Solo practitioner Adam Seiden is chair of the New York State Bar Association and writes about the U.S. Surgeon General’s report in 2024called “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” The report is about how the pandemic has increased loneliness amongst Americans, and that the result can be increased risk of stroke, heart disease and dementia in older adults.

Seiden, a retired associate City Court Judge of the Mount Vernon City Court, sees this problem clearly in the legal industry.

“We lawyers face enormous stress and pressure in our occupation,” Seiden writes. “We are often careful not to share our feelings with anyone for fear of how it may injure our reputation among peers and/or clients. The result is a deep lonely feeling that you are the only one so struggling. It can lead to anxiety and possibly depression.”

With the problem being exacerbated in recent years, studies have shown that the problem affects all types of practices in the legal industry, including large firms, in-house counsel, small firms, solo practitioners, and government attorneys. 

Seiden writes that there are actions that can be taken. Bar associations have assistance programs or committees for attorneys that can lead them to professional help. Mentors and mentee programs can also help guide an attorney through an overwhelming work life. Extending civility to opposing counsel can help a lot.

Are you interested in combating loneliness in work life? Read more in this law.com article.

Rachael Bosch, CEO and founder of Fringe Professional Development, and Dareth Finn, a partner at VOYlegal, impart advice from their years as recruiters in the legal industry to Gen Z associates starting out in their law careers. Bosch and Finn note that the current generation of junior associates appear to have different challenges than their senior counterparts, mostly struggling with the more fluid requirements of being part of a practice.

To maximize their impact at a firm, the duo suggest some tips that young associates can consider to take ownership of their time as an associate.

Moving Beyond the Checklist Mentality

While law school rewards correct answers and mastery of certain materials, law firm partners value associates who can also venture beyond just what was instructed. They would like to see associates take initiative, instead of just addressing specific questions that are asked. Three ways of doing that include:

• Build Your Ownership Mindset

In practice, they suggest considering the broader context of what the client is trying to achieve when receiving a task as an associate, and also understanding how this fits into the larger strategy. It would also help the firm for an associate to keep in mind any issue that may arise, and to flag those pro-actively. 

• Learn Through Feedback

Don’t approach feedback defensively, and always understand that good feedback is not personal criticism. It can be a great learning opportunity for growth. If you receive edits on your work, you could ask the partner about the reasons behind any major revisions, why arguments were restructured.

Are you interested gaining ownership over your legal career?  Read more in this law.com article.

Firms such as Husch Blackwell, one of the big law firms on the Am Law 100, started using an outside provider that uses AI with training young attorneys. The AI uses real-world scenarios to help with training, and other top firms in the country are also doing the same.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius chief AI and knowledge officer Colleen Nihill said that while there are folks who are “fearful of AI” her firm is using AI as a tool “in connection with their role” and teaching employees the capabilities and limitations of AI in that context. Employees at Nihill’s firm can take an accreditation training program to show clients that they have a working knowledge of AI and the law.

Meanwhile, Husch Blackwell uses AI to assist in finding data-driven feedback to train associates with provider AltaClaro.

“The problem that we feel that AltaClaro addresses for us is providing our associates early on with real-world training that increases not only their efficiency and effectiveness for our deal teams, but also, we believe, their overall satisfaction with the job,”  said Kirstin Salzman, a partner at Husch Blackwell.

The program includes experiential learning courses derived from feedback from associates, allowing lawyers to figure out areas where they can improve performance at work. 

Husch Blackwell’s Amandeep Kaur began using AltoClaro’s program last year.

“It teaches you everything between what a transaction is, the difference between a merger, a stock purchase, an asset purchase,” said Kaur, a second year associate. 

Are you interested in advice on using AI to boost training?  Read more in this law.com article.

Zach Agate, a workers’ compensation attorney at Pond Lehocky Giordano in Pennsylvania, researched methods of better time management for attorneys. Usually required to multi-task, lawyers often are juggling client communications, court hearings, meetings with opposing counsel, and business development opportunities. As a result, those in the law industry can easily find themselves burned out if they don’t manage their time wisely. After conducting his research, Agate shares the top five ways he believes attorneys could manage time better in 2025:

-Not letting distractions and interruptions destroy our productivity

Agate finds that distractions can be “lethal” for time management efforts, requiring someone to context switch and shift focus from task to task. Only a few interruptions in a work day can cumulatively lead to one or two hours of wasted time. Agate advises that someone should put off checking emails and social media when in the middle of work that requires focus. 

-Eating live frogs (In other words, tackling our hardest tasks first)

Agate doesn’t propose literally eating live frogs, but the idea is that if you ate a live frog in the morning, the tasks in the rest of the day would feel easier and pleasant in comparison. Essentially, the saying advises that someone tackle the hardest tasks first, as it can increase productivity. Completing hardest tasks first can give someone a sense of accomplishment, which can create more productivity.

–Using our calendar for more than just a list of upcoming appointments

With multiple deadlines, attorneys often stress and panic in the days leading up to deadlines for court filings or client memos due the next morning. Agate mentions that someone should use their calendar for tasks to help juggle deadlines.

Are you interested in advice on better time management?  Read more in this law.com article.

Negotiating isn’t a specialized skill, but something we regularly do. Speakers on a panel at this year’s General Counsel Conference East agreed that negotiations occur daily. The panel, titled “Getting Out of Your Own Way: How to Negotiate Your Way to the Top” featured attorneys and professionals in the legal industry discussing how people negotiate in daily life.

“We all negotiate every day, whether it’s with ourselves, with our families, friends and colleagues,” said Damali Peterman, an attorney and arbitrator at JAMS. “Negotiation is just a conversation where you’re trying to convince yourself or someone else of a particular point of view.”

Peterman said a negotiator should be “ intentional about setting the mood and your mindset” 

before you negotiate.”

Michael Gordon, legal counsel for Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Innovative Medicines & Biosimilars Division, shared that knowing how to effectively negotiate is crucial. 

“The biggest issue with negotiating for ourselves is that initial first step of really believing in your abilities and what you can truly accomplish,” Gordon said. He recommended making a list of one’s accomplishments to build confidence going into negotiations.

Agreeing with her fellow panelist, Ashley Miller, general counsel at Capgemini, said confidence can build in small ways.

“Confidence in negotiation builds over time, often starting with small, intentional wins, based on set achievable goals for each negotiation,” Miller said. She suggested that people practice their negotiation skills with projects that are “low stakes” for small, impactful changes. 

Are you interested in more advice about negotiating?  Read more in this law.com article.

Bryce Sanders, president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc., provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry. Sanders writes that lawyers on television series and movies often have clients seeking them out, but in real life, attorneys are expected to bring clients into private practice.

Sanders advises that lawyers use the following tips to find new clients:

-Look to Asia, as attorneys in Asia often have expansive networks.
-Check with your own network, ask your friends if they have an attorney. 
-If a lawyer is retiring, their clients would need a new lawyer.  “You want to get into the position as their first choice,” Sanders writes.
-Ask business owners in your network if they have a personal relationship with their lawyer?  Often, people have friendly relationships with their hired clients and doctors. You can position yourself to be a friend who would argue passionately for their case. 
-If any firms are merging or closing, you could look to see if any clients would want to join your client list. 

Are you interested in ways that lawyers can get client referrals?  Read more in this law.com article.

Recruitment attorney Mike Evers advises corporations to make use of LinkedIn’s newsfeed features. The platform’s newsfeed helps supplement networking and boosts awareness of an attorney’s profile to potential employers. Evers suggests that a company’s LinkedIn newsfeed should feature posts of positive news from the company, legal developments from the industry and helpful tips for the community.

Additionally, an attorney could post about professional victories, milestones or personal interests. But don’t be shy about dropping in personal posts that speak to your professional victories, milestones, or even personal interests. 

“Inject humor and humility when possible,” Evers writes. “It’s ok to show who you are on LinkedIn. And in fact, doing so in an interesting way is how you maximize this platform.”

Users can also add photos, graphs or links to increase engagement with the post. Aside from steering away from politics, Evers doesn’t give hard and fast rules about posts, but advises users to “trust your gut” when it comes to frequency of posts. Aside from posting, users can also use LinkedIn to form a network by connecting with other users and colleagues. It’s a simple way to stay in touch or connect with others in the industry.

Are you interested in how LinkedIn’s newsfeed can benefit your career?  Read more in this law.com article.

Joseph Froetschel, founding partner of Phillips Froetschel, represents injured individuals in medical malpractice and personal injury cases. When he’s not working as an attorney and adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Froetschel finds that using his vacation time to kayak during the summer taught him lessons that transfer into his trial lawyer life. 

‘You Can’t Control the Current, So Go With the Flow’

Froetschel cautions against forgetting to go with the flow both on the river, and in the law profession. 

“You can take refuge from the current in an eddy—the area where the current circulates behind a rock—but, again, only for so long,” Froetschel advises. “As trial lawyers, I think many of us romanticize the fight, the motions, arguments and the adversarial process. But are those efforts improving the case, or our client’s situation?”

Instead of focusing on the fight for the client, sometimes steering the negotiations through calmer waters will provide a resolution sooner for everyone. 

‘Plan Your Journey, but Focus on What Is Right in Front of You’

Litigation often follows a similar pace as whitewater rafting. “It doesn’t do any good to think about the river a mile downstream—or a mile back for that matter,” he advises. “Your focus needs to be on the rough water directly in front of you.” 

While it makes sense to plan the intended course and identify potential problems during different stages of litigation, but it also is important to focus on the rough waters right in front of you.

Are you interested in learning more tips about navigating your law career?  Read more in this law.com article.

Business development consultant Yuliya LaRoe is a former attorney who founded consulting firm LeadWise Group to assist law firms, in-house legal departments and corporations solve personnel issues before it affects the bottom line of their business. As CEO, LaRoe realizes that most businesses will strategize a blueprint for business development success, but encounter difficulty transforming that vision into reality. 

For LaRoe, she advises that “Integrating business development into your daily routine requires intentionality and effective strategies.” A few of her “rules of thumb” of business development include the following: At a minimum, do one business development activity per day.

“Start by setting aside a little bit of time every day to focus on your business development efforts,” writes LaRoe. “You know your daily rhythms best; so find the best time for you to set aside uninterrupted time to knock some things off of your business development plan of attack.”

In addition, LaRoe also suggests focusing on efforts that will reap the biggest returns, noting that “your time is also a finite resource” and that you should focus “on activities with the highest potential and the most possible bang for the buck.”

Once you have prioritized your daily to-do list, LaRoe advises that you take action and setting a reminder to take action on that to-do list instead of just discussing or planning it. She suggests picking up to five activities that you will do that week, such as following up with a referral source, emailing a potential client, writing a blog post about a recent court decision, or working with the marketing team on a speaking engagement pitch. 

Are you interested in learning more tips about turning business development plans into reality?  Read more in this law.com article.