Thought leader: Opportunity knocks

By Paulette Brown, partner and chief diversity officer, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP.

12 February 2009 will go down in infamy in the legal sphere. Deemed by some as ‘Bloody Thursday’, this is the day that saw six US-based law firms announce mass redundancies.
With an increasing number of lawyers losing their jobs in such a short period of time, there is no question that the downturn in the economy and resulting lay-offs will affect female lawyers, already traditionally under-represented in the law firm context. And yet, no economic downturn lasts forever. It simply adds another layer of complexity to the challenges female lawyers have traditionally had to face. Now is the ideal time to seize upon your strengths, build on them and be prepared to take off. Women have always known how to be both innovators and inventors. And, if female lawyers now find themselves with a diminishing work load, it is time to be inventive. Morph into an expert in a practice area that is profitable. Restructuring and private client services, for example, are areas where the services of lawyers are still very much in need. Certainly, with layoffs occurring not only in the legal industry but in every industry, employment law will be very active. Women are naturally adept in these areas because they are innately empathetic and creative.
Female lawyers should also consider three well-established principals for success: work ethic, presentation and relationship-building. Strategic planning has never been more important. Foster and develop relationships with former law school classmates, clients or colleagues. Also, take time to develop relationships within your firms. Opportunities that could be close at hand should not be overlooked. Participating in internal marketing and investing in getting to know your colleagues are both valuable tools. This may appear to be overly simplistic, but it is a tried and tested method on the path to becoming successful and maintaining a pipeline of meaningful assignments. Female lawyers who use the same business acumen presenting themselves internally as they would externally, will continue to be successful.
Obviously, nothing is guaranteed, but women are uniquely positioned to succeed in times of adversity. Female lawyers must continue to use their ability to adapt and compromise. By doing this, I am confident they will survive this severe, but temporary, economic downturn.