A story about lawyers and law firms
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Resources
Here are a mix of books and articles and links that we think you may find interesting.
One school of thought is that lawyers are special (and of course they are!) and that only information about or designed for lawyers is going to be useful for lawyers.
Another school of thought says that lawyers need to stop being inward looking and connect with and learn from the wider world of work.
Who do we agree with? Both of course. So we have some resources that are law focused and some from business and management more generally.
Sometimes we will attach a particular resource to a particular episode. And, as always, if you come across something that you think others will find interesting please share it in the Comments area.
Continuing Competence
The onus is now on every practising solicitor to display and confirm they are achieving continuing competence. The SRA toolkit gives helpful advice on how to approach this. An important part of this is "reflection" and this idea is discussed in Episode 19.
Mental health awareness
More than ever individual lawyers and law firms are recognising the vital importance of mental health. Stress caused by role overload (simply too much work) can be debilitating. So can role underload (leading to boredom and frustration) and role confusion (what am I meant to do here?). And poor or no management can make the problem worse.
Making a business case for partnership
We don't assume it's the burning ambition of every young lawyer to be a partner. But if it is on your radar or your firm is beginning to make hints and promises then what should you be thinking about?
Corporate Social Responsibility
Businesses, including law firms, now want to (or feel they ought to) engage with their wider community
Bullying
It's probably gone on forever in law firms. But only now are certain types of behaviour being labelled as bullying and the issue being taken seriously.
Office Parties
What could be simpler - "let's have an office party- like we do every year". Except it's not that simple.
Mergers
Law firms mergers happen for a range of reasons and sometimes with unexpected outcomes.
Appraisals
Appraisals are an opportunity for both participants to discuss any concerns as well as successes over the previous period and looking ahead to the next months or years. They can be valuable in developing a career plan, but also have the risk of being de-motivating and distressing.
