Observations on the topic of professionalism

I read a great article the other day; following is one of the many choice quotes:

"Lawyers in top management positions sometimes seem befuddled, if not irritated, when professionalism is mentioned at all. At times it is dismissed as an antiquated notion out of the annals of nineteenth century fin de siecle novels. Even if acknowleged, it seems at times to get pawned off on half-baked programs devoted to such flinty notions as 'mentoring' or 'inns of court' or special committees on 'collegiality' and law firm life, things to add to the practice of law, not integral to it."

credit for the quote goes to Robert E. Shapiro, Advance Sheet, Litigation, Vol. 34 No. 2 (Winter 2008).

What do YOU think? agree or not?
let the law world know by hitting the Comments button. . . .

What New York lawyers think of Mandatory Retirement

The most recent and comprehensive survey I found (a national survey reported in an Oklahoma City journal) in my simple web search shows that attorneys are not in favor of mandatory retirement. Cut and paste the link below to see what I am referring to:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4182/is_20071012/ai_n21047269

If you think otherwise or can find better or more recent survey results, especially highlighting views of New Yorkers, click on "Comments" below to let me know.

In any event, vote in our survey (to the right of this post) so we can compile our our own results of what New York attorneys think of mandatory retirement.

We Need Mentors!

One hundred percent (100%) of the people who responded to our last survey "Would you like to be a mentor or mentee in a nycla-sponsored mentorship program?" responded that they could use the assistance of a mentor. That tells me two things: (1) most of the people who are reading this blog (or at least voting in the survey) are in the earlier stages of their career; and (2) those attorneys need to talk to people with more experience than themselves to help them navigate their way to their career goals.

We would like to hear from more seasoned attorneys to get a mix in the dialogue so I am dedicating the next survey to a topic that is likely close to the hearts of those who have been practicing for more than 10 years (and in some cases, a lot more): Mandatory retirement.

Don't forget to cast your vote and to click on the "COMMENTS" link below to comment, give your opinion or any ideas for future surveys.