Media

As an award-winning career management consultant and ICCI Fellow and thought leader, Sheryl Odentz (Founder of Progress in Work) lectures, shares her expertise in videos, and publishes articles in leading legal publications and on social media. Below is an archive of her published work.

NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO GET LAZY ON ZOOM

While we’re all fighting Zoom fatigue, virtual meetings are here to stay, even as lawyers and clients are reporting to the office. It’s always critical to make an excellent impression, with clients, partners, and colleagues, especially in these uncertain economic...

read more

DON’T FLIP OUT! USE YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE INSTEAD

Emotional Intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ), is the intelligent use of emotions. It’s the set of skills people use to manage their own emotions wisely, to maximize their chances of influencing others constructively and achieving their goals. What’s...

read more

Recession-proof Your Legal Career, Starting Now

While economists may debate whether we are in the midst of a recession, law firms will need to plan their staffing accordingly. Fortunately, the legal business model is a malleable one. So, in the face of this uncertainty, now is the time to recession-proof your...

read more

The Reality of Becoming a Partner at a Major Law Firm

Becoming a partner at a major law firm is quite an accomplishment, but with it comes a shift in roles: you have now moved from labor to management. Being in management, you are now responsible for maintaining or growing the pie – either by growing business with...

read more

STAY THE COURSE LAWYER JOB SEEKERS; IT WILL PAY OFF 

Your job search can change overnight. One day, you can be all down in the dumps because you are out of work or soon will be. Then, in an instant, it can all change. You get that call: “We’d like to make you an offer.” You can’t believe your lucky stars. This law firm...

read more

Overlooked Qualifications in Legal Outplacement Providers

I am glad that most law firms are offering outplacement to their departing attorneys in some fashion or another.  Yet, there is one qualification that often gets overlooked, and that is if the outplacement provider has any mental health training. Losing a job can be...

read more

How to Avoid Your Resume from Falling into the Blackhole

Many lawyers applying to inhouse positions online feel like their resumes are falling into the “black hole.” So, keep these quick tips in mind. They may increase your chances of your resume being seen: -1 Most large organizations use what is called as the Application...

read more

You’ve been terminated: Don’t go negative. 

You were terminated from your job, and your prospective employer is asking you why. Of course, you can’t say my last boss was a “bleep bleep” on a job interview even if that was the case or that the environment was toxic. No matter how bad the situation was, you want...

read more

Why you need a coach from one very famous and wise person 

­­­­­­­­“Everyone needs a coach. We all need people that give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” These are wise words from a very, very smart man, Bill Gates. But, no matter how smart you are, sometimes it is better to get help from someone who is an expert in what...

read more

Dealing with feelings of shame after losing a job 

Do you feel ashamed because you’ve been terminated from your job, even if the termination was unrelated to your performance? No matter the reasons, some people are so ashamed that they feel they can’t confidently look for another job. One big reason is that they...

read more

How not to sabotage your career in law

One sure way to lose a job, a client, and a job offer – no matter how good a lawyer you are – is lack of responsiveness. Of course, there can be many reasons for this behavior. But one reason that may not be so obvious to you or others is mental health.  If you are...

read more

Three Steps to Stop Procrastinating

The New Year can be a great time to make a change - for instance, finding a new job, developing more business, or learning a new professional skill.  But, sometimes procrastination gets the better of us.  Can you relate? If you can, try the following exercise I call...

read more

Cross-selling in law is actually cross-serving

Cross-selling in law is a misnomer. Lawyers are not there to sell their clients. They are there to serve their needs. After all, isn’t that why law is referred to as a service profession? If you practice in a law firm setting, your great opportunity is to source work...

read more

FEELING AWKWARD ABOUT BIZDEV DURING COVID-19? THREE IDEAS.

If you are a law firm partner, developing business is more challenging than ever since you can’t meet people face-to-face because of COVID-19. And reaching out to clients, former clients, and prospects feels awkward -- almost inappropriate. I can’t help the way you...

read more

WHAT TO DO WHEN THE STATUS QUO NO LONGER WORKS?

What do you do when the status-quo is no longer working? You adapt. I coach lawyers who are looking for jobs and who are looking for business. Understandably, many of my clients are feeling frustrated about the current state of affairs. They tell me no companies are...

read more

HOW DID I GET HERE?

Okay. So you were a pretty good student in college. You knew you wanted to go to graduate school, but you were not sure what for. You didn’t need any prerequisites to go to law school — just great boards. You were a pretty good test taker, so you took the LSAT and got...

read more

BIZDEV TECHNIQUE KEEPS MAJOR CLIENT FOR LAW FIRM PARTNER

While many lawyers think that you are either born with the ability to develop business or not, this is not the case. There are tried-and-true selling methodologies, techniques, and principles that can be employed to develop business. In fact, one of the principles I...

read more

UNDERUTILIZED BIZDEV RESOURCE

Surprisingly, many law firm partners seeking to develop business do not fully leverage their firms' marketing departments. I have witnessed this phenomenon first-hand while coaching partners across major law firms. While partners often ask their firms' marketing...

read more

Partner Leadership Development: A Practical Necessity

Making partner. The entire private law firm model is built around this magical concept. However, far too many lawyers learn far too late in their careers that making partner often involves very different skills from succeeding as a partner. And the skills involved in...

read more

Executive Presence: A Learnable Skill

Lawyers who exhibit "executive presence" are more likely to make partner, to gain clients' trust and loyalty, and to receive referrals from others. Executive presence is easy to spot, but difficult to define. A lucky few are born with it, but, in most cases, it is...

read more

Executive Coaching Drives Future Leadership Success

Executive coaching has finally made contact with Big Law, big time. Until recently, law firms did not hire executive coaches like their corporate counterparts did. Now, law firms are hiring executive coaches for their lawyers and highly-valued associate. This paradigm...

read more

Don’t Wait to Start Developing Business

It is never too early to start developing clients.  This may seem obvious, but it is amazing how many attorneys fail to act upon this modern truism of law practice until it is too late.  During an attorney’s first three years of practice at the larger firms, he or she...

read more

Don’t be nervous – networking at business events

Part of your success as an attorney is your ability to network in order to continue to grow your business. But if you are shy or anxious in social situations, this important skill-set can be difficult to master. Don’t be nervous. If you find it hard to break through...

read more

Happy in law? – finding your legal niche

Are you happy at your law firm? After spending years dreaming of becoming a lawyer and a small fortune earning the credential needed to count yourself as one, are you fulfilled? Is it what you always dreamed it would be? For many of you, the answer might very well be...

read more

Being Terminated and Staying Rational

When an attorney receives a notice of termination, it can be both psychologically and financially devastating. Some are so overwhelmed by this news that they deny their reality rather than take the steps necessary to secure suitable future employment. This state of...

read more

Happiness in Law is Your Own Book of Business

As attorneys move up the ranks in their law firms, the rules change. Technical proficiency becomes only one of a number of factors by which they are evaluated. Their ability to generate work to keep themselves and others busy becomes ever more important. It is the key...

read more

Life after the firm: advice for outplaced attorneys

One of the most remarkable phenomena of the modern workplace is partners from many of the New York City’s largest law firms being asked to leave their firms. These highly paid problem-solvers who have achieved success for decades in some of the world’s most...

read more