TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

 Thanks, but no thanks. That's what sources r eport the incoming executive partner at Weil Romona Nee told the distressed law firm. The optics are brutal for Weil with this latest development.  An underlying problem for Weil has been that its growth in the last several years didn't keep up with that of its competitors. Way back in 2021 Paul, Weiss partner Brad Karp had warned that it was Grow or Go, that is, go out of business for law firms in the new world order. That requires increase in revenue/profits per equity partner, international expansion, adding more and more stars on the marque and scaling practices.  Old news, of course, is that the proposed merger with Willkie fell through and how Weil has experienced partner flight. Recently that loss of talent has included members of the management committee.  Typical in crisis, there are players who win big from others' situations. Here that includes Paul, Weiss. It had poached one of those management committee m...

  We Boomers vividly remember Black Monday - October 19, 1987.  We were middle-aged, corporations were downsizing and the stock market had crashed. I had just launched an executive communications boutique, after being laid off as being "redundant." The Big Food company where I had been employed had been taken over in a merger.  Again, October is proving the cruelest month of all. Given the impacts of war and oil prices, it keeps us in FORO - that is, fear of running out of money. Here's what we are dealing with today, at least so far. 52,273.11 1.13% −594.87 today Oct 23, 10:05 AM EDT •  Disclaimer Follow 52,289.27   ‎ 10:05 AM UPDATE: 10:30 AM ET. Dow down 800+

 In the chaotic 21st century, the rhythm is work. Those adept at time management might be able to steal away moments for snippets of a life. The extreme form is 996 - a concept imported from China, the workday schedule is from 9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week. Then, the unthinkable. That is a medical crisis. That sort of thing doesn't happen to us, right. Good health is a status symbol. The successful, the privileged, the youthful - we blow all that health stuff off.  Until we get caught in that convoluted web of human realities known as a "serious medical problem." In this YouTube  and article, PR Week editorial director Steve Barrett tells about weeks of drifting between life and death last summer. His special message to males is: Submit to those health checkups. Along with that, even in this era of 100-year life spans, is the warning that life is short.  In a podcast with New York Order  Paul, Weiss law partner Brad Karp recounts his heart attack. That was Janu...

HIGHLIGHTS Watching Scott Barshay as leader Paul, Weiss loses corporate partner Restructuring heavyweight expected to return to Kirkland & Ellis Brad Karp solidifies reset as lawyer Kirkland & Ellis becomes vulnerable Mankind plans, gods laugh *********************************** Partners are the revenue generators at most law firms. Their brandnames on the marque can also enhance the firm's branding.  Therefore, the key metric we're watching to determine if new Paul, Weiss chair Scott Barshay can lead is the ability to recruit, retain and motivate those big names. The focus is primarily on transactional practices, not litigation. Watchers conclude that Barshay's agenda is transforming the one-time litigation powerhouse into a corporate one. So, it's a setback that there has been a partner defection in antitrust. Yuni Yan Sobel is leaving for Weil. Her track record, in addition to antitrust, has been in M&A, merger control and Hart-Scott-Rodino Act issues. Af...

  Sure, we all know about the 32% of young people who never move out of their parent's home. Can't afford to, not even with jobs.  But the really soul-wrenching saga is this: professionals losing their jobs and returning home. Reddit bares witness to that current tragedy. Here's a snippet: "My kid is 30 and was totally derailed when he lost a very good paying job. Took him over 9 months to find a new one. We are good. He can live with us for free until he saves enough to move. No rush and no pressure on him. It’s hard." That story has a happy ending. Many others who boomerang home don't. The decision usually is shame-based. They give up independence which erodes a sense of self and with that the confidence to put together a soldi next. The location might be devoid of opportunity. Proximity to the network can go poof.  Get it: The price for affordability might be way too high in terms of again earning a good living. This is anecdotal. During the Great Depressi...

HIGHLIGHTS: Driverless trucks already on the road in two dozen states California Teamsters sue, contending 200,000 jobs to be lost in that state Blue collar not insulated from automation Guidance industry has to get humble *******************************************************   In the comments  to The Wall Street Journal article on driverless trucks there are jokes about other blue-collar lines of work which have also gone poof. That's because of technology.  They include saddle makers, elevator operators and switchboard operators. (Regarding the latter, Ernestine the Operator probably had to take early retirement.)  And that was fast. Yes, autonomous trucks have actually become a reality. So much so that the California Teamsters is suing the California DMV for allowing this to happen without adequate research into the economic impacts. The lawsuit contends 200,000 big-rig driving jobs in the state eventually will be lost.  Just about six years ago I was adv...