Post-Aurora Resolution: Protect Yourself from Workplace Violence

Last week’s rampage at a movie theater in Aurora serves as a tragic reminder that none of us can ever be too safe, whether we are socializing on a Thursday night or sitting in our office perusing some paperwork. Just as you might look for fire exits in a crowded movie theater, so should you be ready to run, call for help, or protect yourself from violence in the workplace. I learned this lesson early on when a coworker of mine was killed in her office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency back in 1985. What I learned then:

• Know where you are: What is the address of your office building? What are its cross streets? What is the name of the building? This seems so obvious, but if you take the subway every day and are snaking through underground corridors to get to your office, you may not have learned the building’s correct street address, especially if your business’s mailing address is not the same. Do you know where you are in your building? Is there a room number, a wing name, any identifying information? Could you describe your location accurately to someone outside the building who is not familiar with its layout?
• Have the police department on speed dial: Even my three-year-old knew how to call 9-1-1, but doing so on a cell phone can be tricky. You may have to answer several questions just to get through to the correct police department (what state are you in? what county? What town?). Don’t waste precious time when you’re in a crisis. Similarly, an office phone isn’t always as user-friendly as one might like it to be. Do you have to dial 1 to get an outside line? Do you know the number of the security desk in your lobby?
• Be prepared to protect yourself: Is there a lock on your door? Can a portion of your workspace be locked off?  If a gunman enters your workplace, where would you go? Could you barricade yourself in your office? Do your office windows open? Is there a fire escape? Are there any silent alarms in your office?

 It is all too easy to be very cavalier about matters such as these. “Don’t overreact,” critics might say. Try asking people if they have ever encountered unexpected criminal violence or have a friend or family member who has. Shrug off the naysayers and make sure you are as ready as you can be should something horrific start happening.

Need a Law Job? How to Make Sure You’re One of the 55%

If I were enrolled in law school right now, all the doomsday articles about post-grad employment statistics (like “An Existential Crisis for Law Schools” recently published in the New York Times) would, no doubt, have me hyperventilating. But obsessing about getting a job doesn’t actually help someone get a job. I’d turn some of that fear into action to increase the odds that I’d have a gig in the legal field upon graduation. To paraphrase Sally Bowles, what good is sitting alone in your law library? Start planning now for a job as a lawyer.

• Make yourself more marketable. Take law office management classes while you are still in law school to understand how to run a legal business—and possibly how to start one if you can’t land a job as an attorney at a firm after you graduate.
• Identify hot practice niches and take courses in those areas even if you loathe the subjects. Me, I would take classes on Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks, and Bankruptcy.
• Get experience: Work part-time, temp as a paralegal, or get an internship. If all else fails, volunteer for an organization. Start beefing up your résumé, meeting people in the field, and staying in touch with contacts.
• If you’re not on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn for professional reasons, you should be. Follow law firms and other organizations that hire lawyers. Interact with them.
• Get published.
• Start a blog on something substantive and build a readership.

Truthfully, when I was in law school, I wasn’t too keen on doing things for free. The market has changed, though, so I would not be cruising around with that attitude today. Don’t sit around your law campus fretting about the future. Take action to make sure that you’re in the percentile with jobs in the field upon graduation.

 

—Lori Tripoli