By Diane Rifkin, Esq.
So you’re back from vacation… work doesn’t seem challenging anymore, you actually want more hands-on experience (imagine that?!?) and you’ve decided to explore employment opportunities. There’s a good chance that you haven’t interviewed in awhile, and the thought of facing down several unfamiliar attorneys can be daunting!
Our candidates frequently ask us to [...]
By Diane Rifkin, Esq.
President, Rifkin Consulting
Times have changed! In the past, there was a distinct demarcation between learning, working and fun. Today, people expect to have fun even when they are learning or working and networking has gained unprecedented importance in every facet of life. Understanding GEN-NET lawyers will play a significant role with regard [...]
By Diane Rifkin, Esq.
President, Rifkin Consulting
No industry has escaped unscathed from the perilous effects of the economic slump. The biggest economic crisis since the great depression has left the legal sector gasping for breath. With layoffs and salary freezes rampant in the industry, young lawyers have been compelled to take a hard look at the [...]
The Attorney’s Biggest Dilemma
You’ve made good grades in college, scored high marks on the LSATs, gotten your JD from a top tier law school, and landed a job at the law firm of Big, Bigger & Best. Congratulations!
Two or three years later – after billing more hours than you knew there were in a year [...]
By Diane Rifkin
President, Rifkin Consulting
We work with clients who want to hire top attorneys, and applicants seeking to work with the best law firms and companies. On a daily basis, we are faced with changes in the recruiting industry – primarily as a result of increased internet use.
For example, many law firms require that attorney candidates be [...]
(Part 1 of a series to help you kick start 2010)
Recently I was chosen to do a series of Webinars on the subject of Networking for Attorneys, each with a focus on a specific practice area. Although a daunting task, during my preparation I confirmed that there are more similarities than differences. We are firm believers [...]
This has been such a tough market for attorneys all over…but I’d be surprised if any market has been tighter than in California. Thousands of jobs have been lost and careers stymied. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma regarding laid-off associates – despite the broad knowledge that the downturn in the economy was largely responsible.
We [...]
Labor Day marked more than just the end of summer vacations and wearing white! During September we experienced a small but encouraging uptick in legal jobs. Long-awaited and fiercely competitive, the practice areas that opened up are labor and employment and litigation. Although labor and employment has remained one of the most consistent areas of [...]
It’s vital to learn – and remember – that success is not accidental. You’re not going to achieve your goals unless you clarify them, periodically review them, adjust them when necessary, and maintain a good plan for accomplishing them.
Life has probably shown you that you don’t accidentally have good relationships – they require a thoughtful process [...]
If you’re like me, in the last nine months you’ve been tempted more than once to cancel the newspaper, turn off the internet, and watch nothing on TV more thought provoking than the Cartoon Channel. Humans are creatures of habit, and clearly many of the old habits no longer apply as we’ve all reeled from [...]
