WLG | beyond borders ‘22—a six-week digital program for associates. Sessions cultivate professional growth, networking, and learning. Optional projects allow participants to promote themselves within the network and beyond.
Recap & Highlights
Pen Pal Pairings
We have witnessed some excellent pen pal communications and meet-ups circulating. Keep up the connecting! Here are some tips and practices to make the most of this relationship-building experience:
1. Take the lead and send the first email.
2. Share your Linked profile.
3. In your initial email, expand on your interests, hobbies, travel plans, etc.
4. Ask others questions based on what you see in the ice breaker notes.
5. Suggest a few times and dates that work for you to meet with the group virtually.
Speed Networking Sessions
Virtual speed networking is always a fun and effective way to create new business relationships and friendships. If your schedule did not allow you to attend or you want to continue your ‘face-to-face’ meetings, pop a message in the LinkedIn Group inviting others to join you for an impromptu meeting. Consider listing your practice areas or a particular skill or hobby so others can connect with you based on your interests. If you need assistance setting this up, contact Ashley or Tori. Your Pen Pal pairings are also perfect for a small group virtual networking.
ESG: Its Significance Now and to the Future of Young Lawyers
Clara Pacce Pinto Serva is head of the Business and Human Rights practice area at TozziniFreire. She makes her impact in prevention, strategic planning, and human rights litigation related to the production chain of business activity. She shared with our group insight and perspective that while ESG can be its own practice, it can also be a lens through which you can view practice.
As a lawyer, the role is to identify for clients what the bottom line of their legal obligation is so that they can comply. With the approach of seeing the work through an ESG lens, the role becomes anything beyond their legal obligation—and lawyers are not enough. Why is this multi-disciplinary approach relevant? A lawyer can tell clients about their legal requirements while thinking beyond the law. Enlisting the expertise of an archeologist or an anthropologist, for example, can enlighten you and the client on the implications.
Member Mentors with Neil Sheehy, Goodmans, Toronto, Canada
Neil Sheehy has served as WLG President, is a network ambassador, and is an advocate for maximizing your WLG experience through participation and connection. His energy and insight is contagious. Some pieces of wisdom we took from our hour with Neil include:
1. Critical soft skills: Humility, understanding your client, their business, the context, and the audience.
2. Most issues come down to communication. You do not have to find the answer before you get back to someone; 90% of the time, you can buy time. Give clients the comfort that you will respond by acknowledging their inquiry and providing a timeframe for responding. This applies to setting expectations with your team also.
3. Leverage networks and community by being helpful and involved. You never know how a casual engagement may come back to be one of your future best clients. People will learn to trust you, trust your work and begin coming to you for those efforts.
Member Mentors with Judith Riordan, Mason Hayes & Curran, Ireland
Although relatively new to her Key Contact Partner role with WLG, Judith has been a visible and engaged network member since she became involved. Her experience is fresh and relatable. Here are a few key pieces of advice we took from the mentor session with Judith:
1. Developing resilience is key. You will make mistakes, hear hard-to-hear feedback, and a client may not want to work with you. You need to be able not to let it keep you from moving forward.
2. There is no one size fits to being a good leader. You do not need to be a friend to all, but Judith believes you need to be human. An “open door” approach, being available to help people see the path to success and being supportive of them has been a good strategy for her in building a team.
3. Recognize there will be periods of high stress and little sleep, and you have to get through it. These periods should be temporary but are not necessarily short. It is essential to know that for yourself and your team so you can identify unsustainable trends.
Book Club Discussion
We had a stimulating conversation about our favorite books and authors. There are so many new titles to add to our book selves. Following our Podcast Club discussion, we will have a complete list of recommendations to share next week. For now, digest some of these suggestions:
1. Family Matter by Rohinton, is a book about a family struggling with how to manage an aging parent and the family discourse that results from these struggles. [Recommended by: Khai Jian Yap, Shearn Delamore & Co.]
2. Principals by Ray Dalio, a successful investor and entrepreneur, shares his unconventional perspectives of lessons learned for both business and personal life. [Recommended by: Qian “Akane” Xu, Zhong Lun]
3. A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, is an inspirational autobiography of one of our time’s great moral and political leaders. [Recommended by: Liezal Mostert, ENSafrica]
Mentor Meeting – Maria Elisa Gualandi Verri
Maria Elisa serves on the WLG Board of Directors, is an active network member, an ambassador for diversity and inclusion, and not only advises clients but serves on board and committees in her firm and community. She is inspiring and supportive of the emerging talent around her. Highlights from our hour with Maria Elisa include:
1. All partners do not need to have the same skills and strengths. Focus on essential skills like networking, working well with others, management skills, and always be keen to develop and listen to feedback.
2. The more you advance in your career and take on more responsibility, the better you deal with the pressure. You learn to manage, delegate work, and use the assistance of those around you, technology, and take breaks to manage workload and stress.
3. There are phases in your career where it is not possible to take on more, for example serving on committees or boards, because you need to focus on personal obligations in your “free time.” Use this time to nourish the seeds so that when there is room in your life to accept more responsibilities, the opportunities you want are there.
Duty of Care: Who is Responsible in the Tech Sector
Yang Zhou, a partner at Zhong Lun, advises large internet and technology companies about their legal obligations to protect users. Outside of the legal obligations, do digital platforms and services have a voluntary responsibility to safeguard users and regulate harmful activities to ensure the safety and well-being of society. Or is this up to governments and society to control and monitor as they would other addictive and potentially dangerous substances? This was a thought-provoking legal and philosophical discussion about our challenges in a digital society.
Coming Up
July 19 | 00:00 UTC
Podcast Discussion
Another just for fun ‘happy hour style’ discussion session. This time we are discussing podcasts you are particularly fond of or find insightful, whether it be professional or personal. Join this session to share why you like your recommendation and hear what others contribute. We are sure to have a great list when the session is over. Beverages hot or cold welcome.
July 21 | 14:00 UTC: Mentor Meeting – Jonathan Young
This session will be a collaborative discussion. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and discuss perspectives on practice tips for young associates or the legal practice in general. Jonathan Young is a partner at Locke Lord, member firm for Massachusetts, U.S.A., where he is co-chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Insolvency Practice Group. He is also a co-chair of WLG’s Restructuring & Insolvency Resolution Practice Group. Jonathan is an active WLG lawyer who can speak with you about involvement in the network and various interesting legal observations—Taylor Swift may just come up.
Primary practice areas: Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Insolvency; Commercial and Corporate Governance; Litigation.
The best advice Jonathan has ever received is to don’t try to “be” your mentor or supervisor; emulate the aspects you admire and discard the rest. Observe other practitioners closely, and incorporate the useful or relevant attributes.
What did you want to be when you grow up (if not a lawyer) and why? High school English teacher.
July 26 | 14:00 UTC: Mentor Meeting – Irene Ng
This session will be a collaborative discussion. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and discuss perspectives on practice tips for young associates or the legal practice in general. Irene Ng is a Senior Attorney at CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz, member firm for Austria. Irene has a strong interest in legal technology and legal informatics thanks to her part-time secondment as a Senior Project Manager to Lupl, Inc., a legal technology start-up, and her academic work. She publishes and teaches in the fields of legal technology, artificial intelligence, and e-commerce. Irene is an active WLG lawyer and WLG Key Contact Partner who can speak with you about involvement in the network, the field of technology, and a variety of interesting legal observations.
Primary practice areas: Corporate M&A, Asia Desk.
The best advice Irene has ever received is that there are many pillars that form the cornerstone of your life and life is about knowing which pillar to strengthen at a given stage.
What did you want to be when you grow up (if not a lawyer) and why?
A marine biologist or marine life photographer. I always loved the sea, marine animals, and a sprinkle of adventure.
July 27 | 15:30 UTC: Inflation and Everything it Touches
Newton’s law of universal gravity: what goes up must come down. Does this apply to inflation and all commodities and industries that are in its path? While no one can predict the future, there may be indications from the past that will shed some light on the future. Hear insights on practice and client management that may prepare you for, well, gravity.
Join this session to overview inflation trends and how they have impacted the legal industry and clients during previous cycles. This session is followed by a group discussion of what may happen next—and why it’s important. Bring your insights, thoughts, and opinions.
Optional Assignments
For any trending topic session, prepare a vlog, blog, or article about the topic. WLG will help you finesse the piece and promote it across the available WLG network platforms including our content syndicator, JD Supra. This is a great way to get your name known and recognized among other lawyers.
Scavenger Hunt
During WLG | beyond borders there will be a scavenger hunt! Earn points by participating in sessions and activities. Earn 80–100 points and receive a free gift from WLG! Earn 100+ and receive a bonus gift from WLG.
Total Points Redeemable = 100 [105 with bonus]
5 points—Take a photo during a session or pen pal arrangement and send to Ashley or Tori
15 points—Record a vlog or write a blog post to share on the WLG website
5 points—Attend any session [redeemable up to 4 times]
10 points—Participate in WLG | impact anytime during the month of June by cleaning up trash, planting a tree, or reducing your carbon footprint. Prove it with a photo and a Social Media post, use the hashtag #wlgimpact22 to collect your points
15 points—Tag WLG in a social media post about WLG | beyond borders and use the hashtag #wlgbeyondborders22
25 points—Schedule and complete a video testimonial about WLG | beyond borders with Ashley or Tori (See example here)
10 points— Share a written testimonial with Ashley or Tori about how WLG | beyond borders has helped your practice or advancement in your career
Bonus: 5 points—Tag a WLG colleague (and their firm) in your Social Media post