Bits Blog: A Shifting Workplace Experience

Economic Scene: Mexico’s 1980s Austerity Experience Holds Lesson for Europe

His approach to economics was unorthodox but creative. He tried to raise oil prices by sheer force of will — firing the director of the state oil company Pemex for having the temerity to reduce the price of Mexican crude as oil plummeted on international markets. He froze dollar accounts in local banks to try to stem capital flight.

But the canine defense didn’t work. In 1982, interest on the country’s foreign debt swallowed almost two-thirds of its export revenue. In February, the Mexican currency started plummeting. In August, Jesús Silva Herzog, Mexico’s finance minister, flew to Washington to tell Paul Volcker at the Federal Reserve and Donald Regan at the Treasury Department that Mexico could not make its coming payments to American and other foreign banks.

Tweak a few of the details and Mexico in the 1980s looks a lot like most Southern European countries today. In Mexico’s case, runaway government spending in the 1970s, fueled by high oil prices and greased by foreign debt, threatened to bankrupt the country after the Fed sharply raised interest rates to curb rampant inflation in the United States, increasing Mexico’s interest payments even as oil prices crashed to earth.

Similarly, money poured into Spain and Greece when investors persuaded themselves that the bonds of all members of the euro zone should be as safe as Germany’s, the region’s most creditworthy country. In Greece, this allowed a government spending binge. In Spain it ignited a housing bubble. Both countries were left with an unbearable burden when the world economy hit a wall, creditors took flight and the money stopped.

European decision-making during the crisis of the last few years also shares some of the erratic nature of Mexican policy under President López Portillo. Cyprus was somehow allowed to threaten the euro area’s banking system. European leaders then “solved” the problem by imposing capital controls that — like those tried by Mexico — are unlikely to work and will undoubtedly provide new headaches down the road.

But the most relevant parallel is one that European leaders refuse to see. If there is one overwhelming lesson from the debt crisis that struck Mexico and other Latin American countries so hard three decades ago, it is that countries that cannot grow will not pay. It is up to creditors, too, to allow them to grow. It took Mexico and its lenders seven years to figure that out. The European crisis is in its fifth year. You would think they might have learned something by now, but no.

Mexicans remember what happened after Mr. Silva Herzog’s flight to Washington as the “lost decade.” Miguel de la Madrid, who took over as president the following December, promised deep budget cuts in exchange for bridge loans and debt rescheduling. That didn’t work, so Mexico cut a new deal, getting new loans from commercial banks, the United States and the International Monetary Fund, in exchange for cutting government payrolls and subsidies, selling state-run companies and opening the country to foreign trade.

I started college a little before Mr. Silva Herzog’s trip. In the five-plus years it took me to get a degree (Mexican degrees take longer) the Mexican economy contracted about 2 percent. By the time I got my graduate degree two years later, gross domestic product per person was 8 percent less than it had been in 1982.

Yet despite the enforced austerity, Mexico’s foreign debt in 1988 still amounted to 56.5 percent of Mexico’s economic output, more than it had six years before.

This must sound familiar to Europe’s unemployed. If anything it’s far worse there. The Greek economy has shrunk more than a fifth over the last five years. Government debt amounts to about 170 percent of the economy; it was 100 percent when the crisis started. The economies of Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy are smaller, too, than they were five years ago. Their debt burden is heavier. And still, European leaders insist that more of the same must be the solution.

E-mail: eporter@nytimes.com;

Twitter: @portereduardo

Gaining Experience and Helping Others at the Same Time

Most young attorneys understand and appreciate the value of doing pro bono legal work. For many, in a world where billable hours reign supreme, the issue is almost always one of diverting time away from fee-based matters and devoting the necessary amount of time to properly represent those in need.

However, when making this calculation, many young attorneys fail to recognize the positive effects doing pro bono work can have on their own careers. If there is any question in your mind as to whether you should commit to a pro bono representation, the immediate tangible benefits you will almost certainly see to your own career growth and development should tip the scales firmly in favor of doing so.

When I started practicing law as a litigation associate in one of Philadelphia's largest firms, I was eager to dive right in and get started. With scenes from My Cousin Vinny and other law-themed movies fresh in my mind, I could picture myself taking the Philadelphia courts by storm right out of the gate.

Of course, I know now, and deep down I probably knew then, that getting into court as a first-year associate is not always easy, especially in some of the larger firms. While firms are typically mindful of exposing young associates to actual courtroom experiences from an early stage in their careers, such experience usually comes in the form of observing a more senior attorney and/or mentor argue. The opportunities to actually stand before a judge or arbitrator and argue can be few and far between.

Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve in the form of pro bono work. While at law school, I had been involved in a clinic that advised indigent clients on custody and support issues, and knew that I wanted to continue to help such clients as I built my practice. I quickly got in touch with Philadelphia VIP (with whom I highly recommend volunteering), found a case that looked interesting and off I went. Within a matter of weeks, I was arguing before a judge in family court.

Other pro bono opportunities came my way, and I always jumped at the opportunity to not just get involved, but to get valuable experience along the way. In addition to trying to always have at least one active pro bono child custody case, I have negotiated a settlement for an injured woman who entered into a structured settlement, represented a local neighborhood association in a dispute with various members of its community and represented prisoners in civil rights actions as part of the Prisoner Civil Rights Panel of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Each of these matters provided me with valuable, yet distinct, opportunities to refine my legal skills from an early point in my career. Whether it was getting into court from an early stage, taking and defending depositions or dealing directly with and advising clients, I feel fortunate to have had such great pro bono opportunities from the outset of my career. Young lawyers should make it a point to seek out similar pro bono opportunities early and often.

There is no mandatory pro bono requirement for attorneys imposed by the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. However, Rule 6.1 is clear that a "lawyer should render public interest legal service." Although this appears to fall short of required pro bono service for Pennsylvania lawyers, the rule continues to discuss ways by which a "lawyer may discharge this responsibility." Thus, although the language of the rule is permissive, it is clear that pro bono service is not just something nice that lawyers can do, but indeed is a responsibility for all those who choose to practice law and be barred in Pennsylvania.

For young lawyers, the choice should be a no-brainer. Why not take advantage of your obligation to help not just those in need, but to help yourself by furthering your own career? It is truly a situation where everybody wins.

Of course, my purpose is not to suggest that attorneys should place their own career interests ahead of those of their pro bono clients or prospective clients. Indeed, the comments to Rule 6.1 state that "personal involvement in the problems of the disadvantaged can be one of the most rewarding experiences in the life of a lawyer." This is certainly the case. The overriding principle behind pro bono is the opportunity and, to be sure, the moral, ethical and professional obligation to provide legal assistance to those who truly need it but are unable to afford it.

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Gaining Experience and Helping Others at the Same Time

Most young attorneys understand and appreciate the value of doing pro bono legal work. For many, in a world where billable hours reign supreme, the issue is almost always one of diverting time away from fee-based matters and devoting the necessary amount of time to properly represent those in need.

However, when making this calculation, many young attorneys fail to recognize the positive effects doing pro bono work can have on their own careers. If there is any question in your mind as to whether you should commit to a pro bono representation, the immediate tangible benefits you will almost certainly see to your own career growth and development should tip the scales firmly in favor of doing so.

When I started practicing law as a litigation associate in one of Philadelphia's largest firms, I was eager to dive right in and get started. With scenes from My Cousin Vinny and other law-themed movies fresh in my mind, I could picture myself taking the Philadelphia courts by storm right out of the gate.

Of course, I know now, and deep down I probably knew then, that getting into court as a first-year associate is not always easy, especially in some of the larger firms. While firms are typically mindful of exposing young associates to actual courtroom experiences from an early stage in their careers, such experience usually comes in the form of observing a more senior attorney and/or mentor argue. The opportunities to actually stand before a judge or arbitrator and argue can be few and far between.

Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve in the form of pro bono work. While at law school, I had been involved in a clinic that advised indigent clients on custody and support issues, and knew that I wanted to continue to help such clients as I built my practice. I quickly got in touch with Philadelphia VIP (with whom I highly recommend volunteering), found a case that looked interesting and off I went. Within a matter of weeks, I was arguing before a judge in family court.

Other pro bono opportunities came my way, and I always jumped at the opportunity to not just get involved, but to get valuable experience along the way. In addition to trying to always have at least one active pro bono child custody case, I have negotiated a settlement for an injured woman who entered into a structured settlement, represented a local neighborhood association in a dispute with various members of its community and represented prisoners in civil rights actions as part of the Prisoner Civil Rights Panel of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Each of these matters provided me with valuable, yet distinct, opportunities to refine my legal skills from an early point in my career. Whether it was getting into court from an early stage, taking and defending depositions or dealing directly with and advising clients, I feel fortunate to have had such great pro bono opportunities from the outset of my career. Young lawyers should make it a point to seek out similar pro bono opportunities early and often.

There is no mandatory pro bono requirement for attorneys imposed by the Pennsylvania Rules of Professional Conduct. However, Rule 6.1 is clear that a "lawyer should render public interest legal service." Although this appears to fall short of required pro bono service for Pennsylvania lawyers, the rule continues to discuss ways by which a "lawyer may discharge this responsibility." Thus, although the language of the rule is permissive, it is clear that pro bono service is not just something nice that lawyers can do, but indeed is a responsibility for all those who choose to practice law and be barred in Pennsylvania.

For young lawyers, the choice should be a no-brainer. Why not take advantage of your obligation to help not just those in need, but to help yourself by furthering your own career? It is truly a situation where everybody wins.

Of course, my purpose is not to suggest that attorneys should place their own career interests ahead of those of their pro bono clients or prospective clients. Indeed, the comments to Rule 6.1 state that "personal involvement in the problems of the disadvantaged can be one of the most rewarding experiences in the life of a lawyer." This is certainly the case. The overriding principle behind pro bono is the opportunity and, to be sure, the moral, ethical and professional obligation to provide legal assistance to those who truly need it but are unable to afford it.

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Judge's Career Inspired by Personal Experience With Ted Bundy Case

By Carlos Harrison All Articles 

Daily Business Review

December 21, 2012

Palm Beach County, Fla., Court Judge Laura Johnson was in college the night a serial killer attacked. It changed her life, and her career path.

Johnson was the last person known to have entered the Tri Delta sorority house in Tallahassee on the night in 1978 when Ted Bundy slipped into the nearby Chi Omega house to kill two female Florida State University students.

She knew both victims.

"I was identified as the last person to come into my sorority house," she said. "I was woken up by the police and interviewed by the police that morning."

She was a sophomore finance major.

"I didn't have any intention of going to law school," she said. But the murders "changed our way of life at FSU. ... I followed that case, day by day by day by day. I lived through the horror of it, and I just became interested in the whole process and the whole way it played out."

Even then, though, she "anticipated more of a career on the non-litigation side."

Right out of law school, she landed a job doing criminal appeals in the attorney general's office. Four months later she was recruited to do the same thing at the Palm Beach state attorney's office. "And I was hooked."

She stayed as a prosecutor for 19 years.

'TRADITIONAL ROUTE'

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Judge's Career Inspired by Personal Experience With Ted Bundy Case

By Carlos Harrison All Articles 

Daily Business Review

December 21, 2012

Palm Beach County, Fla., Court Judge Laura Johnson was in college the night a serial killer attacked. It changed her life, and her career path.

Johnson was the last person known to have entered the Tri Delta sorority house in Tallahassee on the night in 1978 when Ted Bundy slipped into the nearby Chi Omega house to kill two female Florida State University students.

She knew both victims.

"I was identified as the last person to come into my sorority house," she said. "I was woken up by the police and interviewed by the police that morning."

She was a sophomore finance major.

"I didn't have any intention of going to law school," she said. But the murders "changed our way of life at FSU. ... I followed that case, day by day by day by day. I lived through the horror of it, and I just became interested in the whole process and the whole way it played out."

Even then, though, she "anticipated more of a career on the non-litigation side."

Right out of law school, she landed a job doing criminal appeals in the attorney general's office. Four months later she was recruited to do the same thing at the Palm Beach state attorney's office. "And I was hooked."

She stayed as a prosecutor for 19 years.

'TRADITIONAL ROUTE'

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Wanted: Lateral Hires With Real-World Experience

The fall hiring season has returned with renewed vigor, with some big law firms bringing in as many new fall associates as they did before the economic downturn.

One thing is noticeable: more of the new fall hires have prior professional experience and have been out of law school for a few years, as firms continue to seek candidates who fill specific staffing needs.

"A lot of the hiring is not back to the pre-recession madness, but it has rebounded," said Peter Giuliani, a Weston, Conn.-based law firm economic adviser who works with 100-lawyer-plus law firms throughout the country. "I don't think the salaries have gone up much at all though."

These days, new hires are expected to know more than the average applicant fresh from law school. That means lawyers with strong internships, court clerkships or business experience are in highest demand. "There is a big inventory on the market of lawyers who have experience," Giuliani said.

Day Pitney, with offices in New York, New Jersey and Hartford, Conn., announced it has hired 16 new associates, including eight in Connecticut, which the firm said is its biggest fall associate class ever. Wiggin and Dana welcomed four new associates to its offices in New Haven, Conn. and Stamford, Conn. Shipman & Goodwin brought in eight new associates, including many with useful past-work experience for its growing practice areas, including education and import/export law.

"The talent pool was exceptional in 2012 and many things differentiated these hires," said Karen Staib, partner and chair of the Hiring Committee for Shipman & Goodwin. Worth noting she said, was that "some previously held jobs within industries where we provide legal services."

One of the new hires is a former teacher who has joined the firm's education law practice. Another worked as an aerospace engineer before going to law school. "He will begin his legal career in our import/export compliance practice, servicing some of the world's largest defense and aerospace corporations and manufacturers," Staib said.

EXPERIENCE GAPS

A factor fueling this hiring spree is that many large firms cut back their staffing levels in 2009 and 2010, especially with regard to newer associates, right after the economic downturn began in 2008. Law firms have since realized there is a gap between their staffing levels and their ability to keep clients happy.

"So now the firms are back out in the market, hiring laterally to fill experience gaps," Giuliani said. "That is what may be churning a little action in the recruiting market."

Investigator Hired by Archdiocese Had No Experience with Sex Crimes

A retired FBI agent hired by the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia to look into alleged sex abuse by priests testified today that he had no background in investigating allegations of sex crimes and that he did not receive training on investigating possible sexual abuse.

Investigator Hired by Archdiocese Had No Experience with Sex Crimes

A retired FBI agent hired by the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia to look into alleged sex abuse by priests testified today that he had no background in investigating allegations of sex crimes and that he did not receive training on investigating possible sexual abuse.