TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

 Open Secrets  documents how large progressive firms donate heavily to the Democratic Party. Those contributors range from Kirkland & Ellis and Akin Gump to Paul, Weiss and Sullivan & Cromwell. Obviously that gives them influence in the Party. How much influence, though, seems questionable post-debate when major decisions have to be made if Joe Biden will continue his campaign. So far, close insiders seem to have hardened into a closed system, stonewalling messaging. In a recent conference call the chat function had been disabled. That is such discouraging news for progressive law firms. Formally or informally they lobby those inside-the-beltway. After the US Supreme ruling ending Chervon Deference they will have to reach lawmakers with more details about proposed legislation. The extent of that reach could be more limited if not only the White House but also the Congress tips to a conservative majority. The extreme power of large law firms is in play. In business and life you

 " The allegations against [Roberta] Kaplan include claims she 'insulted employees, inappropriately commented on their looks and threatened to derail people’s careers.' There were also reportedly issues at the firm over some Kaplan clients ( ahem, Andrew Cuomo ) and the conflict that posed with the values of the #MeToo movement." - Kathryn Rubino, AbovetheLaw , June 27, 2024 The initial hype yesterday about Kaplan's decision to exit the firm she helped found - Kaplan Heckler Fink (which will be soon known as "Heckler Fink") focused on her amazing track record in practicing law. That dates back to her days as a partner at Paul, Weiss. Always she had presence. She will launch a new firm, with close friends. Then, The New York Times published, after informing Kaplan's personal lawyers, a negative article about allegations about mistreatment of other lawyers. That is alleged to have resulted in her removal from the firm's management committee. This d

" ... researchers Ozge Demirci, Jonas Hannane, and Xinrong Zhu examined popular freelance platforms over the nine months after the release of ChatGPT ... Ultimately, the researchers found a 21% decrease in the number of job openings for freelance roles related to writing and coding." -   Fast Company, June 27, 2024 That could also be applied to the negative impact on contract work by graphics art gen AI tool DALL-E. Hollywood's freelancers could be driven to another career path by OpenAI's Sora.  It transforms text into video. As for the overall freelance or contract economy, LinkedIn had documented its growth in 2023 - and had been optimistic about its expansion in the future.  Many who are out there hawking their services as a contractor right now might not anticipate such a rosy future. Even in the once-lucrative niche of Influencer there are reports from resume-preparers that there is a flight back to seeking out traditional full-time jobs. Among those I coach

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Paul, Weiss has long been prominent for its investigations, ranging from Fox during the Roger Ailes era to Deflategate. Now, Bloomberg Law reports, it has established a formal multi-discipline investigations practice. That is in response to ramped-up regulatory and lawmaker scrutiny.  Overall, investigations work for large law firms has become big business. But it has been more or less a mystery how they go about those well-paid probes.  For example, there have been rumors that some firms are briefed by the hiring client to take a prosecutorial approach. That signals, of course, that the investigation, from the get-go, isn't entirely objective.  However, that lack of transparency could chanage. "A California state judge ruled Thacher must give the plaintiff records tied to allegations across 25 years—including what the law firm says were private communications and summaries of witness interviews during the investigation."  -  Bloomberg Law , June 18, 2024 Thacher is a pri

  " Graduates of seven elite law schools had median earnings of more than $200,000 after debt, while recent alumni of 33 low-ranking law schools netted a median of $55,000 or less, researchers found in their study titled,  A Law Degree Is No Sure Thing: Some Law School Graduates Earn Top Dollar, but Many Do Not."  Reuters Legal , June 25, 2024 Overall, the median for compensation, after subtracting debt payments, is $72,000. The median debt nut is $118,500.  But what dazzles enough to motivate the ambitious to jump through all the hoops for everything from excellent grades to passing the bar is what large law firms hire in at. Cravath, Kirkland & Ellis, Paul, Weiss and more pay new law graduates annual salary of $225,000, with a shot at an annual bonus. One year, Paul, Weiss even provided an off-season bonus to the "committed." But, of course, in my career journey and in coaching I have encountered too many law school graduates who could not make a living practi

"If facty-sounding stuff does manage to sneak into Gen Z's feeds — claims about what ... Trump would do as president ... they're likely to head straight for the comments .  That's partly because they know the digital hoi polloi will quickly unmask any fake news." - MSN , June 2024 This finding is from recent research conducted by Google's Jigsaw in how Gen Z obtains and absorbs information. It and other takeaways surprised those conducting the study which was done through intensive interivews, not quantitative measuring. So, those seeking to persuade and/or sell to Gen Z should approach comments as key data. That is analogous to employers' paying attention to what is posted on professional anonymous networks such as Blind, Glassdoor, Reddit and Fishbowl. Other discoveries from the Jigsaw research about this generation include: Extraordinary influence of the Influencers A turnaway from any content seeming targeted for clickbait, behind a paywall, laden with

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"Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is picking up Paul Weiss partner Brian Scrivani in New York as it expands its private equity and mergers and acquisitions practices .. Scrivani advised Apollo Global Management on transactions including a $5.2 billion take-private of Arconic Corp. …" Bloomberg News , June 24, 2024 This represents another high-profile partner associated with the Apollo account leaving Paul, Weiss. Many recall Taurie Zeitzer's exit to White & Case. Both domestically and internationally, Paul, Weiss seems to be diversifying its PE and M&A practices beyond a dependence on Apollo, a major and lucrative account. That has been among the factors driving its agressive poaching.  It's a dog fight out there among large law firms for developing and keeping new business. Meanwhile their high rates open the door for regional firms to pitch for the business. Two jobs on the Paul. Weiss website deal with business development.  In business and life you usually have

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  "I only set the alarm clock twice. Once for the only appointment - very early - I could get with a healthcare specialist. The other was for a 5 AM flight." This former middle manager telling me this pointed to the alarm clock as the most powerful symbol of what her career had been about. After a six-month adjustment to retirement she finally broke open to the bliss of not having to be accountable in a capitalistic way.  She came for coaching to sort out options for where to live more affordably. No, picking up some extra money through temp work or gigs was not being considered. She was not a candidate for any version of unretirement. Admittedly, though, some in their careers don't frame their existence through depending on alarms, analogue or digital.  For example, there are Wall Street types who are wired to awake spontaneously long before financial markets open to get their ducks in the road.  The chair of elite law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp is known for his routine

"I hide." That's what a new client for a Tarot reading blurted out. As we sorted through the confusion and pain what also tumbled out was that they also hid from themselves.  This is an epidemic in societies with rigid oughts about who we must be: as social creatures, professionals, parents and more. The message is harsh: If we don't fit into those definitions of a self, we can't become a member of the group. So we decide to try not to be seen, at least not as we are.  That issue of not letting others see us, as we are with all our flaws, had been the topic of today's Sunday Meditation Practice at the  Cochise Zen Center , Bisbee, Arizona (accessible in-person and by Zoom). The presenter had been Zen Master Hye Mun (Barry Briggs.) Every Thursday there is also a meditation practice (only on Zoom). You can reach the Center to sign up for Zoom at cochisezen@icloud.com. Essentially Briggs reinforced the reality that we humans are profoundly flawed. That echoes the

  A car is expensive to buy and maintain. Also when it's "off duty" while being repaired that creates major inconvenience and juggling. With aging comes the added difficulty of "driving at night." So, there is the fantasy of being car-free. As New Yorkers know, that isn't a fantasy. It's reality. Public transportation is plentiful in Manhattan and nearby.  Now, though, for those outside major metro areas the option of making it w/o a car is possible. The first neighborhood that is car-free, reportes CNBC, is Culdesac in Tempe, Arizona.  Meanwhile electric bikes, electric scooters and more are opening the door to the possibility of being car-free in other communities.  From the New York City area I have been getting by with a adult tricycle which will soon be retrofitted to electric.  There have been other times in my life, after I left NYC metro, when I was w/o a car. One had been when starting my communications career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I had

 " 2024 MBA grads... How big of a  mistake did you make?" - Fishbowl Consulting, June 21, 2024 As LinkedIn documents, hiring of newly minted MBAs overall is down. For example, from 2022 hiring has plunged in: Tech - 26% Professional Services - 10% Finance 8%. This is another tough lesson about the marketability of advanced academic degrees. Back in boomer time, the ambtious among us did the prerequisites such as math courses to be admitted to MBA programs. If it was from a highly rated program that was The Ticket. I have a hunch that I could transition from nonprofit to the private sector because I was already enrolled in an MBA program. In coaching I recommend, instead of advanced degrees, certifications and licensing. When parents ask me about even the BA/BS I explain that that major that might be hot today could lose its marketability in four years. It is becoming "thinkable" to set out in life planning to go into the trades and approaching the high school dip

  WINNETT WILL NOT JOIN WASH POST AS EDITOR FALLOUT AFTER STAFF REVOLT MORE ETHICAL QUESTIONS Coverage from Axios.

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"According to a new report by Citi,  a little more than half — 54% — of jobs in the banking sector have a higher potential for automation , while another 12% could be augmented by AI." -  Pymnts, June 20, 2024 That play out of this employment phenomenon is called "automation-prone." And banking is highly vulnerable. Employment in the established banking sector will be hit hard. And in the process it won't have the upper hand, not in strategy, not in pricing and not in market share.  The strong players in the financial sector will be the digital natives which operate in the cloud. An example would be the fintechs. Other financial industries which are automation-prone include insurance, capital markets and energy. However, in my coaching, I am warning all types of knowledge workers that they should anticipate the possible impact of gen AI on their marketability employment security. Already many employers require advanced knowledge of gen AI on the resume. The new

“'The general societal opinion seems to be that porn is easy money, but anyone who has spent substantial time in this line of work understands the oversaturation in the market and the amount of work required to maintain a fan base,' she [Sarah] told news.com.au."  Sarah, who operates an OnlyFans account, is quoted in  New York Post , June 20, 2024 The myth in the porn industry, as throughout much of the influencer niche, is that the money is there. All it takes is being smart, creative and relentless about how to present your personality and more. Sarah assumed that when she launched herself on OnlyFans.  That adult-oriented subscription platform had been started in 2016 by British businessperson Timothy Christopher Stokely. Since then it has been become more or less legit. Folks like Sarah post videos, photos and streaming with the intent to monetize their content.  As with influencers who earn six figures or more, some accounts on OnlyFans generate blockbuster revenue.

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