April Addendum

The Lawyer’s Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market
By Richard L. Hermann
Kaplan Publishing
ISBN 978-1-60714-521-9
Reviewed by Laura A. Calloway

I receive lots of new books that publishers hope I'll review. And I dutifully try to slog through them all because, every once in a great while, the payoff is that I find a real jewel, which I can pass along.

My most recent such happy discovery is The Lawyer's Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market by Richard L. Hermann. According to the information about the author, he received his JD from Cornell Law School and is a Concord Law School professor specializing in legal career management. He's also the founder and president of Federal Reports, Inc, a provider of legal career information in the U. S., and the co-founder of AttorneyJobs.com. He's taken his background in lawyer career development and turned it into one of the single most useful books I've ever seen for lawyers who are worried about losing their jobs, lawyers who have already lost their jobs and lawyers who would like to move from a less-than-thrilling practice area into something more fruitful.

11th-hour job preservation strategies
The book, which is an extremely quick read, is organized into three parts that help you quickly find the information you need for your particular situation.
Part I, "Eleventh-Hour Job Preservation Strategies," walks you through some very practical suggestions for determining whether your job is really in danger and, if it is, finding creative ways to continue doing the same work through an alternative work arrangement with your current employer or transferring your skills to another practice area or outside provider of similar services.

Legal careers that thrive in any economy
Part II is the meat of the book, and covers "Legal Careers that Thrive in Any Economy. Its initial chapter, "The Dynamic Dozen: Twelve Mainstream Opportunities," outlines 12 areas of the law that are healthy, and will remain so for some time to come. In the author's view, they are more heavily affected by "non-economic factors such as demographics, political and policy considerations, and commodity scarcity and corresponding pricing, than economic factors."

These areas include health law, energy law, food and drug law, government contract and procurement law, and land use and eminent domain, for example. But Hermann doesn't just suggest potential practice areas. He goes on to break down each area, using the health care area as an example, by describing what that area encompasses in terms of activities, in both law firm practice and health care provider practice. He also outlines government-related jobs at both the state and federal levels, as well as private employers. There is also information on law-related health care careers.

A cornucopia of useful information
For each practice area that he covers, Hermann provides information on compensation, who does it, future prospects, how to break in, and resources for more information. This section of the book is an absolute cornucopia of information for anyone who is thinking about seeking out greener pastures for his or her practice.

The second chapter in Part II covers four countercyclical opportunities that the author feels the recession has presented to lawyers, and the third chapter outlines hot practice areas during a recession. As with the preceding chapters, there is a huge amount of useful information, organized in a fashion that makes it easy to find, understand and use.

Job-hunting tactics
Part III is "Job-Hunting Tactics for Tough Times." In its three short chapters, Hermann covers how to move forward when you face the loss of a job to create a strong resume that matches your skills to the job you're seeking and then make sure that your resume stands out and you ace the interview.

If you are facing potential layoff or the axe has already fallen, or if you just want to move your existing practice forward by seeking new clients who need and can pay for your services, you can't afford to let this book go by without a look.

©2010 Laura A. Calloway and Alabama State Bar

« Previous | Home | Next »

	A Bi-Monthly Online Publication of the Alabama State Bar
April February December Archives
*The Lawyer’s Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market* By Richard L. Hermann Kaplan Publishing ISBN 978-1-60714-521-9 *Reviewed by Laura A. Calloway* I receive lots of new books that publishers hope I'll review. And I dutifully try to slog through them all because, every once in a great while, the payoff is that I find a real jewel, which I can pass along. My most recent such happy discovery is The Lawyer's Guide to Finding Success in Any Job Market by Richard L. Hermann. According to the information about the author, he received his JD from Cornell Law School and is a Concord Law School professor specializing in legal career management. He's also the founder and president of Federal Reports, Inc, a provider of legal career information in the U. S., and the co-founder of AttorneyJobs.com. He's taken his background in lawyer career development and turned it into one of the single most useful books I've ever seen for lawyers who are worried about losing their jobs, lawyers who have already lost their jobs and lawyers who would like to move from a less-than-thrilling practice area into something more fruitful. *11th-hour job preservation strategies* The book, which is an extremely quick read, is organized into three parts that help you quickly find the information you need for your particular situation. Part I, "Eleventh-Hour Job Preservation Strategies," walks you through some very practical suggestions for determining whether your job is really in danger and, if it is, finding creative ways to continue doing the same work through an alternative work arrangement with your current employer or transferring your skills to another practice area or outside provider of similar services. *Legal careers that thrive in any economy* Part II is the meat of the book, and covers "Legal Careers that Thrive in Any Economy. Its initial chapter, "The Dynamic Dozen: Twelve Mainstream Opportunities," outlines 12 areas of the law that are healthy, and will remain so for some time to come. In the author's view, they are more heavily affected by "non-economic factors such as demographics, political and policy considerations, and commodity scarcity and corresponding pricing, than economic factors." These areas include health law, energy law, food and drug law, government contract and procurement law, and land use and eminent domain, for example. But Hermann doesn't just suggest potential practice areas. He goes on to break down each area, using the health care area as an example, by describing what that area encompasses in terms of activities, in both law firm practice and health care provider practice. He also outlines government-related jobs at both the state and federal levels, as well as private employers. There is also information on law-related health care careers. *A cornucopia of useful information* For each practice area that he covers, Hermann provides information on compensation, who does it, future prospects, how to break in, and resources for more information. This section of the book is an absolute cornucopia of information for anyone who is thinking about seeking out greener pastures for his or her practice. The second chapter in Part II covers four countercyclical opportunities that the author feels the recession has presented to lawyers, and the third chapter outlines hot practice areas during a recession. As with the preceding chapters, there is a huge amount of useful information, organized in a fashion that makes it easy to find, understand and use. *Job-hunting tactics* Part III is "Job-Hunting Tactics for Tough Times." In its three short chapters, Hermann covers how to move forward when you face the loss of a job to create a strong resume that matches your skills to the job you're seeking and then make sure that your resume stands out and you ace the interview. If you are facing potential layoff or the axe has already fallen, or if you just want to move your existing practice forward by seeking new clients who need and can pay for your services, you can't afford to let this book go by without a look. ©2010 Laura A. Calloway and Alabama State Bar « Previous \| Home \| Next »	Laura A. Calloway
415 Dexter Avenue • Montgomery, Alabama 36104 • (334) 269-1515 • Fax (334) 261-6310 • (800) 354-6154 Copyright © 2010, Alabama State Bar. Disclaimer (48)