Coffee Break: Kerry Tortoiseshell Print Patent Pumps

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1. Looking for in-house recruiter suggestions for the Minneapolis or Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) area? Anyone have someone that they would recommend?

   1. I got an in-house job through indeed.com. Not in that area, but there were tons of jobs. You might also check the ACC website. I don’t think you have a to be member to look at their jobs. Just FYI.

   2. I got my in-house job applying cold for a post I saw on linkedin. Also recommend looking at affinity bar organization job board.

   3. I’m at a firm in one of those markets and work across all of them, and other than maybe Seattle, I would not use a recruiter in any of them. Local affinity bar groups, linkedin, and personal connections are all going to be way more successful, in my experience. Ties are going to be huge (again maybe aside from Seattle?), and you might be best served in a two-stage move of lateraling to a firm and then going from there to a client if you’re open to that route.

   4. I have heard that Seattle is very hard to break into (law-wise and socially) unless you’re moving to join amazon. The market is flooded with attys who moved there to work for Amazon and are ready to leave. Take that for what it’s worth. Many Seattle tech folks commute to the Bay Area for better salaries and better job opps. COL is obviously different. Based on the markets you’re expressing interest in, I’d check out Stoel Rives–it’s a Portland based firm that’s well regarded in all three of the above.

      1. How come so many people want to work there? Jeff Bezos is rich, but do you really want to work for a consumer product company like that? I would work in Seattle if I knew that I could find a man to marry. Otherwise, I can just as soon stay in NYC, where at least some men are around who are eligible for marrage.

2. Any tips for getting through work when you’re not feeling well? The brain fog and tiredness are real. I’ve already missed 2.5 days of work this week — for a dumb cold. For some reason, this one has settled in my head and is making me miserable.

   1. This is dumb and embarrassing but did you ever watch Elementary, the show? On there, one of the characters did squats when he pulled late nights to wake himself up and now I do them in my office when I am tired or not focusing. I have a cold too and I just managed 10 in my office and it helped me feel more alive.

   2. Dayquil and lots of water.

3. Does anyone have experience with “Sanders towels by Lauren Ralph Lauren”? On sale at Nieman Marcus today. Trying to figure if similar/worse to Lands End or Garnet Hill. TIA!

   1. No experience with those specifically but all my RL towels are awesome and going strong for many, many years.

      1. +1 I find RL lasts longer than even more expensive brands. They are also colorfast.

4. Would you cancel a family vacation to Northern California, flying into but not staying in SF, in light of the state of emergency? Traveling with small kids, if it matters. On the one hand, going on vacation to a place with a SoE seems crazy pants. On the other hand, we live in NYC so it’s not like we are going to be able to avoid this if its a real crisis. What would you do?

   1. Wow, a lot of posters seem to like expressions like “crazy pants” and “banana crackers” to describe responses to the coronoavirus situation…

      I wouldn’t cancel. The state of emergency is more to free up funding in case anything happens, not a response to an uncontrolled outbreak. If you’re not even staying in SF, why should it matter? FWIW, I live in SF.

   2. No way. No one is issue traveling warnings about California, and there’s no reason to believe the risk of getting the virus is higher there than in any other major city in the US. A state of emergency is really just the local government’s way of asking for federal and state resources. See this: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/26/health/san-francisco-coronavirus-emergency-declaration/index.html which quotes the mayor as saying the declaration is all about preparedness. My BFF lives in the Bay Area and we’re visiting in two weeks. I would never dream of canceling.

      1. It may change radicaly in 2 months. By April, we all may WANT to stay in, Dad says, and it is never a good idea to start dating new people who you dont know where they have been, and who they have been with. That is why he said I should not start any new relationships with men who have traveled anywhere that there is Corona outbreaks. But even to find that out, I have to ask, and this is not the right time to get close to any new men. FOOEY! What a mess, and the timing is awful for me as my ability to have a healthy baby is getting more and more limited.

   3. Isn’t declaring a state of emergency more a bureaucratic necessity to free up certain resources than a declaration of actual, active emergency, particularly this early?

      1. I would think so, too, but then I was reading that a lot of companies are pulling out of events like the video game conference later in March and I start to wonder if it’s maybe a bad idea to go now.

         1. I would travel (currently booking travel for May/June) but we are visiting family and planning to avoid big crowds/big events until the situation is clearer. That way the flights themselves and airport transit elevate our risk slightly but not our activities at location.

            Something like a video game conference has a lot of people traveling from different places and in close contact so it seems prime for contagion.

            1. Boyfriend and I are traveling to San Fran as part of a vacation in California in late April. In hindsight, travel insurance would’ve been smart, but at this point, we’re playing the wait and see game. If mid-April rolls around and uh oh, San Francisco is battling an uncontrolled outbreak, the hotel is closed, and flights in and out of the city are being canceled, yeah, we’ll tweak the plans a little and just not go on that part of the trip.

         2. Yeah, but some of that is sheer event size and logistics, cancellation penalties, etc. A family trip can be much more nimble and take a wait and see approach.

         3. I think companies are more likely to drop events because they have liability to their employees and don’t want to be plastered all over the news. “Acme Corp has 20 employees catch the virus at gamer conference” is bad PR

      2. I think it is better to be safe then sorry. I spoke with my Dad, and he said I should not go anywhere I do not have to go, and miminize the amount of prepared food I bring home. He said I need to learn how to prepare my OWN food from raw ingredients, like cans and fresh fruit. So he gave me kudo’s for continuing to walk to work rather then take the subway. I have been doing this for years mainley to stay svelte, b/c I do not get any excercise sitting in the subway.

         I also tried to call Noah at the ER to ask for his opinion about the virus, but only was abel to get his voicemail. Mabye I will try him next week if I still need his opinion. I probably should have just married him, but Dad was worried about the Ebola virus back then.

   4. I live in SF. Life is completely normal here. Nothing has been canceled or shut, so I don’t see why anyone would cancel a trip here. The emergency declaration is just to prepare for a potential local outbreak, which which could happen anywhere in the US.

      1. this. I live in the bay area, and I am seeing the attempt to have all ducks in a row for an immediate response should one be necessary. My company is building on what they learned (in organizational practices) from their response to the power shutdowns last fire season, and I hope so is SF.

      2. I live in SF. My prior company was a video game developer, and they pulled out of GDC (game developers’ conference–last year had 70,000 attendees) when Amazon and FB did recently. I take Muni to work everyday, and am not fussed. If I have to, I can ride my bike to work or work remote. I live next to a grocery store and already have emergency stuff stockpiled bc of earthquakes. It will all be well. I would not cancel.

         Also, protip, please don’t ever call it San Fran. It’s just not done. Thank you from a local.

   5. I live in Palo Alto and have young kids whom I’ll probably take to SF on the train in a week. Once in SF, we’ll probably ride a crowded bus to Chinatown (it’s great time to support Chinatown businesses while crowds of tourists aren’t coming). However, I wouldn’t take them on purely optional airplane travel right now, not because of fear of getting sick, but rather because disruption to the ordinary course of things is much harder with and for young kids.

      I wouldn’t want to worry about getting a plane home, or dealing with a quarantine of a hotel, etc. If there is an outbreak or restrictions are advised, I want my kids to be home with all the comforts and supplies we usually have on hand.

      1. I live in LA but I am planning to head to our Chinatown, too. For once, we don’t have to drag any kids to dance classes on Saturday mornings and I could use some sesame buns and those shortbread-like cookies. Ours isn’t usually infested with tourists but I suspect business is slow.

5. Maybe I hadn’t noticed it before, but I swear long ruffled prairie (but making it fashion) dresses are here. Worn to work. Dresses with sleeves that aren’t sheaths or skater dresses. I think I am here for it (no doubt, I will somehow manage to look like Elaine from Seinfeld (not Selena Meyer) or, worse, an extra from Juniper Creek).

   [Is there a better name for this style? Prairie dresses sounds so 1980s, but my mom would instantly know what you meant by the phrase).]

   1. Sounds like clothes bought in the juniors section. Do you want to look 22?

   2. I’m not seeing a lot of ruffles per se, but I’m seeing midi-length dresses with floral prints.
      Online, not in real life. I live in Indianapolis; a) it’s 25 degrees today and b) we lag a little on the trends.

      1. I just bought one at Old Navy yesterday. Tried it on a whim, and fell in love. It’ll be perfect for my trip to La Jolla in April!

   3. I know exactly what you mean by prairie dresses. I see a lot of social media influencers wearing them so I think it’s only a matter of time before I start seeing them in the wild. I would look like I was being Laura Ingalls Wilder for Halloween so I’m gonna have to sit this one out. I like dresses with sleeves but I stick to shirt dresses for the casual sleeved dress look.

   4. Yep, they are a thing. And a thing I will most definitely be avoiding. I’ve seen 30ish bloggers try to pull them off with a 0% success rate.

   5. a colleague was saying recently that she tried to buy dresses for attending some weddings, and all that was in store was sequins or prairie dresses.

   6. I wore those dresses in the 1980s and even allegedly made a couple of these skirts in home ec during middle school.

      My general rule of thumb is that if I wore a trend in a big way the first time, I probably am too old for the full expression of it the second (or third) time.

      That said, I confess to buying all the chunky loafers this season, so take this with a grain of salt.

   7. This is a thing and I don’t know of a better term. Look up Batsheva–she has been a leader in this trend. It reads Fancy Fundamentalist Mormon to me, but to each their own, I guess.

   8. Yes, Ulla Johnson is all over this trend. I actually like some of the shirt, but agree that the dresses are a bit much.

6. I need recruiting assistance/suggestions. I am a new partner and recently took over as my firm’s recruiting coordinator. We are a regional firm with 40-ish attorneys, and I have been asked to find a couple of fairly junior laterals (somewhere around the 3-4 year range). I have reached out to my network and am utilizing the career services departments at regional law schools. Other than that, are there any websites or other avenues that are particularly popular or useful right now?

   1. State bar association groups, specialty legal groups, LinkedIn groups–not professional pages, but groups–in your area dedicated to the practice or geographic area (or both, ideally). Posting on LinkedIn costs a little bit, but sharing your own internal hiring link costs nothing.

      1. [miss the edit button] To be clear on the first two, find a name for the right groups and reach out to ask them the best way to signal boost your post to their constituencies.

      2. Thank you so much!

   2. We’ve gotten laterals from well-regarded junior attorneys. They seem to know who in their friend network is good and not happy where they are and you’ve had a chance to see what their judgment is like. We have gotten some of our best people that way.

      1. OP here – this is my preferred method too. I make it an effort to keep up with associates from other firms in my area because I agree that they are the best source of good recommendations. I have definitely reached out to all of the associates I know well enough to ask.

   3. This isn’t meant to be snarky or anything but, have you posted it to your website and posted it to your firm’s Linkedin page? If so, ask your attorneys share it to their network. Sometimes the most obvious solutions aren’t thought of. You’ll get a much wider array of candidates that way.

      Also, contact local or regional law schools to post to their alumni page. I think it is too limiting to only get applicants from “friend referrals”.

      1. It’s not snarky at all – it’s very valid, as you’ll see from my response. I have taken over this role from an older attorney who is… not great with the internet. We are revamping the “careers” section of our website for this very reason. My firm does not have a LinkedIn page. Yes, really. I am working on that, too.

         I have posted it through regional schools’ Symplicity listings and in alumni publications, so that aspect is covered.

   4. Depending on your area of the country, ZipRecruiter may be a better option than LinkedIn.

      Depending on your exact needs, you may want to consider attorneys who graduated into the recession a decade ago. I know a lot of them who are extremely talented and took a long time to find their niche.

   5. There is an app called Fishbowl that is very popular with the biglaw crowd. It’s sort of like message boards but there’s a Recruiting bowl and you can post for free.

7. My sister is traveling for work for two weeks over her upcoming milestone birthday — I’d like to get a little treat sent to her hotel (I have her room info). Any ideas? She’s not big in to sweets.

   1. Bottle of champagne?

      1. This!

   2. Massage/facial gift card for the hotel spa

   3. I kind of disagree with champagne because most of us can’t drink an entire bottle in one sitting and it’s hard to store. I’d send a cookie platter and if you want to send champagne I’d send a half bottle.

      Alternatively, you can ask the hotel to send her an assortment of cheese and meats and crackers and nuts etc (this is usually one of their “amenities” for high status guests), and red wine would be great with this because it is ok at room temp and easy to cork and drink more later. You can ask them to bill you for the amenity. I get this sometimes when I travel and it’s really nice to have a little something to snack on in the room that isn’t candy or other sweets.

      1. +1 I like champagne but would drink a glass and then feel bad about throwing the rest away. I think it could also make her feel a little lonely by driving home that she has no one there to share it with. I like these suggestions more.

      2. Maybe they have half bottles they can send…perfect for one!

   4. If she’s going to be in the same hotel for the whole trip, send flowers at the beginning of the trip. They will make the room smell/feel nice & ready to discard by the time she leaves.

8. Hi Ladies! I just received this dress from Macy’s and I love it. Fits true to size and I think I can wear it all year to work. It’s on sale for only $67.99 Lauren by Ralph Lauren. Just wanted to share a good find.https://www.macys.com/shop/product/lauren-ralph-lauren-puff-sleeve-dress?ID=10199612&CategoryID=5449#fn=BRAND%3DLauren%20Ralph%20Lauren%26COLOR%3DGray

   1. I’ve had really good luck with the Lauren Ralph Lauren dresses!

   2. Looks good but how does it deal with some tummy pooch? Perhaps not flattering?

9. I very much like the tortoiseshell sandals referenced in the post. Definitely can’t justify buying them now, but if I get invited to any summer weddings I might.

10. Paging the residency match OP – what did you decide for the rankings??

11. I am trying to get my 7-yo son to do chores, his own laundry, his homework after school, eat his vegetables, etc. I’ve noticed every time I say “Son, please do X” my husband rephrases it as a question. “Can you eat your vegetables?” “Could you help us do your laundry?” “Do you want to do your homework now or tomorrow morning?” Son then resists because he is in general a stubborn entitled brat (whom I love dearly, of course).

    It’s driving me nuts and pointing it out to DH isn’t helping.

    1. I would nip this in the bud. This is enraging undermining of not only your (polite) command but repeating what you say as if it’s only valid coming from Dad. Absolutely not, you need to have a private and very serious conversation with husband on this.

       1. Agreed 100%
          That reframing will teach him women’s statements are to be ignored or need to be “corrected” by a man.
          This calls fit an urgent private convo with DH. It will not improve without one.
          Keep us posted.

    2. My MIL does this (not rephrasing what I say but phrasing everything in the form of a question). It drives me nuts too. If he is uncomfortable with commands and wants to phrase it more politely then he can say “put away your clothes, please.”

12. Suggestions on a delicious dairy free pasta dish that can feed a crowd (15 people, 6 of whom are kids)? Just learned that two of them have dairy allergies, and I’d rather not make separate meals.

    I don’t want to do vegan cheese or other such products, but am open to using cashews or other nuts or just regular pasta dishes minus cheese. Thanks.

    1. Lo mein, pad thai, or plain old spaghetti & meatballs (the dairy-eaters could add cheese if they like) would all work.

    2. Spaghetti and meatballs with parm on the side for those who eat dairy.

       1. This!

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