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"New York's law firms have often been trend-setters and bellwethers for the U.S. legal industry, setting expectations in areas such as lawyer pay and sometimes bearing the brunt when a downturn strikes."  - Reuters Legal , December 28, 2023 Sure, the force field of law-firm influence has broken open to include Silicon Valley and the new Promised Land Texas (especially Houston and Dallas). But New York City maintains its aura of the place to pursue a career. Otherwise Midwest giant/hustler Kirkland & Ellis wouldn't have bothered to establish a presence there. The firm everyone is watching Paul, Weiss wouldn't have just signed a lease for massive square footage several doors down from where it has been for decades. And rents and the cost of a salad in the metro area wouldn't have been able to sustain nosebleed. Smirk. So much for the jaw-jawing about the end of NYC. Meanwhile will the gallows humor (NYC loves dark) be that Paul, Weiss saved commercial real e

" ... officers from the Clarkstown Police Department found Bronxville Police Department Sergeant Watson Morgan, 49, his wife Ornela Morgan, 43, and their two sons aged 10 and 12 dead in their home." -  Business Insider, December 31, 2023 That tragedy is assumed to be a murder-suicide. Non-glam crime series such as the British "Whitechapel" captured the mental torment of those on the front lines. US glam ones such as "Criminal Minds" focused more on the dynamics of crime-solving and "Law & Order SVU" on what's wrong with the system. A series from 2009 - 2013 "Whitechapel"  follows the investigation of serial killings which replicate historic crimes such as Jack the Ripper. Along the way those in the loop see too much on the job and that is piled onto their own underlying dysfunction. For example, the head of the group Joe Chandler struggles with the OCD which kicked in with his father's suicide and panic attacks. Socially iso

Just when you thought no satire could come up to British comic  John Oliver's takedown of McKinsey , here is movie  Poor Things .  HUMOR SO DARK, MIXED WITH SCI FI Set in Victorian England it uses dark humor, sci fi and alternating black and white/color to depict the wild journey of a female from traditional values to being a freethinker/doer who gains power and wealth. Simultaneously she softens enough to be able to love and forgive.  Essentially it is the story of a very pregnant well-dressed woman who takes a suicide leap into the water. Mad scientist Dr. Baxter retrieves the dead body, transplants the dead infant's brain into the woman's and electrifies what comes together to life.  Originally Victoria Blessington wife of a cruel rich man, the creature is renamed Bella Baxter. As she develops from infancy, in an adult body, she pushes for knowledge of the world and herself. Via a lustful lawyer she escapes captivity with Dr. Baxter and his assistant (with whom she

  In the very recent feature about the ongoing plagiarism investigation of Harvard President Claudine Gay  The Wall Street Journal  mentions law firm Clare Locke.  Specializing in defamation on the plaintiff side Clare Locke was parachuted in when, last October, the New York Post notified Harvard of alleged plagiarism by citing specific instances. Ever since 2016, when Fox contracted with law firm Paul,Weiss to investigate alleged misconduct, such investigations by law firms have become standard. The lack of them could throw shade on the organizations, as if they have something to hide. In itself that line of work has become a lucrative practice for law firms.  In terms of those examples of alleged plagiarism, reports WSJ, Clare Locke indicated in a letter to Harvard that they were "both cited and properly credited." The New York Post was not satisfied and published its contentions.  As many know, Congress - that is, the House Education and Workforce Committee - is runn

" Pink-haired Aitana Lopez is followed by more than 200,000 people on social media. She posts selfies from concerts and her bedroom, while tagging brands such as hair care line Olaplex and lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret." - Ars Technica , December 29, 2023 Brands pay Lopez about $1,000 a post to promote their products and services. That's even though she is fictional, a presence created through Artificial Intelligence by Barcelona, Spain creative agency The Clueless.  Human influencers in that $21 billion sector should be very frightened. Their source of revenue can go poof.  Actually, brands may prefer the AI versions, which come across just as humans do in whatever context, because there is no threat of scandal from misconduct or worse (such as a youthful death). In addition and perhaps more importantly, AI-created influencers are billed at less than the human kind. In a sense the latter could be pricing themselves out of the market.  So many youth, locked out of the

  "Ousted UPenn board chair says donors shouldn’t decide policy after contributions pulled over school’s handling of antisemitism"  New York Post , December 28, 2023 Essentially Apollo CEO Marc Rowan exposed the control that those not actually inside an institution had over it.  Among other strategies to eliminate campus antisemitism Rowan motivated other major donors to academia to threaten withholding future funding. In addition, the issue got the attention of Congress which conducted a hearing. It's an understatement to size up those presentations as disasters for the academic leaders. Also what was shown not to be in control was the white shoe law firm WilmerHale which provided the advice to those academics on how to deliver that Congressional testimony.  Rowan's initial target - the leadership at UPenn - caved. At Harvard things are dicey.  No bit of higher education should feel safe.  Rowan merely uncovered the reality few admit and that it applies way beyond ac

Amazon makes us feel downright deep good about aging. Here is its commercial focusing on three elderly female friends who go sledding. Before clicking have tissues in your hand. A wad of them. Complimentary session about intuitive coaching. For an appointment with Jane Genova (text/phone 203-468-8579 or email at janegenova374@gmail.co.)

 The Roaring 20s sure seem to be back.   One sign of wild exuberance is the nonstop surge of the stock market.  We boomers who used to check the Dow compulsively with dread have circled back to embracing the mascot of our youth Alfred E. Neuman. His mantra was "What Me Worry." If your work is not in the category of manpower slashers (sadly that is still going on, maybe even increasing), you can expect wage boosts because productivity is up. Your employer or those contracting your service have no choice but to measure your output as valuable.  Inflation isn't all that bad. And what is more of us can afford. And there is no longer stigma in renting instead of owning. It's cool to stop riding the lawn mower and doing all the house stuff that makes us come across as our parents. Be out there, enjoy. A sign of that settling in of let the good times roll is that even in the troubled law-firm sector Paul, Weiss is go-go growth and is leasing mega space in Midtown Manhattan.

 In 2024, software engineers who have been highly valued in 2023, might not be. Projected is that artificial intelligence will take over much of coding and software development.  Already many in content-creation, banking, junior lawering and management consulting have experienced that shift in work trends. It's not only about the impacts of technology. Also factor in market demand, aggressive drives for cost-efficiency, high cost of funding, regulatory uncertainty with an election year coming up and geopolitical tensions. For the humans caught in this disruption it can be soul-wrenching. And not just for those having their value wiped out.  Way back when PCs were taking over clerical tasks in the Fortune 500, we Knowledge Workers bore witness to how those who had loyally assisted us were terminated. "I am happy to give you a good reference." That's what we helplessly said. But we knew that the odds were against them landing such high-paying jobs again. If they were de

"Some say they are ... too ashamed to tell their relatives that they lost their jobs, so they have to conjure up places to go during the day." -  The Wall Street Journal , December 24, 2023 SHAME That is about the jobless in Shanghai, China who are unemployed and can't figure out how to inform those in the loop about that reality. Daily they leave their residences to hang out at the library. Usually that locks them in the past. There they retreat into regret over what we in America call “Spilled Milk.” Even though loss of jobs is currently a mainstream global development there is still shame associated with no longer being part of the workforce. It isn't only in the rigid work-oriented culture of China. And it isn't new.  Years ago, I had coached an unemployed lawyer in Greenwich, Connecticut (identity masked). He boarded the Metro North train every morning to simulate having a job in a law firm in Manhattan. On the platform he chatted with other professiona

  This holiday long weekend biographical sports film  "Iron Claw"  opened. Here is the  trailer. PILE-ON OF TRAGEDY Essentially the 2023 movie is the true story of the Von Erich family which became a legend in professional wrestling in the 1980s. But along the way to fame and fortune, one son died of medical problems he ignored in order to show up in the ring in Japan. Two others committed suicide. The one survivor, after almost losing his own wife and two sons, sold the business.  The father Fritz, who missed his shot at the wrestling big time, is brutally one-dimensional in driving the four sons. Earlier, in childhood another son had died in an accident. There is no blatant attempt to put dad on any couch for psychoanalysis. There is no need for that. Don't we all know the type?  The mother, who initially does push back on her husband's grand visions of success, goes passive and cold and religious. She only circles back to who she was after the second

Somehow most of us manage it: Making that harsh transition from being a student to having to put together a career. And, intuitively (or maybe mentors tip us off) we keep our pain private as we adjust to "adultimg." Not so Gen Zer Briella Asero. Although it took her five months to land a job after graduating college she cried (literally) about the situation on TikTok. Her beefs ranged from being locked into 9-to-5 to the commute. Now, as Daily Mail reports, that cause of her distress is gone. She has been laid off from the position. She has no emergency fund.  She probably will never know if there had been a correlation between the jaw-jawing about her difficult rite of passage and currently being without work.  However, if she has decided to what we call "grow up" she will understand how risky it is to go public with anything and everything about an employer - at least without their approval. That covers not only the negative but also the positive. Actually it also

  Our stocks keep panning out for us. 37,474.67 USD ▲  +70.32 (+0.19%) today December 22, 10:50 AM EST  ·  Market Open Data or the gut for your careers and communications? Both of course. Complimentary consultation with intuitive coach, content-creator, and Tarot reader Jane Genova (text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ).

"[Paul, Weiss] signed a 20-year lease for 765,000 square feet across 18 floors at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, the firm announced on Thursday. The firm is moving from its home at 1285 Avenue of the Americas, where it resided for nearly 30 years. Its lease was set to expire in 2026." -   Bloomberg Law , December 21, 2023 In sizing up the move Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp cites its interior design aesthetics, high-tech capabilities and meeting-space ambiance.  GROWTH However, one message this gives off is the confidence the law firm has in its ability to maintain its current go-go pace for both bringing in new business and overall growth. At a time when other firms have been laying off because of a falloff in demand, Paul, Weiss has been hiring. In addition, back to and including the post-9/11 recession it has refused to conduct a Reduction of Force. It always had the optimism that they would have enough work to assign. Karp became chair in 2008. Should Paul, Weiss be able to po

 Not too shabby. Over-65, how our day goes is increasingly determined by what the Dow is doing. Market Summary  >  Dow Jones Industrial Average 37,404.35 +322.35  (0.87%) today Dec 21, 4:20 PM EST  •  Disclaimer Data or the gut for your careers and communications? Both of course. Complimentary consultation with intuitive coach, content-creator, and Tarot reader Jane Genova (text 203-468-8579,  janegenova374@gmail.com ).

It happens all the time: An institution (or human being) flies too high and too blindly and that's it. It comes down back to earth. Sometimes, like GE, it can orchestrate a comeback. Other times it may need to be saved such as Disney (by activist investors or being acquired). Then there are situations, like Harvard, where the question is: Is this institution worth preserving? If it is it probably never will be "Harvard" again, at least not as it has dominated elite branding since it was founded in 1636 to train clergy. Things don't look good for Harvard. Not at all. The pounding started indirectly.  Over at alternate asset management firm Apollo CEO Marc Rowan held his hand over the donation button. He threatened to never to press down again unless his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania came down on campus antisemitism.  Soon that Moment became a Movement. Congress caught the vibrations. The Penn president Liz Magill is out. The one at Harvard C

"We Are So Not Ready for a Society Where Living to 100 Is Common" -   Bloomberg , December 20, 2023 As an intuitive career coach, I have a front-row seat on how unprepared our society is for such a long life.  Initially a professional will come to me to sort out the adjustment to retirement. Soon enough, though, they return with the realization that they can't handle three or more decades of not doing what is considered "of value."  We then focus on how to create lifestyles which "matter." Given the many years possibly ahead those plans could include laboring for income. As they tell me, "It's so scary to dip into savings for daily expenses." The fear of running out of money is real. Homelessness among the aging is increasing.  Meanwhile, the 100-year life is putting new kinds of pressure on aging leaders.  Instead of tapping the brakes in the 60s they are expected to conjure up breakthrough strategies and, yes, implement th

  On January 1, 2024, the names of 177 associated in some way with Jeffrey Epstein could be available for public disclosure. Judge Loretta Preska is in charge of this and when she made her ruling earlier this month she gave the John/Jane DOEs  14 days to appeal.  Reputation restorers likely have already been hired by those in the loop. Media outlets which have a sense who are among the DOEs are probably preparing coverage.  However, those additions to the list of who was on Epstein's network probably won't get Leon Black off the hook. What might have been simply sticky hardened into something permanent. He didn't do the right crisis-management things quickly enough.  In my coaching practice I warn those feeling the heat to "surrender" to the reality of the attack. Approach the situation as urgent. That's the only way to be on the offense. That doesn't mean having to admit guilt of some kind. It means admitting there is a problem and signaling a willingnes

"WilmerHale’s investigation into Sam Altman’s ouster at OpenAI has dual aims—help the company restore credibility and assist the law firm in moving beyond a congressional hearing debacle where it coached two university presidents." -  Bloomberg Law ,  December 20, 2023 Way back in 2016, law firm Paul Weiss parachuted in to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct at Fox. Since then, organizations in trouble have found it almost necessary to hire a prominent law firm to look into things and do a comprehensive report. Otherwise the broad range of constituencies aren't satisfied. Consequently, that kind of work has evolved into a lucrative and high-profile practice for large law firms.  For WilmerHale it has to be a lot more. Criticism of how it seemed to guide the testimony of the two university presidents related to campus antisemitism is sticky. One already got the boot. The other seems to be on thin ice.  However, the OpenAI investigation could in itself cause more