Steve Marchese

Keeping Pro Bono in the Mix Can Pay Career Dividends

January 20, 2010

There are many reasons for doing pro bono work as a component of your practice. Besides the fact that it is strongly encouraged by the rules of professional conduct and is good for the community, doing pro bono work can pay big dividends for your career
Altruism is good, but pro bono practice can benefit newer, [...]

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Time for a Year-End Career Review

December 22, 2009

As 2009 comes to a close, it is a good time to review your career progress over the past twelve months. Although this might be part of an annual review process with your employer, it is also a helpful exercise for anyone, regardless of age or work environment.
In addition to a chance to look back [...]

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Show Me the Money: Demonstrating Value as a New Lawyer

November 13, 2009

Everyone knows the continuing economic recession has put tremendous pressure on the big firm staffing model. Layoffs continue and most major firms have drastically reduced their entry level hiring. Even if you can get a big firm position, or keep the one you have, what will it pay? The answer looks like less than you [...]

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The Etiquette of Following Up

October 13, 2009

As Tom Petty said, “The waiting is the hardest part.” You apply for a position from a job posting on a website and receive no acknowledgment—ever. You (finally) get a job interview and think it went well, but it has been several weeks since you heard anything from the interviewer. You e-mail a contact to [...]

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Work-Life Balance in the New Economic Era

September 18, 2009

A small law firm in Des Moines, IA, allows staff to bring their babies to work, a creative solution to the work-life balance problem. However, with the economy in a deep recession and the legal profession reeling from layoffs and structural changes to the law firm business model, is it realistic for lawyers to expect [...]

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The Art of the Cover Letter

September 3, 2009

Despite all of the technical changes to the legal job searching process, a well-written cover letter remains an essential component of any job application. Granted, you may be able to submit numerous resumes electronically via websites or e-mail, but if you neglect to include a cover letter, you will miss out on your best chance [...]

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Fall Recruiting: What Law Students Need to Consider

August 3, 2009

The news about cutbacks in on-campus recruiting continues to roll in. (Witness Harvard Law School’s latest advice for its students.) By all accounts, this is going to be a rough season for both 2L and 3L hiring.
However, there is still plenty of time left to develop a game plan. The days of large-scale, on-campus [...]

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Summer associate programs facing extinction?

May 21, 2009

The past months have been an endless parade of bad news for associates in big law firms between layoffs and deferred start dates for new hires. One recent ABA article discussed the impending collision between associates deferred from this fall and those scheduled to start in 2010.
This traffic jam, combined with the continuing financial pressure [...]

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Job search self-awareness: lawyer, know thyself!

May 5, 2009

The current economic dislocation has provoked a lot of lawyers to scurry for new career opportunities—sometimes under duress. In the midst of the commotion, many folks slip into reactive mode, chasing every posting on website job boards and drafting application materials without a clear sense of how they fit. This strategy is often a recipe [...]

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