TechnoLawyer

Originally published on September 6, 2010 in our free SmallLaw newsletter.

Do you work in a small law firm? Do often you feel like you don't have enough time for all your tasks or to attract new clients and increase your income? I feel your pain. For a long time, I wished for a 25th hour in the day. Then I discovered something that made me more productive, creative, and efficient, which is just as good as finding extra time. In this special Labor Day SmallLaw column, I'm going to share my secret with you.

Eleven years ago I discovered yoga and have added minutes to my daily clock ever since. My yoga practice has also helped me manage all of the turmoil these last few years stemming from the economy and the erratic job market. In truth, I'm not sure how I would have coped without yoga as a constant source of reassurance and resilience. Sometimes I would show up on my mat with a heavy heart, but with every session I left a bit lighter. Ironically, I didn't just survive the past few years, but absolutely thrived in unprecedented ways — and I have yoga to thank for that. In fact, I became such a believer that I now teach yoga to busy professionals.

Why You Don't Currently Practice Yoga

Working in a small firm gives you a million reasons to put off adding yoga to your life:

1. You need to drum up new business and manage a lean operation — opportunity is everywhere and you need to seize the opportunity before someone else does.


2. You need to make the most of every waking moment because you have finite resources, and a lot to accomplish in a short period of time.


3. The last thing you want to do after a long day at the off is something that feels like work.


4. You have to spend time with your family, friends, dog, etc.


5. You need some time to just unwind and do nothing so you can gear for another busy day tomorrow.


6. Your body's just not flexible.

The list goes on and on. I know these excuses well because I lived them for a long time. When I first started to practice yoga 11 years ago, a co-worker of mine, an ashtanga yoga instructor, told me I could really benefit from yoga. The stress of working in a small organization where I had a lot of responsibilty weighed heavily on me. It was making me old beyond my years. I told him I had no time, and then he said he'd fit the classes into my hectic schedule. Then I told him I had no money to pay him, and he said he'd give me the classes for free. In short, he countered every excuse I could think of until I ran out of excuses and gave yoga a whirl just to get him to stop nagging me. I was such a brat — I wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth. I was kicking a gift horse right in the teeth.

Yoga Is Not a Miracle Drug, But a Rejuvenating Tool

Finally I stepped onto that mat and something in my body opened up. I thought I actually heard an audible "click." The more I practiced, that same click happened in my mind and my heart. Before I knew it, life started falling into place in a much better way than it had before yoga. It helped me cross the chasm from the life I had to the life I really wanted. I had to put in the work, and if I could commit to that, yoga assured me of gifts beyond anything I could imagine. I stand taller and breath easier now, literally and figuratively, because of it. Yoga takes time, but it also gives us time back by helping us be more productive, creative, and efficient.

Yoga is not magical or miraculous. It takes work and dedication. You have to want to change. There are always setbacks and disappointments in yoga practice as in life. That's part of the journey. Yoga doesn't prevent these challenges from arising, but it helps make them easier to learn from and manage.

A consistent yoga practice helps change your perspective, offering a new path forward through your current professional roadblocks. While yoga often helps improve your body, its real benefit lies in the calming and focusing of your mind. It also boosts your creativity and curiosity. Once you change your mind, you can change anything.

Written by Christa Avampato of Christa in New York: Curating a Creative Life.

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Originally published on August 16, 2010 in our free BigLaw newsletter.

Will Meyerhofer's agent coined the title "the people's therapist" when Meyerhofer, a former biglaw lawyer, explained his sliding fee scale for his therapy practice. When his clients first visit him, he asks them to name the fee they can afford. He runs his practice from his living room with comfortable furniture and tasteful art adorning the walls. Simon, a wire-haired mini dachshund, playfully lounges nearby.

"The sliding scales causes my salary to behave like a roller coaster, but I believe in the ideal of 'to each according to his means, from each according to his ability,'" he tells me. "I always, always put a person in front of money. My mistake when I was a lawyer was that I was too focused on the money."

From Sullivan & Cromwell to Barnes & Noble

Two years into his law career at Sullivan & Cromwell, Will received a performance review suggesting that he "do something else." Once he overcame the initial shock, he took a long look in the proverbial mirror and agreed. He just didn't know how to find that something else. He soon moved to Barnes & Noble's online division, and quickly established himself as a valuable part of their marketing department.

"A job is a role and an identity, not a task. Our work is an expression of who we are. I needed to figure out who I was and who I wasn't. I'm not a team player, I can't stand hierarchy, and I don't like details. I realized I could actually love the person I was, rather the person I was trying to be as an attorney."

After several years, he raised his hand to take a package when Barnes & Noble downsized and enrolled in Hunter College to obtain a Masters in Social Work. Right out of Hunter, he signed on at Saint Vincent's Hospital to run a free program to educate gay men about HIV prevention. He often saw patients for 11 hours a day. Despite once again working biglaw hours, he had a passion for his work.

A Private Practice and Writing Career Blooms

Will's private practice grew from his work at Saint Vincent's. The program at the hospital lasted for a set number of weeks, so his clients often asked if they could continue to see him for private sessions. Two and a half years after its commencement, Saint Vincent's dropped the program, leaving Will to focus on his private practice full time.

"Today my practice consists of lawyers and law students, gay men, and hipsters and artists in equal percentages. They're 18-80 years old from every ethnic background. This practice is really an honor for me. I learn so much from my patients."

With a book on its way to publication, a radio show, and a possible reality TV series in his near future, Will never finds himself idle. As his agent shopped his book to publishers, Will started a blog, The People's Therapist. The blog caught the attention of Above the Law, which offered Will a column after an initial interview resulted in more than 20,000 page views.

A Young Lawyer's Unbearable Debt

I asked Will about the problems his lawyer clients face. His eyes grow wide at the question.

"I know where a lot of these people have been. I know what it's like to be unhappy and to feel trapped. It's painful. And I tell them they have every right to feel exactly the way they feel. I was there, too. I get it."

The subject of today's price tag for a law degree touches a nerve in Will. It immediately riles him, and his passion for the subject comes through in his eyes, voice, and hand gestures. The subject occupies center stage in much of his writing.

"It's criminal what law schools are doing today. 25 year olds have been sold a dream that doesn't exist. They enter their careers saddled with as much as $250,000 of debt that crushes them financially, physically, and emotionally. To make the payments, they end up having to work at big firms that treat them horribly, and soon they are curled up in a corner bawling. Their first words to me are, 'How did I do this?' They feel trapped."

Will goes on to explain the crisis that he sees coming for the legal profession as more and more lawyers are pumped out into a market that has fewer and fewer spaces in large firms. I ask him about the responsibilities that schools should bear for these actions, if any.

"It costs next to nothing for a school to educate a law student: one professor lectures to a packed lecture hall. Law schools are cash cows for universities. It's no coincidence that the President of NYU used to be the President of NYU's law school. It's fraud. These law schools sell false dreams to impressionable, young, eager minds. The students want so much to please and the schools take advantage. And the worst part of it? Law graduates don't even know how to be lawyers. They've spent 3 years on theory, not on learning how to be lawyers. It's a travesty."

A Grope Towards Hope

Will has me agreeing that the situation seems hopeless. So how exactly does he help the hopeless achieve hope?

"For an hour a week, they can come into this room and say whatever they need to say to get this all out. I don't judge them. I don't tell them what to do. I don't tell them that they should feel lucky. I just try to help them to stop beating themselves. All I really want to do is help them steer the ship an inch in a better direction. We need each other to heal."

Closing Argument

Will walks me around his apartment before I leave. He has an extensive and eclectic art collection and an amazing view of New York Harbor. His collection of artifacts illustrates his wide-reaching travels and his love for cultures and histories not his own.

"I'm just a big pile of mush. I just want to help people be happy, you know what I mean? Life is a brief opportunity for joy."

I do. I get it. Will takes his role as a healer very seriously. He lives in a constant state of learning, growing, and evolving. He wants his clients to do the same.

"So, big hugs! This has been so much fun! Let's be friends. Invite me to your parties," he says to me as he opens the door so I can take my leave.

And I know he means it. And when I promise him I will, I mean it, too. Nothing beats authenticity. Our world, inside and outside the big law firms, could use more of it. Will works every day to move us in that direction, one client at a time.

How to Receive BigLaw
Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Answering this question requires digging up some dirt, but we do with the best of intentions. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw analyzes the business practices, marketing strategies, and technologies used by the country's biggest law firms in an effort to unearth best and worst practices. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.

Originally published on May 24, 2010 in our free BigLaw newsletter.

Today I wield a wider brush … I'm swooping it through the sensuous goo of Cadmium Yellow, Alizarin Crimson or Ultramarine Blue to create the biggest, brightest, funniest, fiercest damn dragon that I can … you have a masterpiece inside you, too, you know. One unlike any that has ever been created, or ever will be … no one else can paint it. Only you. — Gordon MacKenzie, Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace.

Your alarm clock goes off and you groan. I know. Most Americans feel the same way. Too many of my mornings started that way during this recession.

Large firm culture is tough to survive, especially in a down economy. I've heard every "chin up" phrase in the book: "Be grateful you have a job," "Hang in there," "Of course you hate your job — that's why it's called a job." These lousy aphorisms typically come from people who hate their own jobs and have no idea how to address their predicament. Please ignore them.

Even in a law firm filled with stressed out people, poor morale, and the looming threat of layoffs, you can survive and keep your sanity intact. Give these ideas a try and let me know if they help you see a a brighter future beyond the gloomy horizon. They worked for me.

1. Earn Some Beer Money, Maybe Even Vacation Money

Say goodbye to income from a single source and hello to the reality of the new economy. In February, I started a yoga teacher training class. I just graduated and am now using this experience to begin my own business. For the past two years, I've worked on my freelance writing projects, which have paid off in spades with job offers, paid writing gigs, and loads of contacts. Think about what you enjoy doing, and then find a way to use it to make a little extra on the side, and more importantly, expand your social network.

2. Talk to Entrepreneurs and Read About Them

Entrepreneurs are the economy's fountain of youth. They face tough odds, and their businesses go through more ups and downs than large firms yet they keep looking up. A wise yoga teacher once told me, "I'd rather do my own work poorly than do someone else's work well." Every other entrepreneur I've ever met feels that way too. Their energy will get you thinking in new ways about your own role in the world. They'll inspire to take your future into your own hands.

3. Ask for Work You Want

If there's a matter that interests you at your firm, ask to work on it. The worst your assigning partner will say is "no." So what? If you're going to be "stuck" at your job for a while, at least learn what you want to learn. Your firm uses you to get its work done, so why not use it to get the experience you want? Turnabout is fair play.

4. Volunteer and Get Your Firm to Help You

Through work, I got involved with pro-bono projects that enable me put my business skills to work for nonprofits that want to change the world. I teach several classes through Junior Achievement of New York, and took the United Way's nonprofit board training, all sponsored by my employer. My company matches my charitable contribution up to $8,000 a year and I've leveraged this benefit for the good of the organizations I support. The psychic benefits from volunteering help me keep stress at bay.

5. Have a Creative Outlet

No matter how bad work gets, I come home and write every day. My blog is for me, no permission required. It's one area of my life that no one else has a say in, and having a creative vehicle that's solely my own is a gratifying, empowering experience. My writing has made me a seriously happy, confident person. Change your mind, and you change everything.

Conclusion

In short, the world can't afford to have us frustrated and lost and discouraged. It needs us, the very best of us, everyday. Stop wishing for the economy to get better, for your boss to fully appreciate your contributions, or for the government to deliver a bailout that answers your needs. You are the person you've been waiting for to lead yourself out of these dark days and into a better world. Each day is not just an opportunity — it's your responsibility as a well-educated, passionate, creative person to give the best you've got, regardless of circumstances. Be fierce — better days won't just magically appear. You have to build them yourself. A masterpiece is a terrible thing to waste.

How to Receive BigLaw
Many large firms have good reputations for their work and bad reputations as places to work. Why? Answering this question requires digging up some dirt, but we do with the best of intentions. Published first via email newsletter and later here on our blog, BigLaw analyzes the business practices, marketing strategies, and technologies used by the country's biggest law firms in an effort to unearth best and worst practices. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. The BigLaw newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.