My law clerk just accepted the position, and I've told the landlord that I'm definitely taking an additional office. I'm just waiting to see if I get the smaller unit (cheap but cramped) or the larger one.
It's definitely been a juggling act, trying to get all of the pieces together at once, but hopefully we'll be ready, or close to it, for the May 2 start date.
Meanwhile, I better spend all of Easter Sunday doing billings to pay for it all.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Moving forward with practice expansion
(Deep breaths)
My associate accepted the job offer, and now I just need to confirm that the law clerk will accept as well.
I met with the IT consultants as well. On one hand, it's really exciting to see that so much more will be possible, and the system should take care of many of the issues that I was having with lost productivity, time management and file management.
On the other hand, I'm seeing the costs of this expansion, and realizing just how big a step this is. I've been just on my own until now, or working for others. Being an employer, having increased rent, paying for a server and increased licences, figuring out how to track workflow - it's all a change. I know that it's a necessary change, since my way of doing things was not productive enough and it's possible for my laptop to die at any moment, but it's still big.
I had also hoped that I'd be further ahead in the process by now, since I'm basically out of commission until May due to the Passover break.
I think the only way to manage the next little while is to work like mad from now until the Seders, make up the sleep during the parts of the holiday where I'm not allowed to work, and then work all-out in between, even if it means spending Good Friday doing nothing but billing. Hopefully, after the initial chaos, I'll be able to see some real changes for the better. It helps that I watched my husband change his practice first, which involved a lot of stress and effort and decisions, but has ultimately worked out very well. I'm also thinking ahead to future vacations, including the big one in December when we're going to Israel for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I'll need all of this in place so that I can relax while out of the country.
My associate accepted the job offer, and now I just need to confirm that the law clerk will accept as well.
I met with the IT consultants as well. On one hand, it's really exciting to see that so much more will be possible, and the system should take care of many of the issues that I was having with lost productivity, time management and file management.
On the other hand, I'm seeing the costs of this expansion, and realizing just how big a step this is. I've been just on my own until now, or working for others. Being an employer, having increased rent, paying for a server and increased licences, figuring out how to track workflow - it's all a change. I know that it's a necessary change, since my way of doing things was not productive enough and it's possible for my laptop to die at any moment, but it's still big.
I had also hoped that I'd be further ahead in the process by now, since I'm basically out of commission until May due to the Passover break.
I think the only way to manage the next little while is to work like mad from now until the Seders, make up the sleep during the parts of the holiday where I'm not allowed to work, and then work all-out in between, even if it means spending Good Friday doing nothing but billing. Hopefully, after the initial chaos, I'll be able to see some real changes for the better. It helps that I watched my husband change his practice first, which involved a lot of stress and effort and decisions, but has ultimately worked out very well. I'm also thinking ahead to future vacations, including the big one in December when we're going to Israel for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I'll need all of this in place so that I can relax while out of the country.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Confirmation that I should go offline and kasher my kitchen
As a follow-up to this post, I had to share this gem:
To be honest JRK you're lying to me. F*** (editing mine, f-bomb in original) off bitch. Do I look like some dumb ass jury that you can run circles over with your law degree?
Go back to your kitchen. XD
From here.
Now, what was I saying about needing to edit out unproductive online stuff....?
Seriously, I find this both hilarious and pathetic. The back story is that I mistakenly thought I was having an intellectual discussion about whether the correct translation of the Hebrew word "almah" as used in Isaiah was "virgin" or "young woman", and I was refuting the assertion that premarital sex in the Hebrew Bible carried an automatic death sentence. I produced biblical quotes and asked for his sources to the contrary, he responded with all caps and then the lovely quote above. Yeah, MUCH more convincing than actual evidence or logic, right? Why not just write, "My masculinity is threatened by intelligent women, so I resort to swearing and sexist insults when a woman shows me I'm wrong"?
To be honest JRK you're lying to me. F*** (editing mine, f-bomb in original) off bitch. Do I look like some dumb ass jury that you can run circles over with your law degree?
Go back to your kitchen. XD
From here.
Now, what was I saying about needing to edit out unproductive online stuff....?
Seriously, I find this both hilarious and pathetic. The back story is that I mistakenly thought I was having an intellectual discussion about whether the correct translation of the Hebrew word "almah" as used in Isaiah was "virgin" or "young woman", and I was refuting the assertion that premarital sex in the Hebrew Bible carried an automatic death sentence. I produced biblical quotes and asked for his sources to the contrary, he responded with all caps and then the lovely quote above. Yeah, MUCH more convincing than actual evidence or logic, right? Why not just write, "My masculinity is threatened by intelligent women, so I resort to swearing and sexist insults when a woman shows me I'm wrong"?
More evidence for healthy lifestyle habits
Dr. Oz has some tips on the link between some basic habits and cancer risks.
Even more reason to make sure we get to sleep on time and follow a regular menu with meals and snacks on time, to avoid blood sugar spikes, stress hormones like cortisol, and lack of melatonin. I'm saying WE, not I, because I recognize that my husband has some of the same issues.
Starting April 20 (after the Passover seders, because I'm being realistic), we need to put a strict go-to-bed-on-time policy in place - no late nights working on the computer or snoozing on the couch.
As an added bonus, if I'm having trouble drifting off I'll try to work in a workout in the evening.
Even more reason to make sure we get to sleep on time and follow a regular menu with meals and snacks on time, to avoid blood sugar spikes, stress hormones like cortisol, and lack of melatonin. I'm saying WE, not I, because I recognize that my husband has some of the same issues.
Starting April 20 (after the Passover seders, because I'm being realistic), we need to put a strict go-to-bed-on-time policy in place - no late nights working on the computer or snoozing on the couch.
As an added bonus, if I'm having trouble drifting off I'll try to work in a workout in the evening.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
6 months to the big 4-0
Back to our regularly scheduled programming.....I have 6 months to the big birthday, which means setting some goals:
1. Get to 125 lbs.
2. Be able to run 5 km by July 1.
3. Start swimming again, and be able to do 20 lengths in a workout without passing out.
4. Get back on a bike for the first time in 12 years.
[Ok, it's not quite a triathalon, but it's an achievable goal]
As for the rest of the family:
1. Hubby gets down to 150 lbs for the same birthday.
2. Kids continue to work on planning and cooking decently balanced meals and snacks.
3. Get hubby eating lunch from home - and possibly learning how to prepare simple meals when I'm not around.
The other goal for hubby and I is to put online stuff in its place, get more sleep, and delegate around the office so that we have less stress, better practices and more work/life balance.
1. Get to 125 lbs.
2. Be able to run 5 km by July 1.
3. Start swimming again, and be able to do 20 lengths in a workout without passing out.
4. Get back on a bike for the first time in 12 years.
[Ok, it's not quite a triathalon, but it's an achievable goal]
As for the rest of the family:
1. Hubby gets down to 150 lbs for the same birthday.
2. Kids continue to work on planning and cooking decently balanced meals and snacks.
3. Get hubby eating lunch from home - and possibly learning how to prepare simple meals when I'm not around.
The other goal for hubby and I is to put online stuff in its place, get more sleep, and delegate around the office so that we have less stress, better practices and more work/life balance.
Channeling energies in a more positive direction
Anyone who knows me know that (1) I enjoy good debate and discussion and (2) much of that has taken place online over the past 11 years.
Unfortunately, the quality of those discussion has been on a downward spiral.
11 years ago, my "mommy boards" were productive, and even essential for me. When I had my first miscarriage in 1998, I felt utterly alone and desperately needed a way to process my feelings of grief and depression. Pregnancy loss support boards and sites like Chez Miscarriage were extremely therapeutic. Later, when my daughter was born, it was my way to connect with the outside world, reclaim a bit of "me time", and share information. Back then, many of the conversations, while not entirely free of drama, were often respectful and extremely informative. Babycenter's breastfeeding v. formula feeding debate board, for example, tended to be full of long posts that were filled with scientific studies and helpful advice.
Alas, as technology became more accessible, the quality nosedived. The quality debates that I loved - filled with proper English and evidence to back up facts, as well as respectful give and take - started to disappear, replaced by opinion polls and foul language and barely literate posts from phones.
Lack of quality, though, hasn't been the biggest problem for me. I have tendency to get sucked into debates to counter extreme views, and at times it starts to intrude on the rest of my life. Slowly, very slowly, I started to realize that some formats make it impossible to have a rational conversation. It's hard when you only know posters from their views, especially when you are posting in a forum designed to focus all attention on one particular topic. In fact, the most productive online conversations and debates that I've had tended to occur on predominantly female boards, where we'd take a break from the most controversial points to discuss the rest of our lives - a virtual coffee klatch. In these settings, I was able to find common ground with an evangelical Christian from the south, a young devout Muslim mom, a former girlfriend of a neo-Nazi skinhead, a Satmar hasidic woman who struggled with infertility, etc. These are people that I likely wouldn't have met in real life, and I'm grateful that I was able to connect online. It was especially gratifying when they said that I showed them a perspective that they wouldn't have had otherwise, or even managed to change their views.
At other times, though, the conversations would drag me down. I'd get stuck in the mud and gunk, and after a while I'd find myself in danger of focusing more on that than on the beauty and joy in life. I had to accept that some people simply won't change their views, and I need to focus on reaching those who are reachable via more productive forums. I don't enjoy reading personal attacks. If I don't want to listen to my kids squabble, why would I put up with strangers doing it online? Too much conflict and drama and negativity is not a good thing for the soul.
Finally, I realized that I'm getting older. I get cranky when I realize that I may be corresponding with someone 20 years younger who is living in their parents' basement. There are some intelligent younger posters with interesting perspectives, but too often I was feeling like someone's mother and lacking a shared cultural vocabulary.
So...I'll continue to do some posting here and on my other blog, try to focus on some good stuff instead of being all negative and keep in touch with people who add something to my life. As for the rest....it's time to edit it out.
Unfortunately, the quality of those discussion has been on a downward spiral.
11 years ago, my "mommy boards" were productive, and even essential for me. When I had my first miscarriage in 1998, I felt utterly alone and desperately needed a way to process my feelings of grief and depression. Pregnancy loss support boards and sites like Chez Miscarriage were extremely therapeutic. Later, when my daughter was born, it was my way to connect with the outside world, reclaim a bit of "me time", and share information. Back then, many of the conversations, while not entirely free of drama, were often respectful and extremely informative. Babycenter's breastfeeding v. formula feeding debate board, for example, tended to be full of long posts that were filled with scientific studies and helpful advice.
Alas, as technology became more accessible, the quality nosedived. The quality debates that I loved - filled with proper English and evidence to back up facts, as well as respectful give and take - started to disappear, replaced by opinion polls and foul language and barely literate posts from phones.
Lack of quality, though, hasn't been the biggest problem for me. I have tendency to get sucked into debates to counter extreme views, and at times it starts to intrude on the rest of my life. Slowly, very slowly, I started to realize that some formats make it impossible to have a rational conversation. It's hard when you only know posters from their views, especially when you are posting in a forum designed to focus all attention on one particular topic. In fact, the most productive online conversations and debates that I've had tended to occur on predominantly female boards, where we'd take a break from the most controversial points to discuss the rest of our lives - a virtual coffee klatch. In these settings, I was able to find common ground with an evangelical Christian from the south, a young devout Muslim mom, a former girlfriend of a neo-Nazi skinhead, a Satmar hasidic woman who struggled with infertility, etc. These are people that I likely wouldn't have met in real life, and I'm grateful that I was able to connect online. It was especially gratifying when they said that I showed them a perspective that they wouldn't have had otherwise, or even managed to change their views.
At other times, though, the conversations would drag me down. I'd get stuck in the mud and gunk, and after a while I'd find myself in danger of focusing more on that than on the beauty and joy in life. I had to accept that some people simply won't change their views, and I need to focus on reaching those who are reachable via more productive forums. I don't enjoy reading personal attacks. If I don't want to listen to my kids squabble, why would I put up with strangers doing it online? Too much conflict and drama and negativity is not a good thing for the soul.
Finally, I realized that I'm getting older. I get cranky when I realize that I may be corresponding with someone 20 years younger who is living in their parents' basement. There are some intelligent younger posters with interesting perspectives, but too often I was feeling like someone's mother and lacking a shared cultural vocabulary.
So...I'll continue to do some posting here and on my other blog, try to focus on some good stuff instead of being all negative and keep in touch with people who add something to my life. As for the rest....it's time to edit it out.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Getting excited about software
Yes, I'm sounding like a geek.
I made a call that I should have made a long time ago, and finally spoke to an IT consultant to law firms. This is part of my "delegate tasks that are better done by others so you can focus on what you do best" journey. Well....I may be able to figure out how to do some bare-bones stuff, so I have a website and accounting program and basic legal word processing and email, but that's about it. I was sticking with some very outdated ways of doing things and missing some vital processes. It's a bit embarrassing to admit that I was still taking notes on paper and letting things get lost, but I'm excited to think that I can start fresh and eliminate some nagging problems once and for all. If all goes well, I should be almost paperless (original documents will still be around) and far more efficient.
It will be another step in reducing the stress and increasing productivity, which is ultimately behind the other issues that I'm working on (since I don't sleep well while stressed, skip exercise and go for emotional eating).
I'm envisioning a whole new way of doing business in May - brighter office with window, clerical help, an associate to share the workload, doing more, getting more involved in professional events, and ultimately pulling in more income by my 40th birthday. I'd like to be able to take a bit more stress off of my husband too.
Is it weird that I think practice management software can give me a better figure and better health?
I made a call that I should have made a long time ago, and finally spoke to an IT consultant to law firms. This is part of my "delegate tasks that are better done by others so you can focus on what you do best" journey. Well....I may be able to figure out how to do some bare-bones stuff, so I have a website and accounting program and basic legal word processing and email, but that's about it. I was sticking with some very outdated ways of doing things and missing some vital processes. It's a bit embarrassing to admit that I was still taking notes on paper and letting things get lost, but I'm excited to think that I can start fresh and eliminate some nagging problems once and for all. If all goes well, I should be almost paperless (original documents will still be around) and far more efficient.
It will be another step in reducing the stress and increasing productivity, which is ultimately behind the other issues that I'm working on (since I don't sleep well while stressed, skip exercise and go for emotional eating).
I'm envisioning a whole new way of doing business in May - brighter office with window, clerical help, an associate to share the workload, doing more, getting more involved in professional events, and ultimately pulling in more income by my 40th birthday. I'd like to be able to take a bit more stress off of my husband too.
Is it weird that I think practice management software can give me a better figure and better health?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Taking the plunge....
If I'll goes well, I should be doing some hiring this week.
This is new territory for me. I briefly had a law clerk last year - who would have been fine if health and family issues hadn't kept her out of the office - but I've always been on my own.
I've also always kept things on a small scale. When I first started out, the priority was to avoid laying out any money and trying to pay the rent each month (we didn't have a line in the budget for groceries). I knew at the time that there was no guarantee that my husband would get a position in our city. As time went on, I also knew that I had to have a schedule that was kid-friendly - I'm the one who gets called when the school finds lice - again, or when someone gets a tummy ache, or who works from home when a kid spikes a fever. I'm also the one who books off when the kids are off school, or when school closes early. The end result is that I don't come close to working full-time hours. Now, I'm grateful to have the type of work that allows me to be my own boss and create my own schedule, and I like the work/life balance - but honestly, I've been holding back. I haven't done the professional events, I've avoided taking on more work, and I haven't devoted the time to the practice that it needs.
In the past, I think that I was silently resentful of the time that was devoted to my husband's career and that fact that mine so clearly came second. In recent years, though, his schedule has been less crazy, and he is taking on more of the responsibility with the kids. The kids, too, are requiring less of my time. My oldest is now starting to babysit, and even the fact that they all sleep through the night. I had 3 kids in 5 years. From 1998 to 2005, I was either pregnant or breastfeeding, and it's only been a year since my youngest has reliably been able to put himself to bed, stay dry through the night, needed no assistance getting dressed or in the washroom, and been able to get in and out of the car by himself. It feels like I'm slowly coming out of a fog. I think I started with the internet "mommy boards" as an attempt to have something "for me" during those years - especially since it was the one thing I could do while nursing in the middle of the night - but I've been closing my accounts and getting ready to let it go.
It's time to move to the next phase. I know this makes sense. I've got good marketing, and I'm good at getting clients to hire me on. I like settlement meetings, and I even get a rush from going to court. I don't like dealing with the telephone, I don't like mountains of paper, and it's hard when I have client who want things done when I have family obligations. Hiring a law clerk and a junior lawyer will allow me to focus on what I do well, and delegate what I don't. It just a matter of getting up the nerve to do it, because this is a new level.
This is new territory for me. I briefly had a law clerk last year - who would have been fine if health and family issues hadn't kept her out of the office - but I've always been on my own.
I've also always kept things on a small scale. When I first started out, the priority was to avoid laying out any money and trying to pay the rent each month (we didn't have a line in the budget for groceries). I knew at the time that there was no guarantee that my husband would get a position in our city. As time went on, I also knew that I had to have a schedule that was kid-friendly - I'm the one who gets called when the school finds lice - again, or when someone gets a tummy ache, or who works from home when a kid spikes a fever. I'm also the one who books off when the kids are off school, or when school closes early. The end result is that I don't come close to working full-time hours. Now, I'm grateful to have the type of work that allows me to be my own boss and create my own schedule, and I like the work/life balance - but honestly, I've been holding back. I haven't done the professional events, I've avoided taking on more work, and I haven't devoted the time to the practice that it needs.
In the past, I think that I was silently resentful of the time that was devoted to my husband's career and that fact that mine so clearly came second. In recent years, though, his schedule has been less crazy, and he is taking on more of the responsibility with the kids. The kids, too, are requiring less of my time. My oldest is now starting to babysit, and even the fact that they all sleep through the night. I had 3 kids in 5 years. From 1998 to 2005, I was either pregnant or breastfeeding, and it's only been a year since my youngest has reliably been able to put himself to bed, stay dry through the night, needed no assistance getting dressed or in the washroom, and been able to get in and out of the car by himself. It feels like I'm slowly coming out of a fog. I think I started with the internet "mommy boards" as an attempt to have something "for me" during those years - especially since it was the one thing I could do while nursing in the middle of the night - but I've been closing my accounts and getting ready to let it go.
It's time to move to the next phase. I know this makes sense. I've got good marketing, and I'm good at getting clients to hire me on. I like settlement meetings, and I even get a rush from going to court. I don't like dealing with the telephone, I don't like mountains of paper, and it's hard when I have client who want things done when I have family obligations. Hiring a law clerk and a junior lawyer will allow me to focus on what I do well, and delegate what I don't. It just a matter of getting up the nerve to do it, because this is a new level.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Some goals for today
The challenge for today is that my taxes are due soon, I have a few cases rapidly heading for court, I have another client with an urgent custody/access matter, my younger kids are home from school, I'm stuck with another child over most of the day for a playdate, and I have a bad cold and have lost my voice.
So...here's the plan:
Workout for 30 min.
Grab bank statements and power cord from the office
Do tax prep
Do emails to deal with the custody/access issue
Cook dinner
So...here's the plan:
Workout for 30 min.
Grab bank statements and power cord from the office
Do tax prep
Do emails to deal with the custody/access issue
Cook dinner
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