Tag Archives: career advice

Career Advice with Sasha Kalb, VP Compliance & Risk, American Express Global Business Travel

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  • In our second instalment of our interview series with successful lawyers in the field, we’re excited to bring  you Sasha Kalb, sharing her insights and tips on how she established and maintains a growing and successful career.

Career Stats
Name: Sasha Kalb
Current role: VP Compliance & Risk, American Express Global Business Travel
Law School: Brooklyn Law School
First job: Attorney Advisor, US Customs and Border Protection
Years of experience: 11 1/2

 

  • Tell us about your career path and how you got to be where you are today?

When I finished law school, I knew I wanted to work in the area of International Law, but didn’t quite know what that meant. I was given some good advice by a fellow graduate from my law school who worked at Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He suggested that it was a good place to start because I could get some real, practical experience in my first year out of law school. And he was right – it was a great place to start. I started to understand what it meant to build an internal customs/international trade program. From there, I broadened my role into general corporate compliance.

  • What’s the biggest challenge in your current role, and how are you handling it?

Managing time zones. I live in Hong Kong and cover all of Asia-Pacific.  Given all of the varying time zones in the region, this means that my clients start work at 5-6am and finish work at 10:30 my time.  In addition, many of my team members are based in Europe and the U.S., which makes the days even longer.

  • What’s the best piece of career advice you were given? What’s the worst?

I was offered a wonderful career opportunity when I was five months pregnant with my first child. I was scared about taking the opportunity and considering turning it down.  But someone I trust very much told me to take the job because great opportunities don’t come along very often.  I did and it worked out really well.

  • How is technology impacting your role?

To some degree, it is making my role easier. Recently, I was able to avoid a long-haul journey away from my family by scheduling a video conference in lieu of an in-person meeting.  On the other hand, technology means that we are always connected…and available to work.

  • How are you balancing work and your personal life?

I have a family and a job that requires very long hours. So managing work and my personal life is a constant balancing act.  I don’t think I will ever get the balance quite right, but I will keep working on it.

 

 

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Joe Ankus, Anus Consulting

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Career Advice from Joe Ankus, Ankus Consulting

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This post is part of our recruiter series where we ask legal recruiters for their insider tips and career advice.

This Q&A is with Joe Ankus who founded Ankus Consulting. After a career as an attorney with two AmLaw 100 firms, Joe has worked with thousands of lawyers for law firms and corporations primarily in South Florida. His Florida legal recruiting experience extends to placing 500+ top-level associates, partners and in-house counsel attorneys with both private and public corporations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now?

For the South Florida market, we have current strong demand for corporate, real estate and litigation attorneys. The combination of economic growth and natural disasters (Hurricane Irma) have created a unique set of legal needs. We have building projects that are on-going at the same time homeowners are suing their insurance carriers for storm-related damage claims. It’s been interesting to see the merger of these diverse subsets of law evolve in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.

Where are the biggest growth areas?

First Party Property (Plaintiff/Defense) cases have grown 1000% since Hurricane Irma. Law firms are actively growing in these areas and the demand for talent exceeds the supply. We also see a fair amount of growth in international corporate transactional work, construction litigation and class actions. Tax, Trusts & Estates and IP are fairly stable.

What traits are your clients looking for in candidates?

For lateral associates, the South Florida market still places a high premium on top school rank and Law Review as well as “hands-on” experience with a recognized law firm. For partners, the portable origination requirements grow every year- to be a competitive lateral partner candidate today, most larger statewide firms require at least $750K in sustained portable business and the largest national firms prefer at least $1.5 to $2 MM of the same.

What’s the coolest job you ever recruited for?

I got to recruit for a high tech company in South Florida whose office looked like a cross between something you’d see at a top-notch Silicon Valley corporation and an upscale college campus. There were open spaces, recreational facilities, and the most amazing artistic displays. It was truly a one of a kind work environment.  I remember visiting them- and when I entered the lobby- I literally gasped.

Do you have any career advice for our readers? 

To be successful as a lawyer in private law firm practice (which is approximately 75% of my business), the formula for success is, at the same time, simple and difficult. You have to be an excellent substantive lawyer, a consistent business generator, and a “working” partner who bills his/her own time. The most successful lawyers I know are top notch in their fields, work hard on their own matters, and also control sustained seven figure books of business. Skills alone will not protect a lawyer for their whole career unless they are in a firm that will always “feed them work” all the time.

Sadly, even the most talented lawyers- if they lack a portable client base- are often wondering what will happen “if the billable faucet turns off.” In 25+ years as a recruiter, I have seen, too many times, that if the lawyer is not producing revenue- for whatever reason- many  law firms will either cut their compensation, de-equitize them, or “invite them to explore other opportunities.”

All lawyers, from when they graduate, must remember that law is a profession AND a business. For those who forget this maxim, the market will always be there to remind them of this sobering truth.

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Lawjobs.com Career Advice_In House to Law Firm

Swimming Upstream: From In-House To Law Firm

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I love variety. It’s what makes daily life as a recruiter interesting. In my earlier blog, I discussed the traditional journey of going from a private law firm to an in-house position. In this column, we explore the opposite track–going from an in-house position to a private law firm. While it doesn’t happen often, it occurs enough that the topic warrants exploration for those in-house lawyers considering the move.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a corporate attorney (let’s call him “Al”) at Big Law. Al joined their Miami office from an in-house position. In my recruiting world, anyone who fled a law firm for an in-house job NEVER went back to private practice. Once free of the billable/business shackles, they effortlessly rode the downstream current, basking in the ability to do their job without accounting for increments of their time or building a client base. They loved coming to work, doing their job(s) and going home. That said, let’s take a closer look at Al’s career path.

To put things in perspective, at the time he graduated from law school, only two years after  2008 (a watershed for hiring), the market offered Al very limited law firm opportunities. By chance, a recruiter placed Al in an hourly position at the Boston office of a major brokerage house where he was responsible for reviewing and analyzing contracts. Al remained “on the job” for a number of years and rose through the ranks. In 2014, he came home to Miami–while still working with the same company in their South Florida office. He was grateful to have a job–but at the same time–there was a gnawing feeling that he wasn’t achieving his larger career goals as a corporate attorney.

Over time, his responsibilities increased, and he focused almost all of his efforts on credit swap exchanges, a very narrow subset of corporate law. To Al’s credit, he survived rounds of company layoffs after he moved to Miami. In 2015, he joined his current firm after starting there on a temporary basis. He offered six reasons why he switched to private practice:

  • 1. He was pigeonholed in his in-house role and concerned about such granular specialization (i.e.: credit swaps).
  • 2. He wanted exposure to a wide variety of legal matters including M&A and general corporate transactions.
  • 3. His company simply didn’t have the platform to expand his legal experience beyond what he was doing.
  • 4. He knew staying would decrease his overall long-term employability.
  • 5. He took a risk by leaving his full-time in-house job to obtain his current job on a temporary contract basis. Due to his hard work, he developed it into a full-time associate position.
  • 6. He felt it was his responsibility to “manage his own trajectory” in his career and that he had to be proactive in his efforts. No one was going to do the “heavy lifting” for him.

 

He also shared six key questions an in-house lawyer should honestly ask themselves before making a change to private practice:

  • 1. “How much am I learning at my job?”
  • 2. “How much realistic opportunity is there for me to progress at my job?”
  • 3. “How often will I be doing the same work over and over again?”
  • 4. “Am I building a solid foundation for my career?”
  • 5. “How stable is my company?” (Remember: Al was lucky to survive rounds of layoffs)
  • 6. “Do I want to have more control over my destiny by building a practice and having a wide range of experience?”

As we concluded our call, Al reminded me that, for him, making the move to a law firm gave him a sense of accomplishment. He had always wanted to start his career at a firm, but the market forces weren’t as accommodating. He took a longer route to accomplish his goal, but he maintained a positive attitude the whole time.

Al is acutely aware that sometimes work comes before life and sometimes life comes before work. No matter what, he said, for an attorney who is relatively new in their career, they “may have to give now to get later”. He encouraged anyone thinking about making a similar leap not to lose hope and to keep their focus on the end game: doing what they love and making achieving that a priority. For him, the journey to private practice took longer than he anticipated, but in the end, it was absolutely worth it.

I trust this article, and Al’s advice, will be helpful. So if you are going to swim upstream, we both wish you the best of luck!

Looking for law firm associate positions? Start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

AUTHOR:

Joseph E. Ankus, Esq.

President/Founder

954.862.1738

Ankus Consulting, Inc.

[email protected]

www.ankusconsulting.com

James Goodnow, Fennemore Craig

Career Advice with James Goodnow, Managing Partner, Fennemore Craig

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In the first of our interview series with successful lawyers in the field, we’re delighted to bring you some great career advice from James Goodnow, one of the youngest lawyers to run a large American law firm.

Career Stats
Name: James Goodnow
Current role: Managing Partner, Fennemore Craig
Law School: Harvard Law School
First job: Summer File Clerk, Fennemore Craig
Years of experience: 18 in law; 12 as an attorney

  • Tell us about your career path and how you got to be where you are today?

Law runs in the family.  My dad was a lawyer, first for the government, and then later as an in-house attorney.  I knew from a young age I wanted to follow in his footsteps, even if I didn’t fully have an understanding of what being a lawyer meant.  I got my first job in the legal world as a summer file clerk at Fennemore Craig.  I returned to Fennemore during law school as a summer associate, got hired full time after graduation, made partner, joined the management committee, and now serve as the committee’s chair.  I’ve been privileged to make this firm my home for my entire career, and have held positions at every level.  That’s allowed me to see the firm from the inside out and understand it in unique ways.

  • What’s the biggest challenge in your current role, and how are you handling it?

We’re facing many of the same challenges that are plaguing the legal industry as a whole.  The market for private legal services is contracting generally, as bigger players are moving more and more work in-house.  The clients that remain are pushing for lower rates and commoditized practices, which at a certain point aren’t sustainable.  Non-traditional legal service companies are stepping in and taking up market share. We’re working to stay ahead of these challenges by encouraging innovation, rethinking the law firm model, keeping overhead low, and providing reminders to our clients that the quality of legal service they get from a firm like Fennemore isn’t something that you can go out and replace tomorrow with an off-brand copycat.

  • What qualities do you think make you successful in your role?

More than anything, I think it’s how much I enjoy interacting with people.  The modern legal practice is hugely centered around interpersonal communication.  I feel joy when I get to know my fellow attorneys and legal professionals, learn about their interests, get to know their families.  Those kinds of connections help me do my job better.  I understand the needs of the firm’s people better, and I hope it also helps them trust me when I come up with proposals for the firm.

I’ve also benefited from being an unapologetic tech nerd.  My practice sits at the intersection of law, business, and technology.  We use tech to connect with clients, prepare cutting-edge video demand packages, track and analyze our numbers, and position ourselves online.  Being an “elder Millennial” puts me in a sweet spot to be young enough to embrace technology, while still being able to work with people of different generations – including those who aren’t ultra-tech savvy.

  • What’s the best piece of career advice you were given? What’s the worst?

Best: “There’s no substitute for hard work.”  Simple, but true.

Worst: “Friends are friends, business is business.”  I’ve never liked this one.  I’ve typically heard people use this when they’re trying to justify hurting someone they care about.  It strikes me that you don’t say this unless you know you’re doing wrong by somebody important to you. On a more practical note, for supposedly being pro-business, this advice can be a bad business move. Business is about relationships, and once you’re known as someone who can hurt those you’re close to, every relationship you have is going to suffer.  I’m friends with the attorneys in our firm, and I aim to treat them with respect.  Sometimes, tough decisions have to be made.  That doesn’t mean you can’t make those calls compassionately, and in a way that allows everyone involved to maintain their dignity.

  • What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were starting out your legal career?

Whatever stress you’re dealing with today probably isn’t going to matter in five years.  There’s always another emergency around the corner, another fire you’re going to have to put out, so save your energy and don’t stress yourself out over every little snag you hit.  Take the long view, stay calm, and keep things in perspective.  Whatever you’re facing, you will handle it.   Billions of people on this planet are having a worse day than you are.  Take a breath, keep moving, work hard, and everything will be better soon.

  • Where do you go now for career or work advice?

I’ve been blessed to have had more mentors over the years than I can name in this space. I’m grateful for all of them.  Recently, I’ve really come to rely on the two former managing partners at our firm that are still practicing.  I meet with them regularly for insight and guidance as I transition into the new role.  More than anything, though, my close friend and firm partner Marc Lamber has been an invaluable mentor to me through my entire career.  I wouldn’t be the lawyer I am today without his advice, and I’ll continue to sit under his learning tree as long as he’ll have me.

  • How is technology impacting your role / organization / industry?

Every way possible.  Law is now a 24/7, global business.  Clients expect constant communication, and cloud-based document storage means that being out of the office is no longer the impediment to working that it used to be – for better and for worse.  Tech-based competitors like LegalZoom are eating up market share, keeping traditional law firms on our toes.  Tech-enabled virtual law firms like FisherBroyles are also challenging the traditional model.  Insurance companies and major corporate players are using Big Data analysis techniques to quantify and commoditize the practice of law.  My own firm is experimenting with AI-based legal research.  Law is heading for a massive tech disruption, and we aim to be on the leading edge of those changes.

  • What causes are you personally invested in?

I care deeply about developing diverse representation within the firm.  Prior to becoming chair of the management committee, I chaired the firm’s Diversity and Retention Council, which was charged with bringing in and keeping diverse attorneys.  The legal industry as a whole has struggled to bring in diverse attorneys, and more importantly to keep them on track to partnership.  The entire industry loses far too many diverse attorneys as they climb the associate ladder.  Encouraging diversity isn’t about touchy-feely, political correctness; it’s about developing a major competitive advantage.  The research is clear that diverse teams are stronger, smarter, more efficient teams.  The legal industry can’t afford to continue letting strong, bright attorneys fall through the cracks.

  • How are you balancing work and your personal life?

This is the single biggest challenge I face.  I’m blessed to be married to my high school sweetheart, who’s a businesswoman in her own right as the CEO of the college admissions consulting firm Going Ivy, and together we have two beautiful kids.  I’d gladly spend every minute I had with them, but my practice entails long hours, short deadlines, and a lot of travel.  And that was before I became chair of the firm’s management committee.  These days I take my kids to school every morning and do my best to be home by 7 pm to tuck them in and give them a goodnight kiss.  I catch up with my wife after the kids’ bedtime, and then usually have to hit the computer again to catch up on emails before bed.  I work hard to keep as much of the weekends free as possible and to carve out the odd lunch date or school trip wherever I can.  It’s not easy, and it’s something I’ve long been working on being better at.

  • Beyond work, what are you most passionate about?

Working out is a big part of maintaining my wellbeing, both for physical fitness and mental.  Given how little time I have for family already, workouts are even harder to fit in, but I try to find the time.  Workouts function as “me time,” which everyone needs at some point.   I grew up a competitive cyclist, and I lament the fact that my bike mostly collects dust.  These days, I typically get up early, around 4:30 AM and work out in my house before the kids get up for breakfast.  I also recently splurged on a treadmill desk for my office, which is perfect for tapping out emails on an iPad or handling phone calls.

See our law firm openings and start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.