Yesterday I attended a program at George Mason University Law School on public interest and non-profit job opportunities. Among the panelists was Reena Glazer, the Assistant Director of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project at the Pro Bono Institute (“PBI”) in Washington, DC. I really liked some of the things that she had to say, and I want to share them with you.Ms. Glazer is a graduate of Barnard College, Columbia University and Duke University School of Law, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Duke Law Journal. (Do I have your attention yet????) She was a partner at Shea Gardner and later at Goodwin Proctor after the merger of the two firms in 2004. She has been at PBI since 2006.
When asked what courses she would recommend in law school to prepare for non-profit work, she took the path less followed. Instead of ticking off a list of courses to create technical expertise, she emphasized the path of self-interest. Her advice was to follow your passion and to focus on what you love. She also emphasized the importance of being a good researcher and writer and forming close relationships with faculty mentors, who can open doors for you in the future.
Surprisingly, she also dispelled the theory that work-life issues are automatically easier in the non-profit world. She noted that many non-profits tend to be small shops and do not offer the redundancy and overlap of responsibilities to respond easily to needs for flexibility. And on the subject of flexibility, her remarks indicated that women should embrace the flexibility that men are seeking for themselves because it makes the issue more gender neutral and will make it easier for women to attain flexible schedules and alternative work arrangements in the future.
This is such solid advice, and I hope that you remember it. However, it is not specific to the non-profit world. I am always an advocate of following your passion, as you know, and I would like you to apply that advice to all of your legal pursuits.
It cannot help but lead to happier more satisfied lawyers.
