Mixing Business with Pleasure “How can I help you?” – This phrase floored me. It was 16 years ago, and I had just started my business at the time. I had reached out to a former colleague, a senior Human Resources Director and well respected business woman in the corporate community. We met for coffee and she listened intently as I described my new venture as an executive recruiter wanting to build a company and practice that was different from the competition. Near the end of our time together, she said 5 simple words: How can I help you? I wasn’t prepared for that. SHE wanted to help ME? Wow! I felt buoyed by her very generous offer. Yes, she was a business colleague and my objective in the meeting was to start building awareness of my company – but…

“The #1 piece of advice I have been given, well actually it‘s more of an adage but one I have followed, is ‘how you do anything, is how you do everything’. I apply this adage in my life both personally and professionally. I think it’s a good quote to keep in mind when you are starting the practice of law and your colleagues and opposing lawyers are just getting to know you and your work.” – Mandeep Gill, Life in Law Advisor and Lawyer at Harper Grey LLP One of our past posts to the Dear LiL blog addressed the user-submitted concern, “Dear LiL – I feel like I am being judged by my bosses/co-workers when I must leave work early, or arrive late, in order to facilitate childcare / child activities.” Read Mandeep’s helpful response here.

Diversity is such an important topic. What does it really mean to be diverse and how can we as individuals and law firms address inequities in the practice of law? I recently read what I think is a profoundly important article authored by Andreina Varela-Taylor entitled Diversity: More Than Ticking Boxes published by the CBA. I wanted to share this article with our LiL readers because it provides a stark reminder that the work toward diversity and equality is nowhere near over.

This disturbing four part series follows the true stories of Korey Wise (16-years old), Kevin Richardson (14-years old), Antron McCray (15-years old), Yusef Salaam (15-years old), and Raymond Santana (14-years old) as they are wrongfully accused, convicted and imprisoned for the violent rape and assault of a white woman in Central Park, New York in 1989.

I am very pleased to share my insights on how maintaining professional relationships and friendships are effective strategies for building a personally fulfilling career and hope that you find my thoughts helpful. We often hear the phrase it takes a village in relation to raising a child. I also think it takes a village to have a happy career in law. And I am using the word happy as opposed to successful because I don’t believe that success guarantees happiness. We often talk about mentors and champions, which you need. But very often, your mentors and champions tend to be more senior than you are. Mentors and champions have made a huge difference for me, but just as important, if not more, have been my friends in law.