Brittani Rollen, appellate lawyer with McDonald Sanders in Fort Worth, joins us to talk about how lawyers will work post-COVID, managing expectations, and the importance of geography in your job search.

COVID-19 update (recorded 7/9/20)

Mid-March there was a major standstill and things slowed; but that has resolved itself and things are back up and running
They have been back in the office
Both litigation and transactions are busy again and going strong
Loves the work-from-home remote working setup
opens the door to opportunities for law firms and businesses to rethink their physical space and footprint
do we need an office for every person?
Benefits for stay-at-home parents
Learned that she/others had the discipline to work while at home and avoid distractions
Uses the formal dining room
Her firm/practice

McDonald Sanders is full-service civil law firm
15 years of practice
Wasn't sure what she wanted to do out of law school, and the firm let her try lots of different areas
Now does appellate and litigation support
Figured out she didn't want to be a first-chair trial lawyer, so she has found the right niche for her
There wasn't someone in their firm focusing on appellate so it worked out well
Opportunities abound for young lawyers to take on more of the motion/appellate practice within a firm litigation practice
COVID-19 led to the appellate courts sending everyone home, and then there was a ransomware attach on the OCA website which prevented people from working from home
Loves practicing in Fort Worth. Big enough to have a variety of businesses/industries, but small enough to have a Bar where everyone knows each other...makes it more collegial. You can get to know the judges well too.
Advice for lawyers in practice

Forming good friendships with the other associates and staff was helpful because you can learn about the firm, the law, filing/court processes
Big learning curve on how to prioritize projects because they are coming from everywhere and nobody else knows what all is on her desk
If she can give feedback to the assigning person right away regarding expectations for when it might get done, that helps a ton
Or ask the question: when do you need this by? If it is immediate and you have other pressing projects, maybe you suggest the assignment goes to someone else; alternatively: "it might be a week or two before I can get to this; is that okay?"
Figure out an email management system
keep action item emails in your inbox
move everything else into folders
easier to archive when a matter is done since they are already organized
How might Slack/Teams help?
Be eager/willing; that will lead to more/better work and it is appreciated
Don't just do the assignment at hand; try to apply it in context with the case
Think ahead to what else might be needed and do it
Be a team player; have your colleagues' backs
the culture of your firm could impact this
Advice for lawyers in job seeking

Show your connection to the town/city and why you want to be there (especially important in the smaller markets)
Thoughtful/personal cover letter; not a template that you use for every firm
What other jobs/organizations have you been involved in; translates to create business/clients
Authentic and confident
Rapid Fire

Trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate - hard working
Key habit - to do list
Favorite App / productivity tool - synced calendar w/phone
Favorite social distancing activity - reading (Beneath a Scarlet Sky; The Diplomat's Daughter)
Favorite legal movie - Suits
TheTinyTalker.com

passion project that she and her husband started to help her son with speech
created a device that has common commands (yes/no/bathroom) with buttons to push
Also a children's book to help them use the device
Thanks again to Brittani Rollen for coming on the show!