get an overview of what you need to do to ensure a successful return. The program will cover the range of issues re-entry lawyers face including building confidence, evaluating your strengths and skills, resume review, assessing employer needs, interviewing and interning, networking, economics, work/life balance, family impact, and much more.

Presented by Deborah Epstein Henry, Flex-Time Lawyers, LLC

May 14, 2008 – "Networking: With or Without a “Net”
Presented by Amy E. Gewirtz, Esq., Associate Director, Alumni Counseling & Relations, Pace Law School Center for Career Development & Associate Director, Pace New Directions Program, Pace University School of Law and Elena F. Kaspi, JD, MSW, LawScope Coaching

May 28, 2008 – "The Resume and the Interview - Two Sides of the Presentation Coin."
Presented by Stephen L. Buchman, Assistant Director, Career Services Office, Columbia University Law School and Carol Kanarek, New York-based private career counselor and career transition specialist for lawyers and law firms

June 4, 2008 – "Updating Your Substantive and Technical Skills: What do I do, Where do I go?"
Improve Your Employability by Updating Your Skills; Brush Up Your Substantive and Technical Skills

Presented by Robin K. Sellier, Esq., Professional Development Manager, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and Ronnie P. Gouz, Esq., Berman Bavero Frucco & Gouz PC

June 11, 2008 – "Negotiating & Navigating Work/Life Balance into Successful Practice"
Explore your work/life concerns and challenges including the need for flexibility, predictability, reduced hours or being off call and leaving work at the office. This program will cover how and when to negotiate your work/life needs and how to incorporate lifestyle as a factor in pursuing prospective employers. The transition of returning to work, the impact on family and how to effectively delineate lines between work and home to ensure professional and personal success will also be discussed.

Presented by Deborah Epstein Henry, Flex-Time Lawyers, LLC

Register Online at www.nysba.org/LawyersinTransition

For more information, please contact Katherine Suchocki at ksuchocki@nysba.org or (518) 487-5590.

Information about an upcoming event

National Association of Women Lawyers Third Annual General Counsel Institute:
Career Skills for Women In-house Attorneys in Private and Public Sectors

September 27–28, 2007

The National Association of Women Lawyers® (NAWL®) will once again host its innovative General Counsel Institute, a two-day program providing career skills geared to women in-house counsel. The program, which will take place at the Sofitel New York, includes plenary and workshop sessions with CEOs, general counsel, and other legal and business professionals, in a collegial, interactive learning environment.

Participants are motivated, experienced women who come from large and small, public and private, companies, nonprofits, educational institutions and government.

Scholarship applications are available at www.nawl.org. Deadline for scholarship applications is Friday, September 14. Seating is limited; registration is available on a first come/first serve basis parties may at www.nawl.org.

The Institute will focus on pressure points, strategic decision making, measurements of success for general counsel, and budgeting, among others.

NAWL is the leading national voluntary organization devoted to the interests of women
lawyers and women's rights. Founded over 100 years ago, NAWL has members in all 50 states and engages in a variety of programs and activities to advance its mission.

More information can be found at www.nawl.org

Visit the Lawyers in Transition Website for a listing of upcoming events - http://www.nysba.org/LawyersinTransition.

(posted on behalf of Katherine Suchocki)

A warm welcome to the users of this blog.

This past Summer, President Mark Alcott created the Special Committee for Lawyers in Transition. This Committee was formed to address the challenges faced by attorneys who have been required, or wish to leave the workplace temporarily for brief or extended periods on maternity or paternity leave, or because of family or other obligations, and then wish to return to the workforce after such absences. The Special Committee on Lawyers in Transition was designed to develop initiatives to enable lawyers to remain connected to other lawyers in the profession before and during a career interruption, and to help lay the groundwork for future re-entry. We are in the process of establishing outreach and mentoring programs for lawyers who have temporarily left the legal profession and assist lawyers transitioning back to the work force by offering pro bono work opportunities, net-working opportunities, and continuing legal education courses.

Since you are at our blog, you have in all likelihood visited our website where you will see that we have posted articles of interest, our mission statement, links to pro bono opportunities for attorneys, our “Ambassador Program,” and an initial listing of certain firms which have programs available to lawyers who have re-entered the work force or are considering leaving for a period of time and may wish to return at a future date.

This blog was created with several purposes in mind. It is a forum in which NYSBA members can publicly comment on articles, suggest CLE programs which may be of interest to our fellow bloggers, critique articles which they may have read which may have been on our website or which they have come across, discuss job opportunities and potential employers who have been willing to tap this vast and often overlooked resource of talent, and suggest improvements or additions to our website.

I hope that this blog will serve as a useful means of answering questions which our bloggers may wish to share or add some comment or FAQ to our Frequently Asked Questions section on our website which we are developing. I am also hopeful that this blog will serve as a means of networking for our re-entering attorneys and serve as a means to exchange responses and advice among our bloggers.

Since I will be monitoring this blog on a regular basis, I also welcome any suggestions you might have which you wish to share with me, and you may always communication with me directly should you not wish our other bloggers to be part of your advice or response to me. My direct e-mail is: ljwachtler@montclarewachtler.com. I will make every effort to respond to posts to this blog, and will also leave it to the individual bloggers to communicate with one another if they wish. If you post a query for me, and do not see a timely response, please feel free to e-mail me directly as well.

Best regards,

Lauren J. Wachtler, Chair
Special Committee for Lawyers in Transition