If you Don’t like Sports, Try Becoming a Sports Fan FAN

If you live in Boston, it’s pretty hard to ignore what is going on with the sports scene. For the past 17 years or so the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots have won many championships and you can throw in a few championships as well from the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. Because of the sports culture of the city, sports does tend to be a popular topic in networking situations. But if you’re like me, sports viewing does not occupy a significant portion of your free time. I tune in when one of our teams makes it to the championship round and I may enjoy one night a year at Fenway Park, although I’m just as likely to end up at Fenway to hear a concert featuring aging rockers (I saw the Who this past summer-inspiring to see that Pete Townsend can still twirl his arm while playing guitar and not end up in the hospital).

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A New Year, A New Decade, A New Chapter!

My mother-in-law once said to me “life stage is a compelling force“.  As we enter 2020, I now have two children out of college and one well on her way.  I have therefore decided that this is a great time to leave Marc Z Legal and return full-time to Seckler Legal Recruiting and Coaching.

As I have done for over 20 years, I will continue to focus on recruiting partners, associates and in-house counsel for law firms, life sciences and technology companies.  I will also continue to coach a broad cross section of the bar on marketing and career issues.

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Want to Make a Significant Career Shift in 2020? Find your Bridge

If 2020 is the year that you plan to make a significant career change, then figure out the bridge you need to take to get you where you want to go.  Employers generally hire candidates who already have specific experience. Most firms and most corporations are not looking to train lateral hires.

That doesn’t mean you are eternally trapped doing the same kind of legal work you have been doing for the past five years.  I’ve seen many lawyers make dramatic shifts

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New Years Resolutions? Hire a Coach!

What are your career goals for 2020?  Increase your business?  Make a lateral move?  Go in-house?  Become a better manager/leader at your law firm?  If you need help in defining your goals or if you simply need help in executing them, hiring a coach can help!  Beth Masterman of Masterman Executive Coaching talks about that in one of my recent podcasts.

You can also read about coaching in an article I published in the ABA publication GPSolo or on my website.

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If you Want to “Get” Legal Business, Try “Giving” First

Anyone who has spent any time around me lately knows that I am a very active member of Provisors.  I am a zealous “convert”.   I only joined Provisors in June, but since that time I have probably been to 30 meetings or “troikas”.  I am now on the Executive Committee of the Cambridge I Group (the Recruiting Chair) and I’m chairing the Recruiting Subcommittee of the Diversity Committee.

Provisors has really energized me and had a very positive impact on my business (for now the impact has been mostly indirect but I’m sure that will change over time.)   Simply put, Provisors is a great business networking group that is providing me with a terrific opportunity to grow my professional network quickly.  It’s like a cult (but in a good way!)

What I love most about the organization is that there is a heavy emphasis on helping other members and on thanking them for their efforts.  Being part of the organization really hammers home the message that in order to “get” you need to “give” first.

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From Biglaw to Boutique Law-How to Downsize Your Career and Increase your Career Satisfaction

Josh Rissmiller, is now a partner at a corporate boutique in Boston.  But he started his legal career at one of the top firms in New York and lateraled to an international firm in Boston.  What was it like to leave a large firm, what did he gain by starting out as an associate at a big New York firm and how is his life different (and better) at a boutique.

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How Coaching Can Advance Your Career Success and Happiness

How can coaching help attorneys find more career success and happiness? Ask Beth J. Masterman of Masterman Executive Coaching! I interview Beth in the latest episode of the Counsel to Counsel podcast (find it wherever you listen to podcasts or visit the podcast homepage) Beth provides a great overview of what coaching is, how it works, what issues are suitable for coaching, how to find a coach, etc.  I recently reconnected with Beth at Provisors , a great business networking group I joined this past Spring and she has been very generous in helping me rethink my own coaching practice. No surprise that she was named Number One Executive Coach by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. legalcareers executivecoaching lawyers

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Thirty Years of Biglaw Wisdom from a Biglaw Expat

Anyone who has ever met John Hession knows that he is not your typical attorney.  He is someone who really tries to connect with everyone whether they are partners, associates, support staff or clients.  John is also someone who has tremendous wisdom about what it takes to succeed in a big law firm.

I’ve known John for over 25 years and recently sat down with him over breakfast to catch up.  We talked about practicing at a big firm and his transition into more of a professional

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