SBM Blog

Unhappiest Job In America? You Got It

Forbes reports on a CareerBliss rating of the 10 happiest and unhappiest jobs based on an analysis of more than 65,000 employee-generated reviews in 2012.  The #1 unhappiest job? Associate attorney:

“Associate attorneys stated they felt most unhappy with their company culture,” [Career Bliss CEO Heidi] Golledge says. “In many cases, law firms are conducted in a structured environment that is heavily centered on billable hours. It may take several years for an associate attorney to rise to the rank of partner. People in this position rated the way they work and the rewards they receive lower than any other industry.”

Unhappy though associate attorneys may be, surely the ranks of law school grads unable to obtain an associate position are unhappier still. They might look into becoming a real estate agent, the job that came in as #1 in happiness.

From Michigan Lawyer To NHL's Newest Coach

Congratulations to Jon Cooper, the Cooley law school grad recruited in 1999 by Judge Thomas E. Brennan, Jr.  to coach his son's hockey team, on being chosen by Steve Yzerman as Tampa Bay Lightning's new coach. Read Tampa Bay's "Passion Takes Cooper From Lawyer to Lightning Coach." Dreams do come true. 

Hon. Wade H. McCree, Jr. Answer To Formal Complaint

A pdf of the answer to the complaint is here.

From Indiana, A New Lawyer Marketing Idea: Destination Divorces

News report from Fort Wayne, Indiana:

Destination Divorces is a new way to go through a divorce. Skipping the court proceedings, this process goes straight to the mediation part of it, but the unique part about it is you can go on a vacation resort with your soon-to-be ex-spouse, in separate rooms, to hammer out the details.

Law Firm Marketing: "To Boldly Go"

What's your firm's tagline? Here's an unabashedly bold one:  Womble Carlyle, Innovators At Law.

Prof. Marilyn Kelly Returns To The Classroom

After a prolonged absence from the classroom pursuing other interests (practicing law, serving on the Michigan Board of Education, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court, and the occasional operatic appearance) Marilyn J. Kelly is returning to teaching as Wayne State Law School's first “distinguished jurist in residence.”  Her prior professorial experience?  As a French professor at Albion College and Eastern Michigan. Félicitations, professeur!

Congratulations To George Sinas, Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2013 Lawyer Of The Year

First, Michigan Lawyers Weekly set the stage by picking a very impressive crop of of thirty lawyers for its 2013 class of Leaders in the Law.  The criteria for selection included success in the legal profession, a passion for the law, client and community service, and a record of achievement demonstrating the strength of character and ability to be a leader in the Michigan legal community.  The 2013 class included lawyers from throughout the state, from a wide range of practice areas, and diverse demographics, and ideologies:

• Nicholas Andrews - Liss, Seder & Andrews PC, Bloomfield Hills
• Joseph Aviv - Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn LLP, Bloomfield Hills
• Robert Brower - Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey PLC, Grand Rapids
• Cheri Chandler - Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge, Ann Arbor
• Bruce Courtade - Rhoades McKee PC, Grand Rapids
• Eric Dobrusin - The Dobrusin Law Firm PC, Pontiac
• Daljit Doogal - Foley & Lardner LLP, Detroit
• Alan Gocha - Oakland Law Group PLLC, Farmington Hills
• Sean Fitzgerald - Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins, & Borsos PC, Grand Rapids
• William Hampton - Secrest Wardle, Troy
• Ronald Hodess - Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC, Tro
• Tracy Larsen - Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Grand Rapids
• Michael Lee - Law Offices of Lee & Correll, Southfield
• Aileen Leipprandt - Hilger Hammond PC, Grand Rapids
• Rodney Martin - Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, Grand Rapids
• Paul McKenney - Varnum LLP, Novi
• Kristin Murphy - Rader, Fishman & Grauer PLLC, Bloomfield Hills
• Lawrence Nolan - Nolan, Thomsen & Villas PC, Eaton Rapids
• Richard Paige - Bush Seyferth & Paige PLLC, Troy
• Michael Pitt - Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Rivers & Golden PC, Royal Oak
• Stephen Postema - Office of the City Attorney, Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor
• Brian Potestivo - Potestivo & Associates PC, Rochester Hills
• Matthew Schneider - Michigan Supreme Court, Lansing
• Harold Schuitmaker - Schuitmaker, Cooper, Schuitmaker, Cypher & Knotek PC, Paw Paw
• Hon. Angela Kay Sherigan - Wojnecka & Sherigan PC, Shelby Township
• George Sinas - Sinas, Dramis, Brake, Boughton & McIntyre PC, Lansing
• Stuart Sklar - Fabian Sklar & King PC, Farmington Hills
• Kester So - Dickinson Wright PLLC, Lansing
• Michael Sullivan - Collins Einhorn Farrell PC, Southfield
• Sen. Gretchen Whitmer - Michigan Senate, Lansing

Next, they asked membes of the class to vote on the 2013 Lawyer of the Year. And their choice, announced Thursday at the Leaders in the Law luncheon in Troy, was greeted with hearty applause and smiles -- George Sinas, past chair of the State Bar's Negligence Section.  Congratulations to all.

Who Should Pay For This Unbearable, Interminable Winter Weather? Prosecutor Says Punxsutawney Phil

An Ohio prosecutor says he has filed this indictment against Punxsutawney Phil, seeking the death penalty:

On or about February 02,2013, at Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the people to believe that Spring would come early. Contrary to the Groundhog day report, a snowstorm and record low temperatures have been and are predicted to continue in the near future, which constitutes the offense of MISREPRESENTATION OF EARLY SPRING, a Unclassified Felony, and against the peace and dignity of the State Of Ohio.

SPECIFICATION: The people further find and specify that due to the aggravating circumstances and misrepresentation to the people that the death penalty be implemented to the defendant, Punxsutawney Phil

As mitigation, I would offer that Phil was the inspiration for an awesome movie, and is definitely a job-creator in his community.

HT: Washington Post

How To Deal With Clients Who Are Narcissists

A program at the Beverly Hills Bar Association at which Hollywood lawyers shared their experiences provides some tips for dealing with narcissistic clients, key among them -- set boundaries.  From the ABA Journal:

"I don't do entourage," said Blair Berk, who has represented Halle Berry and Kiefer Sutherland. She said she makes clear to clients from the outset that, while the L.A. District Attorney's office has a dedicated unit whose role is to shape public opinion in a positive way, dealing with the publicists, stylists and other hangers-on with which celebrities often surround themselves is not her job, recounts the Hollywood Reporter.

How BigLaw Associates Outside The Midwest Spend Their Time

Rob Complains About Things via Above The Law.