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The Business of Being a Lawyer (BBL) is premised on the fact that each of us, as a lawyer, is a business, our own business, whether we work for a law firm, have a solo practice, work in a public interest or government office, or work in a law-related field, we need to know our own balance sheet. What are our assets and liabilities? What are our short-term and long-term business plans? What investments should we make in our business? Viewing ourselves as a business is more imperative than ever given the volatility of the legal economy. This book covers four topics: (1) Economic trends in the legal profession and what these trends mean for law students and practicing lawyers; (2) Personal financial planning basics and how personal financial planning impacts one's career decisions, (3) Emotional Intelligence (EQ) issues such as recognizing and using one's strengths, cultivating habits of resilience, and dealing with stress and setbacks, (4) How to be an effective "free agent "throughout one's career (in light of the fact that the average lawyer now changes jobs seven times in a career). The approach of this book is descriptive, readable and practical, with case studies and specific advice.