Lawyer Work-Life Balance Legal News Coverage

International Edition

By Mark Goddard | May 27, 2009

The sisterhood of lawyers has never been more potent. In conference rooms and swanky restaurants, women across the ranks - senior partners and associates, general counsel and staff attorneys - are brainstorming about what it takes for women to succeed in a profession that is still predominantly male. Over sushi, cosmos, and the occasional mani/pedi treatment, they are bonding, united in the mission for gender equality. The message is clear: women are united, and they want their sisters to succeed.

5 minute read

International Edition

Laying the foundations for change

By Mark Goddard | May 20, 2009

Our era will be dominated in all aspects by the quickening pace of change, relativity and complexity. This will have a far-reaching impact on both the public realm and citizen behaviour, and the duties and objectives of all levels of society.The legal class in particular - which includes academia, the courts and the legal profession - will have to ask itself questions as to the nature of its role, the fundamental tasks to be dealt with and wherein lie the challenges that must be overcome. At a time in which the legal domain holds immense sway over society, it is crucial to develop research centres to study and analyse general interest subjects for the good of civil society. In Spain, in particular, civil society is not yet what it should be, meaning that it is much less developed than that of Anglo-Saxon countries. At Garrigues, we are fully committed to help bridging that gap.

8 minute read

International Edition

Leader of the pack

By Mark Goddard | May 13, 2009

"There has been a lot of discussion around whether the economic crisis will lead to an enduring change in the way firms operate," reflects Simmons & Simmons' managing partner Mark Dawkins as he sits down in the meeting room at the firm's headquarters in the vast CityPoint building near Moorgate, central London.

7 minute read

International Edition

Burnt out

By Mark Goddard | May 06, 2009

Lawyers are used to stress, thanks to a long work-hours culture and continuous work demands. But when you are in danger of burnout it is time to leave, says Jim Thornton

6 minute read

International Edition

Life through a lens

By Mark Goddard | April 29, 2009

If you bought your first camera in 1956 it is likely to have been a Kodak. Mine was a Kodak Brownie Cresta, a chunky plastic box which took square pictures in, of course, black and white. It had two controls - the shutter button and a knob for winding on the film. If you did not wind the film immediately after each shot, you were in trouble: when you next used the camera you couldn't remember whether you had wound on or not, so you risked the meaningless jumble of a double exposure if you didn't wind on, or a blank if you did.

9 minute read

Legal Week

In Russia with love

By Mark Goddard | April 22, 2009

For the unseasoned visitor, Moscow's insalubrious reputation as a haven for oil-rich but morally-questionable businessmen, gun-touting drug barons and Stalinist ideologies is probably quite intimidating.Throw in five airports, nine main train stations, nightmarish traffic and winters cold enough to freeze your caviar and it is understandable why visiting lawyers could be a little thrown by the prospect of a business trip to the Russian capital.

22 minute read

International Edition

In Russia with love

By Mark Goddard | April 22, 2009

For the unseasoned visitor, Moscow's insalubrious reputation as a haven for oil-rich but morally-questionable businessmen, gun-touting drug barons and Stalinist ideologies is probably quite intimidating.Throw in five airports, nine main train stations, nightmarish traffic and winters cold enough to freeze your caviar and it is understandable why visiting lawyers could be a little thrown by the prospect of a business trip to the Russian capital.

6 minute read

International Edition

Arrested development

By Mark Goddard | April 08, 2009

Over the last few months, increasing numbers of firms have been asking their 2009 graduate intake to delay their training contract start dates.Clifford Chance (CC), Norton Rose, Herbert Smith and Simmons & Simmons are among the firms to pay off recruits due to start in September, giving them the opportunity to put off their entry into the working world for a year. Some of the offers are dependent on the firms getting enough volunteers to defer; otherwise compulsory deferral may be introduced.

8 minute read

International Edition

The generation game

By Mark Goddard | April 01, 2009

I remember vividly the moment when I contemplated being unemployed. It was the summer of 2005. I had decided that I would not seek re-election as senior partner of Simmons & Simmons - believing, as I still do, that organisations benefit from the introduction of fresh thoughts and new ideas. My diary for 2006 was filling up with various commitments and meetings until August when my term as senior partner was due to end. After that, there was nothing but blank pages. What was I going to do next?

7 minute read

International Edition

Older and wiser

By Mark Goddard | April 01, 2009

Barely a week goes by at the moment without another firm announcing a wave of planned redundancies. While losing your job is a traumatic experience at any stage in life, it is often those who have been in the profession the longest who are hit the hardest and find it most difficult to get back into work. The declining value of pensions has combined with other lifestyle factors, such as having children later in life, to mean that more and more of the baby-boomer generation need to work beyond 60. Indeed, many professionals in their 60s feel they have more to give and want to keep on working: a recent survey on behalf of Standard Life reported that 42% of 46-65-year-olds want to continue working beyond their official retirement age.

5 minute read

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