Black in Law

Has anyone ever worked at Ballard Spahr as a black paralegal before? How was the culture? Thanks. ​

What improved your quality of life so much that you wish you would’ve done sooner?

What are your thoughts about the lawsuit filed against the Detroit judge who ordered a teenager to be handcuffed for falling asleep in court during a field trip?

Im going to leave the profession entirely soon and wanted advice on jobs out of the field. JD preferred

My secretary and my supervisor don’t care for each other and I’d appreciate any advice on how to navigate this.

For context, my secretary has been at my job for 11+ years & my supervisor has been … more

Check your spectrum bill. Especially if it is nearly the only provider in your area they have been increasing rates and playing stupid.

Do you use AI at work? I want to, but my job doesn’t have an AI policy, so I’m afraid of getting in trouble for breaching confidentiality.

Hi there! Has anyone here gotten their MBA post-JD? Did you find it to be useful? If yes, in what ways did it help you transition to something better for yourself?

Writing Samples for Job Applications:
Please share any rules of thumb that you’ve learned over the years about selecting a writing sample, confidentiality, etc.

In my first two jobs, I was very indepe… more

What do financial advisors do and how much do they cost? I generally get the idea but I wanted to hear it from someone before I hear a full pitch. The internet is vague. SOS

How do you power through the boring stuff??

I thought being a lawyer would be cool, but it’s actually very boring. I only like doing about 20% of my responsibilities in my current role. The other 80% … more

Quit my job with nothing lined up and moved to a new city, It’s been three months of intense applications and several interviews and on the verge of regretting quitting my job at an AM10 firm with not… more

Following up on last week’s discussion on when leaders should be held accountable for their subordinates' actions, the Sheriff who supervised the Sheriff’s Deputy who murdered Sonya Massey refuses to resign despite several c… more

Anyone ever applied for a job and it states remote on the job description just for them to turn around and ask you to come in 3days a week? Likeeeee seriously? 😒 I told them if they want me to come i… more

How long is your resume? If you have been practicing for 5-15 years, are you still subject to the 2-page limit rules, or can your resume be longer?

I don't know who needs to hear this, but it's too nice outside to work on the weekends 😎

After several demands from Congress, the Secret Service director has stepped down. I’m not sure if that’s a good decision or not, but it certainly has me thinking about how the errors of subordinates sometimes fall on leader… more

Biden has dropped out. How are we doing?

How many vacation days do you get a year? I just realized I can only accrue two weeks of vacation a year. Because I schedule my vacation time around holidays, I guess I never noticed. When I start l… more

Has anyone been laid off and then started their own firm? I see business rapidly dwindling and nothing coming in as a balance. (Not a single call in or new consult in over 2 months). I’m trying to figure out if I… more

I’m preparing for an anti-discrimination presentation and saw this hypo. I’m sharing it here because I’d love to get everyone’s perspective.

A law firm has a meeting with a potential client who is Black. The firm… more

Well. We had assassination attempt on a former president/runner. Think this will have any impact on the election? Perhaps gun laws?

There is this new trend of stepping back career wise. What’s your thoughts on doing it in law?

Potentially dumb question: would you expect a PSA for a simultaneous sign/close deal to have a debt or equity commitment letter rep? I’m thinking no bc practically speaking, financing would need to be… more

I been BILLING 60 hours a week for a month…. The burnout is pending 😭😭😭 I’m so tired!

Other attorneys at my firm, including the managing partner, keep confusing me with another Black attorney in the office. They often include one of us on the wrong email threads for cases, send calenda… more

Anyone use a walking pad while working ? How has it been?

Happy 4th of July Family