ICYMI: Breakfast with the Bar: Health Law

By Annabella Denzel, IU McKinney

Our Breakfast with the Bar on Wednesday, May 18, was a great success. Thank you to the amazing attorneys in attendance; we learned so much from each of you. For those of you unable to join us, here is a quick recap of the great information we discussed:

1. Work/Life Balance and Time Management: It can be incredibly difficult to manage a full-time position as an attorney as well as create a fulfilling life outside of work. Each attorney gave us strong advice for managing both. The advice that kept popping up is to be diligent about time management. Especially when given a set number billable hours to achieve annually, it is crucial to manage your time week by week so that we the hours don’t creep up on you at the end of the year. This is especially true when factoring in all the non-billable hours that can creep into a week. Unfortunately, each attorney agreed that this is a personal, case by case issue that needs to be figured out ideally in the first year of practice. Some suggested focusing on keeping time in small chunks and taking advantage of the timer systems some firms have. If that option is not provided, consider making your own timer system. Others suggested creating and sticking to a schedule that makes the hours each week sustainable for you. Another option is also to work for a firm or go into government work, where billables aren’t as much of a factor. Either way, each attorney in turn admitted that it is a learning curve and that prioritizing life outside of work must be intentionally placed at the forefront of your mind in order to maintain healthy work/life balance.
2. Characteristics Future Employers Look For: Sincerity and a Value System! Come into any interview with a clear idea of who you are as a person and stick to that. Do not at any point try to reshape yourself to fit into a firm’s culture, because a) the recruiters will likely be able to tell and b) you do not want to get a job at a firm where you have to pretend to be someone else all day. You will eventually fail, and the team will suffer for it. I know it can be scary to look for employment and our instinct is to be as flexible as possible so that we find any sort of work, BUT it is crucial to maintain a strong foundation in your character so that you can genuinely enjoy where you end up working.
3. A Resource For Staying Up to Date on Current News in Health Law: Michael Greer, an attorney at Hall Render, suggested keeping up to date with the latest topics in health law through the American Health Law Association’s email service, and the health section Axios.com.

If you would like to submit content or write an article for the Law Student Division, please email Kara Sikorski at ksikorski@indybar.org.