Monday Mentors with Fort Worth Employment Lawyer Caroline Harrison

Caroline Harrison, founding partner of the labor and employment boutique Pham Harrison in Fort Worth, joins us on today's show. Caroline shares her work/life balance tips, advice for business development, and how to prepare for an interview.

Her firm/practice

• Focus on employment law but will handle some other types of litigation as well
• They have three partners and one associate attorney plus several staff
• Practice didn't see a dip during COVID because employment questions were raised
• Before COVID she had not given her cell number out to many people and tried to maintain some work-life balance, but since COVID many of her clients have her cell phone number and contact her often

Advice to lawyers in practice

• Do what you say you're going to do
• Return clients' calls/emails promptly
• You don't have to be perfect; you will make mistakes, and the important thing is finding and fixing them
• Read the lawyers you are working for and know your audience; some will give you more leeway and others will want you to ask their permission before doing anything
  • Don't make strategy decisions without checking
• Be on top of deadlines (for the entire case not just your particular assignment)
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Regarding assignments from partners:
  • Know your deadline;
  • Know the format for submission (memo, brief, discussion, presentation, etc.)
  • Know what you have been asked to do (i.e. confirm that you understand the assignment)
    • (Check out Haley Turner talking about this in this episode)
• Re: work/life balance
  • Establish boundaries
  • Understand the expectations of your firm. If something isn't required but a few people do it, be mindful that if you start doing it the expectation will be there for you moving forward
  • Try to get your work done during the week so you can take the weekends to refresh
  • Exercise in the morning so you can take advantage of the endorphins, as well as not let something come up that prevents you from doing it later in the day

Advice to lawyers for business development

• Get involved with local young lawyers group
  • you will make close friends
  • will become a great referral source
  • get on a committee or something beyond just going to the happy hours
• Get involved in some type of charitable / community organization that you have a passion for
• She is in a book club that a former classmate had put together (but most of the group is not a lawyer)
• Don't turn down speaking engagements
• Be patient; it won't all happen fast and at once

Advice to lawyers in a job search

• Most of their hiring has been people who have externed with them while in law school
  • This is important for her to see how possible hires interact with everyone in the firm, clients, etc. to determine if they are a fit
• Grades aren't as important as fit
• No spelling errors on resume
• Is there something in your background (and in the documents) that make it clear why you want to work in THIS firm.
• Put interests on a resume if they are interesting/unique and can be a conversation starter
• In the interview, show confidence without arrogance and find a way to be at ease
  • Come with substantive questions that shows the interviewer you are interested in them, the firm, and the position
    • This also helps in networking! Ask questions!

Final Thought: Arrive 10-15 minutes before your supervising attorney arrives and leave 10-15 minutes after. They will think you are the hardest working attorney in the firm.

Rapid Fire Questions:

• Name one trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate: confidence
• What habit has been key to your success: follow-through
• Your favorite app/productivity tool: pad of paper/pen for to-do lists
• Your favorite social distancing activity: sitting on a restaurant patio with friends
• Your favorite legal movie: My Cousin Vinny

Thanks again to Caroline Harrison for coming on the show!