Rekha Roarty's guest appearances

Rekha Roarty

Lone Star Lawyers

Jason Scott

Erin Brockovich

Andy Jones

Brandon Waddell

Stephanie Curtis

Caroline Harrison

Amanda Taylor

Brandon Lewis

Jennifer King

Will Thomas

Anna Greenberg

Alex Bell

Josh White

Brian Lopez

Matthew Myers

OwlTail

Rekha Roarty joins us on today's show! Rekha is a construction lawyer with Bollier Ciccone in Austin. Rekha talks about staying professional on Zoom, seeking out the work you want, and showing your personality in an interview.Her firm/practiceConstruction/real estate litigation (her practice); there is a family law section of the firm as wellCOVID update (as of December 17, 2020)Travis County has taken a lot of actions to protect, so civil hearings and trials are not happening in person and are entirely on ZoomMultiple times having clients on Zoom on their phone and in their car; encourage everyone to keep the same formalities, dress, etc.For court, use a laptop or maybe an iPad and not your phone to get on a ZoomMake sure to block time into your calendar for it along with time ahead for getting online, making sure the tech is working ,etc.The prices of building materials (particularly lumber) have skyrocketed, which causes issues when agreements were made a year ago when prices were much lower.Also, there can be delays in the supply chain and/or with issues with subcontractors not wanting to work due to COVID which can impact everyone up/down the chain. So this creates labor shortages.Post-COVIDTravis County is considering having a Zoom docket once/week in order to create more efficiencies. This would apply to routine/administrative type hearings.Mediations/depositions are more effective in person, but it is nice to have the option to do them by Zoom if there is difficult travel or other reasons that make it hard to do them in personWork from home can work and should be an option at least some of the time, and/or add flexibility to how we workAdvice for lawyers in practiceSpeak up / volunteer for what you want to do.offer to handle a hearingask if you can sit in on a call or deposhe handled her first trial after just six months of being licensedDon't be afraid opposing counsel for their thoughts/tips/etc. after a case is over.Attorneys are almost always willing, even eager to help and give adviceBuild connections with them. Not only can you become a better lawyer, but it can also be a source of referrals.Have pride in your work, but there is no place in your workplace for pride.There isn't a task that is beneath you.All hands on deck.Be willing/able to do everything and not just what you consider to be the "attorney" role.Have this attitude and mindset.If you make mistakes, take responsibility and fix it. Don't blame others or make excuses.(Daniel relating a NY Times story about an NBA agent who made a mistake that cost his client $3M, and he took responsibility and paid it back to the player over a number of years.)Advice for lawyers seeking a jobBe yourself because firms are looking for a good fit, and nobody can tell that if you aren't being yourselfAlso you need to be able to relate to people, colleagues, clients, etc.DON'T LIE ON YOUR RESUME!Don't shy away from resume gaps or concerns, just explain them truthfully and move on.Highlighting interests and unique things about yourself is helpful and encouragedFinal ThoughtDon't feel trapped in one area just because that's where you started. She moved from family law to construction law after 2.5 years.Rapid Fire QuestionsOne trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate: HonestyWhat habit has been key to your success: OrganizationFavorite app/tool: SlackFavorite social distancing activity: Disney+ Sharing option where you can simultaneously stream movies at different locations and watch movies with friends/family without being in the same placeFavorite legal movie: Legally BlondeThanks again to Rekha Roarty for coming on the show!

Rekha Roarty joins us on today's show! Rekha is a construction lawyer with Bollier Ciccone in Austin. Rekha talks about staying professional on Zoom, seeking out the work you want, and showing your personality in an interview. Her firm/practice Construction/real estate litigation (her practice); there is a family law section of the firm as well COVID update (as of December 17, 2020) Travis County has taken a lot of actions to protect, so civil hearings and trials are not happening in person and are entirely on Zoom Multiple times having clients on Zoom on their phone and in their car; encourage everyone to keep the same formalities, dress, etc. For court, use a laptop or maybe an iPad and not your phone to get on a Zoom Make sure to block time into your calendar for it along with time ahead for getting online, making sure the tech is working ,etc. The prices of building materials (particularly lumber) have skyrocketed, which causes issues when agreements were made a year ago when prices were much lower. Also, there can be delays in the supply chain and/or with issues with subcontractors not wanting to work due to COVID which can impact everyone up/down the chain. So this creates labor shortages. Post-COVID Travis County is considering having a Zoom docket once/week in order to create more efficiencies. This would apply to routine/administrative type hearings. Mediations/depositions are more effective in person, but it is nice to have the option to do them by Zoom if there is difficult travel or other reasons that make it hard to do them in person Work from home can work and should be an option at least some of the time, and/or add flexibility to how we work Advice for lawyers in practice Speak up / volunteer for what you want to do. offer to handle a hearing ask if you can sit in on a call or depo she handled her first trial after just six months of being licensed Don't be afraid opposing counsel for their thoughts/tips/etc. after a case is over. Attorneys are almost always willing, even eager to help and give advice Build connections with them. Not only can you become a better lawyer, but it can also be a source of referrals. Have pride in your work, but there is no place in your workplace for pride. There isn't a task that is beneath you. All hands on deck. Be willing/able to do everything and not just what you consider to be the "attorney" role. Have this attitude and mindset. If you make mistakes, take responsibility and fix it. Don't blame others or make excuses. (Daniel relating a NY Times story about an NBA agent who made a mistake that cost his client $3M, and he took responsibility and paid it back to the player over a number of years.) Advice for lawyers seeking a job Be yourself because firms are looking for a good fit, and nobody can tell that if you aren't being yourself Also you need to be able to relate to people, colleagues, clients, etc. DON'T LIE ON YOUR RESUME! Don't shy away from resume gaps or concerns, just explain them truthfully and move on. Highlighting interests and unique things about yourself is helpful and encouraged Final Thought Don't feel trapped in one area just because that's where you started. She moved from family law to construction law after 2.5 years. Rapid Fire Questions One trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate: Honesty What habit has been key to your success: Organization Favorite app/tool: Slack Favorite social distancing activity: Disney+ Sharing option where you can simultaneously stream movies at different locations and watch movies with friends/family without being in the same place Favorite legal movie: Legally Blonde Thanks again to Rekha Roarty for coming on the show!

Monday Mentors with Austin Construction Lawyer Rekha Roarty