Gender, Women's Issues

15 Important Tips For Men On How To Succeed As Lawyers

If you follow this advice, you'll find great success in your career as a lawyer, despite your gender.

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But I don't want to give her credit for her ideas!

But I don’t want to give her credit for her ideas!

Women in the legal profession often find themselves between a rock and a hard place as far as advice for managing a successful career is concerned. They’re told to be nice to their colleagues and adversaries — but not too nice, or else they may be viewed as pushovers. They’re told to be assertive in the office and in the courtroom — but not too assertive, or else they may be viewed as overly aggressive. Women generally tend to be penalized for the same behaviors men are rewarded for. For example, where male attorneys may be praised for zealously representing their clients, female attorneys are likely to be referred to as bitches instead.

Because any and all advice is women in the legal profession have received over the years can be viewed a double-edged sword for their careers, they’re simply sick and tired of hearing it. Where is the advice for men on how they can behave respectfully and professionally in a world where women lawyers exist? “Why should the onus be on women to contort themselves to fit into an antiquated work culture so that men won’t feel threatened or uncomfortable?” asks Vivia Chen of The Careerist.

It’s about time that men in the legal profession learn some lessons about how they should behave at work. Here’s a list of the top 10 pieces of much-needed advice female lawyers have for their male colleagues, as sourced by The Careerist:

  1. Don’t sit back with your legs spread wide open when meeting with female attorneys.
  2. Don’t start every meeting with a discussion about sports.
  3. Don’t make comments about a female colleague’s looks, hair, blouse, shoes, etc. that you wouldn’t make about a male colleague.
  4. Don’t talk about how “likable” or “unlikable” a female adversary is. (Or what an “unpleasant” face she has; see rule number 3.)
  5. Don’t tell a female colleague to “tone it down” or otherwise complain about her “tone.”
  6. Don’t take credit for a woman’s idea, particularly after dismissing it initially.
  7. Don’t be dismissive of a woman’s idea in the first place.
  8. Don’t equate a female lawyer with your wife or daughter when discussing career paths.
  9. Don’t drink heavily at business functions and don’t judge women who prefer not to drink heavily or at all.
  10. Don’t make sexually laden comments to a female colleague, even if you’re not trying to hit on her. Also, don’t hit on her. (And please don’t tell us about your sexual exploits; they’re boring.)

Here are some more tips and tricks for male attorneys, based on what we’ve heard from Above the Law readers. They are just as important as those listed above:

  1. Don’t ask a woman if she’s married during an interview to gauge whether she’ll have children in the future.

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  1. Don’t question a woman’s commitment to the firm if she happens to get pregnant.
  1. Don’t refer to maternity leave as a vacation (caring for an newborn is far from a vacation).
  1. Don’t unnecessarily touch a female colleague in a suggestive or sexual manner.
  1. Don’t make suggestions about how a female colleague should dress or what shoes she should wear.

We hope this has been an educational experience for our male readers. If you follow this advice, you’ll find great success in your career as a lawyer, despite your gender.

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10 Male Behaviors That Annoy Female Lawyers, as Told to The Careerist [Law.com]

Staci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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