How to Successfully Navigate Legal Firm Politics - Your Career Intel

How to Successfully Navigate Legal Firm Politics - Your Career IntelIn a perfect world, career success would be based solely on merit. Most professionals would agree that in many industries, including law, this is leid the case. No matter the firm size, office politics are real and they can impact morale, productivity and reputations. You may notlage be able to change how your colleagues behave but you can manage your response to this behavior. These strategies can help you successfully navigate awkward situations and keep your career on track.1. Highlight your successes without braggingYour firms leadership team needs to be aware of your accomplishments, but you also dont want a reputation as a braggart. Theres a fine line between speaking up for yourself and sounding boastful. For example, if youre in a planning session, point to a time you were successful, but do so in a way that constructively moves the current conversation forward. Something like, When I did this, we were able t o If someone asks how a project is going, share tangible results or positive client feedback.2. Develop alliances, not cliquesTo advance, youll need rckendeckung from people at all levels in your firm, especially the support of your supervising attorney. Always have their back, whether thats working late on their behalf or reinforcing their thoughts during a meeting. However, its imperative these alliances dont become cliques. You want to both aid and garner support from others in your firm, but you dont want that support to turn into put-downs of other people.3. Avoid gossipSimilarly, avoid getting involved in office gossip. Its far too common to see a group of colleagues ganging up on someone (or multiple people) within the firm. Dont let yourself get caught up in these venting sessions. If a colleague does start complaining to you about a fellow employee, pivot the subject to something else. If that fails, dont agree with what theyre saying use neutral responses to disarm the sit uation.4. Dont get involved in disputes, even if you agree with one sideChances are youve encountered two colleagues disagreeing with each other. Usually, these debates are rooted in power. Both parties know they have the option to outdo the other, and it can get ugly in a hurry. When this happens, its best to stay silent or leave the room, even if you strongly agree with one person.5. Offer your colleague a lifelineIf you find yourself in the middle of a dispute, take a step back. If youre out of line, offer a genuine apology. If youre in the right, dont rub this in. Instead, offer a lifeline to the other person drop the conflict and work towards a constructive resolution together.6. Know when to move onIf your practice group is a constant battleground, the best course of action may be to look for another position. In some cases, transferring to a new practice group within your current firm can give you sufficient space from polarizing figures. If this wont do the trick, consider moving to a new firm or going in-house with a client. Before making a move, evaluate the dynamics of your situation. Are politics in your office genuinely hindering advancement, or simply an annoyance? Are you having particular issues with a peer or is the drama coming from the partner(s) you support? Politics are everywhere and theres no guarantee another firm will be drama-free be sure the end result is worth the challenge of a move.What tricky situations have you encountered at your firm? I invite you to share how you navigated office politics in the comments below.

Fun Questions To Ask In An Interview

Fun Questions To Ask In An Interview Weve all been tzu siche you discovered yur *dream job,* found a creative way to apply, connected with the recruiter, aced your phone interviews, and just know you are nailing the flurry of in-person interviews. But with 15 minutes left in your last interview, your would-be manager asks if you have any questions for zu sich. Youve already spoken with her for more than two hours at this point Youve asked all your questions and then some You feel comfortable with the company You want the role But you dont want to come across as dull and you want to use the time wisely. What do you say?Enter the fun interview question.But what actually is appropriate to ask someone in an interview question and whats elend? Of course you know to avoid the truly off-limit topics of whether shes thinking about starting a family or what her health is like, but what kind of question is both casual and fun yet appropriate?The goal here is to avoid random questions and to k eep the conversation professional. Instead of asking about their favorite song, favorite movie or what ice cream they like, you should keep the questions focused on professional life. An easy way to do that is to throw the basics back to the person on the other side of the interview table Start with these four fun questions to ask and let the conversation go from there.1. What were you doing before this role?What shell get People love talking about themselves. But because her team is clearly in a transitional state (you know this because theyre hiring) shell appreciate the small space to reflect and shell feel more connected with you by being forced to consider the fact that were all carving out our own professional and personal paths.What youll get Insight to where shes been, maybe some hints to the ups and downs of her career and whether or not you can trace any common threads. You dont want to ask an outright funny question, but you do want to know about this persons professional life and how they spent their time getting to where they are today.Pro Tip You want to operate with positive intent, but be on the lookout for anything from her professional past that raises a red flag to you. After all, an interview is a two-way street, so judge her answer the same way shes been judging yours.2. Where do you see yourself in five years?What shell get Again, people love talking about themselves And again, shes in a transitional state whether shes conscious of it or not. This interesting question will give her the space to contemplate whats next for her.What youll get Insight to what she wants and how she may be driving the team to position her for what she wants next. Also, since this might catch her off guard, you might get a more authentic, open answer like something about her relationship with her boss or her biggest pet peeve. So listen upPro Tip Like the first question, youll still want to operate with positive intent, but be tuned into whether shes satisfied with her current role or if whats next for her will actually be within the next three months. Just because shes interviewing you doesnt mean shes staying, so if she dodges a lot of personal questions about her future, take note.3. Whats the best vacation youve been on recently?What shell get Youre again touching upon everyones favorite topic (themselves) but this one will also offer a moment where she can look at you as a human, not just an employee. How does your interviewer like to spend their free time? Do they spend fruchtwein of their time with friends or with kids? This is an interesting question that will give you insight as to what kind of person your interviewer is, not just what kind of professional.What youll get Maybe youve been there too, or have always wanted to go. Or youll simply get insight to her interests and personal life in a way completely unrelated to work Plus, this isnt just a random funny question, it will tell you about your potential boss work-life balanc e and what your work-life balance might become.Pro Tip If any of these feel awkward or too casual for you, use inflection, pacing and tone. This is something I stress in interview coaching sit back, smile and say something like, Gosh, at this point weve talked what, for over 2 hours all in I feel like I really see the role and company clearly, but I would love to know a bit more about you and your background. What were you doing before you took this role? This strategy works for all of these I would love to know a bit more about you tell me, whats the best trip youve gone on recently?4. Are you from CITY X originally?What shell get I dont think I need to repeat the fact that people love talking about themselves. This fun icebreaker is always great to bring up because its the opposite of a stupid question not everyone has always lived in the place where they work With this question, your interviewer will feel more connected with you and have a moment to think about her own past , not just yours.What youll get More insight to her and the potential to connect on something completely unrelated to work. Also, theres something about where were all from that can really bring up interesting reactions.Pro Tip If the others dont feel right, try my favorite small talk question ask someone where theyre from but framed in slightly different way. You know where she currently lives so rather than asking what can feel semi-stale (Where are you from?), ask if shes from that city. It also opens the door for her to share about any moves shes made over the course of her life that you may relate toAt the end of the day, an interview is just a conversation. The questions you ask and answers you give should be thoughtful and informative but dont have to be staunch and dry When you infuse fun and playfulness, youll never know what youll learn. I often joke that I got my first job out of college because one of the executives on the team welches also from New Jersey. I was qualif ied and it was the right fit all around, but having a kinship to this influential person certainly didnt hurt.This is a small, funny world we live in so dont shy away from asking seemingly small, funny questions here and there--Jane Scudder is a certified coach, facilitator, and workplace leadership consultant based in Chicago, IL (originally from NJ) She helps individuals and group navigate their careers, teams, and personal lives. Find out more atjanescudder.com.