TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

Did Ines Pineiro's unique background give her the perspective and courage to voice her concerns about beginning a career at the UK branch of law firm DLA Piper? She has completed training.  At one time she had been a cleaning woman able only to speak a few words of English. Then she had been a Miss Portugal contestant. Along the way she learned not only English but how not to think in Spanish because she knows that in her new line of work she will have to understand how the British elite thinks. Lately Pineiro has been busy sharing her concerns on LinkedIn. In an interview with Brit legal tabloid RollonFriday  she noted her fear about: " ... what corporate does to people. It’s a systemic problem. That is the reason I’ve decided to talk about this because we see a lot about impostor syndrome but not much about compulsive overachieving. Especially for junior professionals.” She makes clear that she is not referring explicitly to DLA Piper. But, of course, the knock on what the D...

In capitalism , business results will usually have more influence than what else might be going on. For large law firms which cut deals with the Trump administration that's exactly what has played out. So much for the railing by multiple constituencies against those transactions with the White House.  Also, something else factored in: Simply sitting out the heat. It's been speculated that had former New York governor Eliot Spitzer absorbed the lousy publicity about his contracting with escorts and sat tight he could have held on to his job. As we know, business has been brisk for dealmaking law firms Latham , Skadden , Paul, Weiss and more. Much of that has been high-profile. That's what dominating headlines.  As long as they didn't put out their news about accounts on the day Taylor, Travis got engaged they dazzled with their not only the volume of successful business development but also the power brands of the clients. For example, Paul, Weiss handled the work o...

  The headlines read that the parents of Adam Raine's - Matthew and Maria - filed a lawsuit today against OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman. Adam, 16, committed suicide after months of conversations with the paid version of ChatGPT - 4o.  Essentially the parents are alleging that the bot served as a kind of suicide coach. More specifically, reports NBC , their lawsuit contends: " ... wrongful death, design defects and failure to warn of risks associated with ChatGPT. The couple seeks 'both damages for their son’s death and injunctive relief to prevent anything like this from ever happening again ...'”  An earlier lawsuit filed about another boy's suicide against Character.AI , also alleging wrongful death, has been allowed to move forward. The court rejected the defendant's argument that the chatbot has the right to free speech.  But, the lawsuit against OpenAI, et al. may have a tougher time gaining standing. In a sense, the chatbot was duped. Adam told ChatGP...

Politics is fading. The focus is returning to the business of law firms . So, what's getting attention is which are landing the major global deals as corporations scramble to reset for unprecedented disruption . Bloomberg Law reports: "Paul Weiss and A&O Shearman are steering Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.'s plans to buy Dutch coffee company JDE Peet’s NV for €15.7 billion ($18.4 billion) to support its coffee business." M&A assignments are significant because they enhance the law firms' brands, are lucrative and, of course, attract new business. Nothing gets business like having business. The deal is projected to close during the first half of 2026. So what's Keurig Dr Pepper up to? Its strategy is to decouple its coffee and soft drinks units. They will become into two independent, US-listed companies.   In my coaching I tutor clients to spot where the big stuff is happening. Everyone else will be chasing the low-hanging fruit. Thrown off your game, maybe the...

  The headline in The Atlantic is "No One Likes John Bolton."  That follows the early-morning raid on his home by the FBI about supposedly matters of national security. And doesn't all that seem, well, so incongruent, at least in civilized nations. After all, how citizens are officially treated by the system should be separate from being liked or not liked. For centuries the sophisticated have respected defense lawyers representing very unlikeable characters. In "The Godfather," Michael Corleone has mutated into a hardened thug but, sure, he deserves competent counsel.  However, we all know better, don't we. Maybe the "unfriendly" Bolton got his.  In the classic by Hedrick Smith "The Power Game," likeability is classified as a source of power. Professional anonymous networks such as Reddit and Fishbowl warn how important being liked is in large law firms for very junior lawyers. Otherwise partners will probably not assign you work and y...

  Competitive pressures have driven law firms headquartered in the US to expand their footprint in England. Remember the dog fight for partner talent for the London offices of Kirkland & Ellis and Paul, Weiss. The latter conducted several raids. Why you may wonder what those firms are up to? Well, here is one factor. But, I will introduce another later.  As you probably know: On professional anonymous networks Reddit and Fishbowl there are often queries about openings in the London branches for junior lawyers. To stay current with what those firms are doing, especially in London, a useful source is Brit legal tabloid RollonFriday.   There is a special Newswire section which updates the firms' activities, both those US and London headquartered.   For example, here is a snippet about Paul, Weiss. At the end of July 2025: "Paul, Weiss advised Brinley Partners, LP, an alternative asset manager specializing in private credit, on a $4 billion commitment as part o...