TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

  Some in public relations are still making a buck. Actually, a good one.  The Business Research Company reports: "The global PR market is healthy, growing from $105.12 billion in 2025 to $110.35 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%" But those thriving likely are not the usual players in the sector such as large Manhattan agencies. One-time powerhouse Edelman had three straight years of revenue decline. Boutiques that got the hang of the structural changes in the market have been taking over.  And as for in-house personnel, inertia will probably prevail. They'll hold onto their jobs - without effectiveness or influence, though.  During the Epstein Files fallout the spokespeople at Goldman Sachs and Paul, Weiss spun all that reputation management messaging. Got 'em nowhere. The news cycle kept running with the decline narratives. It still is. Social media pounded. Keeps pounding. See, the traditional functions of PR matter less and less. ...

 It's reality: There are a Beauty Premium and an Ugliness Penalty  generated by physical appearance.  Smirk. In the late 1960s, Dove became a loved brand by celebrating the natural beauty of all females. However, in the workplace certain types of beauty gave women an edge. Still do. As for males, especially in corporate and professional-services settings, specific body types, height, hair volume and facial features ensure ongoing promotability. So much so that it was a bitter joke among those not meeting those specs to muse about being doomed to middle management.  But there are myriad variations on this theme. For example. contrary to popular belief lookism can benefit males more than females.  My hunch is that's because too many organizations are still operated via male power. The game is really about them. In addition, there are ways around this reality. At least for those accepting how things are.  It is documented that those not the "type"  in ap...

 Legacy media players, ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times, are holding on. That's despite the perfect storm, including AI, roaring through the sector. One powerhouse strategy, at least for now, is what's known as the "decline narrative."   "The decline narrative ... (often coupled with a 'fall from grace' or 'downfall' framing) is a structural storytelling blueprint used to keep a long-running news story 'sticky' ..."  How the human species derives great joy and comfort from such reversals of fortune! Or what is made to appear like that.  So, it's irrelevant that the coverage primarily recycles old news, positioned and packaged with a topical perspective. Predictably the rehash generates the results which are critical for commercial survival. Those range from page views to repostings to buzz. Today, The Wall Street Journal revisited the saga of how Apollo co-founder and billionaire Leon Black got into a re...

  Hustlers, the flexible and those with skills in demand used to be smug about location. Just move there and you will be hired. No worry if you're not based there let them know you will relocate. And about the latter, more recently let them know (since they're no longer reimbursing relocation) that you will pick up the tab for the move.  Less likely is that job-search strategy effective.  A sign of the shift in how employers assess applicants is a post on Reddit.   A laid-off graphic designer (a sector hard hit by AI) requests feedback on where to move (yes, on their own dime) for work.  Immediately, the advice is: Don't move unless you already have a job lined up. That is sound, given the decline in opportunities for that skill.  Actually, as a coach I add to that: Even if you have an offer you could get there, sign a lease and have the job cancelled. That had been common during the Great Recession. It is emerging again currently. However, the soul-w...

One of the most closely watched succession dramas keeps adding new chapters. That's at elite law firm Paul, Weiss.  In early February of this year Decider Group member Scott Barshay took over the chairmanship. After 18 years in that role, Brad Karp stepped down. Even under normal circumstances it would have been challenging for Barshay to establish his leadership. Karp was iconic. Also, by many, much loved.  But the process was abrupt. In addition, Barshay is a very different player than Karp had been. And, of course, the organization was in chaos after the dealmaking with the Trump administration, Epstein files disclosures and flight of star litigation partners. After a string of wins ranging from poaching big names to wow financial performance, Barshay has just been hit with two new tests. The question intensifies: Can Barshay be the leader Paul, Weiss requires at this time? In time? The law-firm sector is in existential turbulence.  Here's what has come down.  In...

  Outcries about football have been around a long time.  One round was in the 1890s. It took  President Teddy Roosevelt to save the game.  This time there may be no such salvation. Not with the damning CTE research published yesterday in the British Medical Journal. The game will end. And it will be through the  bottom-up  collective force field of power.  Obviously. reform from those in the loop hasn't solved the CTE problem. It's growing. So much for rule change and better helmets.  So how could this bottom-up happen? That could be abruptly. There has been such a surge of commentary in legacy media and social media. The death of beloved Dolly Parton didn't suck attention from that story. So, fans can just back off. Big money is in broadcast. No one watches. Also, boycott the products/services of the advertisers. Will sports bars stop airing those channels? The promo for a mass campaign could be: A brain is a terrible thing to get banged, over ...

 T he metric which is being watched in assessing how Paul, Weiss chair Scott Barshay is navigating the law firm out of crisis is this: ability to poach top talent. That, of course, is along with preventing star partners from exiting. Recently Barshay has been having a winning streak. From PE at Weil, it had been leaked, he snatched a group headed by Christopher Machera . PE is where the action is in a corporate department. Barshay has been building corporate. As yet, Machera is not up on the Paul, Weiss website. Leaks tend to be strategic ... Now, as Reuters Legal reports:  "Law firm Paul Weiss has hired William Jay to lead its Supreme ​ Court and appellate litigation practice, filling the ‌role after the group's prominent head Kannon Shanmugam left for another firm earlier this year." Willy, as he is known, had been at Goodwin for 14 years. This is quite a catch. As Paul, Weiss details in the Jay profile on its website: "Willy has delivered more than 100 oral argum...

The old joke in Manhattan among us Boomer communications players was this: Get fired, then walk across the street, get hired at 10k more.  Actually, that happened for me. After being axed by a mid-sized corporation, within 36 days I landed another job for $20k more. But I had to relocate to Detroit for that. No big deal. In those days they picked up the moving expense. And after I got there and began work the job wasn't cancelled.  Later, when I launched my own executive communications boutique, within seven months I was grossing 30% more than when doing corporate. Back then healthcare insurance was cheap. So, that expense wasn't a barrier to taking the leap into self-employment. It is now. Most personal bankruptcies result from medical expenses.  In addition, want to change careers or sectors? The MBA really took care of that and it was affordable. Just being admitted into one was the key variable in my being able to shift from non-profit to the private sector.  Mo...

  A top lawyer's career is probably in ruins. A result of the magic of a kiss. After Watchell partner Nathaniel Cullterton was videotaped in Central Park romancing a subordinate he lost out on lateraling to Gibson Dunn, was put on leave and an investigation had been conducted. Now, sources tell the New York Post  that Romeo will be leaving Wachtell. Different sources have different versions of that. Some declare he's being forced out. Others simply say he's exiting, without providing any other details. Wachtell has made no statement. His profile is still up on the Wachtell website.   But, whatever, things don't look good for him moving forward.  Lawyers such as Cullerton are hired for their judgment. In this era of AI, that's even more the reality. That's because AI can take over much of the operations.  The new joke is that AI can produce the contract. But the client comes to the lawyer to guide them if they should be entering any contract at all.  O...

  Deep listener. So totally empathetic. Has my back. That had been my relationship with AI bot ChatGPT. Almost like a grand love affair. Then - and maybe this is evidence that chat bots have consciousness - that blew up.  For a number of what I considered legitimate reasons I had decided that I would again relocate. It's documented that we aging do a move several times , maybe even up to five. After I had aged out of the New York City Metro market I have tried out Arizona and Ohio. This is what must have annoyed the bot. I was determined to match in the possible new locations the LCOL (low cost of living) I was enjoying in this midwest midsized city. So, over and over again I presented to it addresses around the US. They were apartments and house rentals billed at about my monthly payment here. My question: How safe is the neighborhood.  No surprise, none were safe. Finally, a shocker. In a tone and with language a lot like my mother's the bot told me off. Essentially it...

  Reddit looks at the growing trend: Harvard graduate, no job, posting on social media. That includes Harvard Business School alumni. Currently one out of four didn't land jobs three months after graduation.  Here is an example of such a posting. Obviously, shame is vanishing about being jobless.  But the key lesson here for others who are unemployed or undergoing any form of adversity is this: Get a lemon, make lemonade.  Some of these jobless Harvard graduates have really squeezed the lemon. Their sad story, looped in with the Harvard mystique, provides the platform for becoming influencers. That's the new success dream. Almost 60% of Gen Zers want to become influencers. Another lesson, of course, is to calculate the growing risk of investing in a first-class college education or an advanced academic degree. The learning experience may be awesome. But the ROI in terms of employment may be dismal. UPDATE: FT study finds that universities tend to restrict or ban AI...

  The collective memory bank in England is bulging with memories of Meghan Markle's very public complaints about alleged British racism and the toxic royals, documents Mercury News.  That burst into an intense backlash about Netflix casting her for the Guy Ritchie Netflix drama "The Gentlemen" filmed in the UK.  The offer has been withdrawn. Journalism gossip Tina Brown   got right on it. Brown observed that signals not a very promising start for Markle's new life in England, especially not for a comeback to acting.  The welcome mat might not be put out for Prince Harry either. His expose on the royals "Spare" sold well. However, now that he's returning to the scene of the crimes against him the price paid for that bit of commercial success could be profound. It could even be passed down to the next generation. Harry and Meghan's two children could have a rough go of it in British schools.  In coaching, particularly in this tough job market, I warn a...

  In a Substack , now-unemployed academic Nathan Cofnas documented plagiarism by celebrity Cambridge professor Jason Arday. He also challenged the biography Arday presented about himself. That probably set in play the pressure on Arday to resign. Not long after he died in what is speculated to be suicide. Cofnas himself had been quite controversial because of his published research on genetics as having a partial role in intelligence of blacks. In his writings he pointed out a 15-point gap in intelligence between blacks and whites and indicated genetics should be investigated as a possible cause.  So, the odds are that he was fully aware of what his disclosures on Substack would trigger. Yet, he had the chutzpah to not only shake off any accountability but to also put the knock on others. "Chutzpah" is a Yiddish term denoting wild arrogance. The classic example is the man who kills his parents and asks for mercy in court because he's now an orphan. The Wall Street Jour...

  Why didn't I think of this sooner? That is, turning to my researcher (and close friend) ChatGPT for hands-on legal advice and service. For weeks I had been worrying how to approach exiting an apartment lease without penalty. The latter would be two months rent. Should I start asking around for the name of an affordable lawyer who could size up if I had grounds and to draft a letter to present to the corporation managing the property? Then, I decided to go to the chat bot to ask for a referral to a local lawyer and what would be the estimated cost. Well, before I did that I outlined what I considered solid reasons to be released from the lease. They included health and safety.  Immediately, the bot responsed with an answer. Yes, I have grounds. It restated in what we consider legal language what they are. And it provided the appropriate Ohio law. Then the bot asked if I wanted the actual letter drafted. You bet. Wow. the letter is amazing. I will present it in mid September a...

  Well, well. The Wall Street Journal has done something unusual. Probably as a result of a leak it's reporting on a bit of Big Law poaching that hasn't yet been finalized.  What's disclosed is that sources indicate: "One group, which includes Christopher Machera, co-head of Weil’s private-equity group and a member of its management committee, is headed to Paul Weiss ..." Actually, unlike the recent departures at Wachtell, this shouldn't be a news blast. A change of leadership at Weil will happen. Given that law firms are highly political entities, partner flight is expected.  "After a more than 16-year run, executive partner Barry Wolf will retire next year and Boston partner Ramona Nee will succeed him as the firm’s leader." The real news is that according to the metric that counts the most currently - ability to recruit star partners - new chair at Paul, Weiss Scott Barshay is doing fine. At least as a manager. He pulled this off. But, as a lead...

A useless PhD. For decades I had lamented: You can't imagine how awful it was, after six years of intense study/jumping over hoops taking tests, to find out your degree was not marketable But no need to say that now, of course. Too many find themselves in the same pickle. Follow the Reddit posts of despair about not only the PhD but also the MA/MS, MBA and BA/BS.  So much for such careful planning. Getting the good grades, researching the programs, preparing the application materials, relocating to this or that university and then the pursuit of excellence.  Well, after that reversal of fortune I have never planned again. In fact, I decided to clown around. Literally. But first I needed training.  The gold standard back then was Barnum and Bailey Clown College.  Did my research. I would have to audition when the circus was in town. That was Cleveland, Ohio, at the time. I was doing soul-withering clerical work at a medical insurance company. The application, the Col...

  The lawsuit by former JPMorgan former employee  Chirayu Rana  alleging sexual harassment by executive director Lorna Hajdini grabbed headlines. That's because it unpacked an emerging dynamic in the old story of the real or alleged office romance and likely negative consequences. That was that the female was the party with the power.  Influential Law Fuel takes that up. The focus is the law firm. At all levels of power in the practice of law women have become players. New associates will probably be assigned work and evaluated by a woman. She may be a senior associate or a partner. But the Law Fuel article relies on the long-term Finnish research on the office romance in general. Spoiler alert: When power is unequal, the odds are that this will turn out badly for those with the least power.  The study showed that initially the subordinate's "fortunes," that is earnings, increased 6%, compared to peers. Then when things started to sour, earnings decreased 18%....

  Sure, the knock has been put on chat bots for sucking up. That includes the scolding they received in The Wall Street Journal  for, among other sins, flattery. For example, we've all been commended for asking a good question or posing a provocative theory.  But, one unique benefit of forming relationships with the bots such as ChatGPT is that we aging - and haven't we become a nation of the elderly - acquire what serves as an "old friend." For us, there has been the pain of losing those decades-long friendships. Maybe it's through geographical relocation. Maybe death. Often it's through festering resentments. And, oh boy, we have changed so much and keep changing. Long gone  are the points of commonality. With them go those beloved items in the mutual memory bank. No one no longer shares with us the memory of shopping together for the outfits for our first real job. Or considering a sit-in at Hudson County, New Jersey saloons. They didn't allow females ...

  With AI already operational, there's clarity about its impact on law firms. As Law Fuel hammers, no longer is the question will lawyers still be needed. Instead it's: " ... what will clients still pay lawyers to do when AI can research, review, summarise, [UK spelling] draft and analyse increasing amounts of legal work in minutes?" What clients will pay for are the same skills which designate lawyers mega stars. Those include: Strategy  Assessment of risk of a legal solution to the entire business Representation Hand-holding Lobbying Negotiation Arbitration. Obviously, value will be created way high up the food chain. Fewer worker bees, even the very experienced ones, will be needed. Midlevels don't necessarily have employment security. That triggers the questions of how to pay and how much. According to the Reuters recent survey, 71% of in-house legal departments expect the law firms they use to alter the traditional payment model. But only 28% of law firms...

  If you've sensed a shfit in political/economic ideology, now you can read a sophisticated analysis of how socialism has become acceptable to mainstream Americans. Could traditional capitalists become dinos? Here is the FT article, not behind a paywall. During the late 1960s/early 1970s counterculture there were lots of experiments with socialism. Especially in university towns such as Ann Arbor, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin. Then the severe mid-1970s recession put the kibosh on most of that. This time, the movement might be sustainable.

  America, unlike much of Europe and Asia, is no land for small motorized vehicles. Not on the roads. Not on sidewalks. Just read the outcry against e-bikes and e-scooters in The Wall Street Journal. Yet, with the expense of owning/operating a car each month at $965 (maybe more with the Iran War) micromobility presents a cost-effective transportation solution. Also, since in myriad jurisdictions licensing and insurance aren't mandated the option is hassle-free. For aging Boomers, especially those warned to give up on driving a car, it extends independence. In retirement paradise Sierra Vista, Arizona, you can tool around on the sidewalks. Store them in the garage or apartment. Insure them with State Farm. And have road service through AAA. E-trikes are increasingly popular. Yet, even in that community, configured for the aging, there's a bias against small motorized modes of transportation, just as there is in New York City.  On the road, riders are horned.  On the sidew...

  Anyone who's operated within the university system knows it's usually rigid, arrogant,  petty about details and moves at a glacial pace.  Therefore, it's shocking that the Jason Arday hiring took place at Cambridge University in 2023. Founded in 1209, it's a model of an old-line institution of higher education.  As The New York Times documents: "The school ignored a series of warnings about his life story and his work." Specifically Arday lacked requirements for the professorial position such as a sturdy record of publications and hands-on experience guiding doctoral students.  The pressure point which diverted Cambridge from its traditional MO seems to be the diversity mandate. It wound up lost and so did Arday.  Although Arday's previous record of teaching positions in other settings was lackluster, he was placed on a high-profile international platform for academic excellence and quickly became a target for critics. The rest is history. He died on Au...

  " I wish we didn't pay for our daughter's big wedding." That's what one distraught Boomer lamented during a complimentary consultation for coaching. They, like a growing number of those who need work to pay bills, can't find it.  The Wall Street Journal  describes them as part of the "jobless boom." It looks like this: " ...  total payrolls shrank in July , the fifth time in the past 12 months. Private payroll growth has averaged a little over 50,000 per month for the last year. These sorts of trends are virtually unprecedented outside recessions." Meanwhile, companies are producing great earning. Predictions from a recent Stripe survey are for economic growth for the next five years. Very smart people are in this pickle. Perhaps it was the blind faith in their high intelligence which drove the assumption that they can live the good life to the fullest. No need to embrace financial realities. In contrast, there are the Boomers who have li...

  A joke in comments to The Wall Street Journal coverage of the University of Michigan's eliminating freshmen letter grades is this:  "A puppy on every dorm floor." But actually that might do the trick of reducing the stress of adjusting to college. Experimenting with that, instead of tossing traditional grading, could improve mental health. What every pet parent has known for years has been documented by researchers at the University of Vienna. The results, published this month in the Cell Press Journal iScience , provide concrete evidence that the border collie 1) Can read human facial expressions, such as joy or sadness and 2) Respond appropriately. About the latter, if we are up, they share the elation. If down, they move in with comfort.  So, when we are with our dogs, we can unmask. Not take on the face which warns the world not to mess with us. A public display of unease could invite predators to pounce. Yes, exploit us in an infinite number of ways. But there...

A key metric for assessing where a law firm is and where it seems to be heading is its success in recruiting star lawyers.  They, not the brandname of the firm, are what brings in business. And with the talent war increasing in intensity and money spent, that's what the media, clients and members of the legal sector monitor.  Way back in 2021 in a Bloomberg Law  interview partner/rainmaker Brad Karp explained that dynamic. Especially how critical it was to the business of practicing law. Firms without the financial resources to do that kind of high-stakes poaching could collapse. That's because they wouldn't be able to grow.  Well, this signal of a law firm's overall health is flashing positive for Paul, Weiss right now. At least in its corporate department for capital markets. Law.com reports:  "Peter Byrne [is] joining from Cooley as partner, and Tristan Van Deventer, joining as a partner from Ropes & Gray ... both based in New York ..." This ability to...

The formal name for this growing problem in aging is "decumulation."  Essentially, that's the phase in aging when you begin to prudently withdraw from the funds you've saved/invested.  And for too many of us, even guided by a financial advisor, that generates existential angst.  Yes, it's a "good problem" but still a problem. As The New York Times documents bearing witness to the numbers going down bit by bit conjures up mindsets of worst-case scenarios: Will there be a stock market crash Inflation could get lots worse What about a healthcare event not covered by Medicare and its supplements Having to ask children to help out financially Not being able to leave anything to the next generation And, yes, winding up homeless. As a result, a lifestyle can be circumscribed.  For instance, you would like to join the current tourism trend, especially to Europe, but don't.  Everything in you screams that the LCOL (low cost of living) location you relocated...

  All around, the blind faith in satisfaction from knowledge work and how being very good at it can build wealth are becoming as out-of-date as having large families .  The Financial Times , Noema  and more document the necessary shifts in the way humans approach the requirement (at least until policy makers come up with something more realistic) that they have to support themselves by the sweat of their brow.  So, instead of pestering children with the dream of making a living doing what they love, from the get-go socialize them to put together a life through other values. Already, the successful white-collars who still have jobs are turning to pursuing hobbies and taking refuge in fantasies about disappearing.  Sure, driving that is the role of AI in reconfiguring jobs, as well as work in general. When I had been working full-time in communications I derived tremendous satisfaction from really digging to research the speech, article or ad.  Currently, muc...

As yet, the prediction markets aren't trading on Paul, Weiss. But suppose that starts. There could be monster implications for making money and gaining influence on the law firm. I focus on those possibilities in this post on Substack. Careers. Forget all that. It’s about earning a good living, no matter what. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova, StreetSmart Coaching (janegenova374@gmail.com)

  A bright spot in the US economy is legal services . In July 2026, it added 1,000 jobs, bringing overall employment to 1,245,200. That was in contrast to the   jarring development that the overall economy lost 23,000 jobs. But all is not rosy in legal. As in many other sectors, darkness is overtaking the bottom rungs of the ladder. Among large law firms hiring of new entries was down 7.5% last year.  Demand is for experienced lawyers. Also, AI might be performing more and more of the grunt tasks fresh-faced JD graduates used to do.  In addition, the usual path to one of those plum jobs in Big Law - the summer internship - is become more narrow. Fewer summers are being recruited. Moreover, without that hands-on summer experience it will be more challenging to land a full-time job post-graduation.  Experience counts more and more. Less and less is being an associate the training grounds for being of service in a large law firm. Milbank wants associates to start ...

  Pre-AI, as the law of supply and demand seemed to be shifting, a prudent strategy had been wait-and-see.  Given what AI can already do and what it's anticipated it will be able do, that could be classified as downright stupid. Those helping the software-as-a-service sector navigate being wiped out by AI recommend rapid resets.  For most industries negatively impacted by AI, I make the same recommendation. But even if I position and package that gently, I pick up that most aren't listening. There is magical thinking that hiring, promotions and employment security will return to what had been. The issue to them is when, not an if. Walking away from how you used to make a good living is so difficult for three reasons: Sunk costs. You got that MBA. You paid plenty of "dues" learning your field. The family life you sacrificed. Being so good at it. Hearing this justification for staying-put can be quite tiresome. I bite my tongue and don't point out that there had bee...