The importance of approaching the downturn with the position that the firms' human resources are assets rather than liabilities cannot be overstated.
Examines the importance of wellness for law students and lawyers and ways legal career professionals can help to promote wellness within their organizations.
Managing successfully through change is particularly challenging in a legal environment. Here are some tips.
Searching for ways to give virtual feedback during the COVID-19 pandemic? Nicolas Jelfs-Jelf provides a series of best practices in the June 2020 NALP Bulletin.
Here's some help with navigating the alphabet soup of non-immigrant visas that may be useful to international lawyers.
Two career services directors go straight to the source to ask students what impresses them — and what doesn't — in employers' web sites.
NALP members can and should have a significant impact on what law firms and the legal employment market will look like on the other side of this deep economic trough.
More than just a social media success story, the Ice Bucket Challenge provides valuable lessons for professional services firms interested in taking their citizenship and community initiatives to the next level.
What do the NALP numbers really mean? Are we experiencing a major recession or, alternately, a fundamental reordering of the legal services industry? Professor Henderson asserts that we are in the midst of changes affecting both law firms and law schools.
Whether we work in career services, lawyer professional development, or recruiting, we can become innovative leaders within our institutions.
A new division set up at the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) called the Office of Data Governance and Analysis. The work this office is producing, and the way they are producing it will provide many new resources from which we can learn more about trends in legal organizations management.
Each year, professional development managers take the time to create or refine their respective summer associate training programs. These managers typically have one goal in mind: to provide content that develops the skills for summer associates to succeed at their firm. However, as managers put pen to paper to develop their training schedules, issues and constraints inevitably interfere. Too often, the result is an unfocused training schedule, or worse, a schedule that requires new associates to absorb a wealth of information over a short period. While managers may have to accept these results, they should not strive for them. As discussed b...
While it can be easy to get on board with the idea of strategic planning, a clear understanding of what it is and how to do it ensures an effective process and results.
Engagement is a critical element in every successful organization whether you are pursuing it from an individual perspective or as a manager. Remember, small actions cumulate to create a culture of engagement and performance excellence.
This article — submitted on behalf of NALP’s Change Management Task Force — explores key change management theories to empower members to successfully support their organizations (and themselves) through periods of transformation.
staff hiring and integration
If you are a legal administrator, you can play a critical role in facilitating both the voluntary and involuntary transitions that occur at your firm.
As we engage our summer associates and plan for the fall, take a moment to reflect on the numbers and how we use them. Think about the people behind the numbers and their stories.
This is the third in a series of articles reporting the highlights of a Roundtable of 19 industry leaders in June.
Ida Abbott asserts that the persistent problem of gender imbalance in the legal profession needs to be reframed and seen for what it is: not a women's issue but a strategic talent issue that is critical for a firm's future success.
If you take an active interest in the future of large law firms, you should read this new book, and perhaps buy a second copy to sneak onto the desk of your managing partner or dean.
It's clear from the research that if you are female, you will be interrupted more often than your male colleagues. Be ready to push back.
President Rebecca Calman writes that although she has not cracked the code on motivation and knows that many extrinsic motivators such as raises, title changes and additions to headcount, can be difficult to deliver, she believes that understanding what motivates your employees is critical to developing sticky, loyal teams. And, she writes that it’s also important to know and understand what motivates YOU!
Mental Performance Coach Jayne Rossworn explains how legal careers advisors can use concepts that help athletes bounce back from injury to help law students thrive after job search setbacks.
Additional background information about NALP’s new Executive Director, Nikia Gray, who joined the NALP staff from Quarles & Brady’s Washington, DC office.
Hone your skills for added responsibilities or potential promotions.
The second in a series of Roundtables explores alternatives to current recruiting methods.
In many ways knowledge management and lawyer professional development share a common purpose. Here is one example of how they can work together.
Jessica R. Natkin and Jessica L. Hernandez offer an advance look at Let’s Coach All the Lawyers: An Essential Primer for Professionals Developing Legal Talent, which is a new book that can be used to foster growth and move beyond common issues in the legal workplace.
Bill Henderson deals head-on with the mystery of why today's market leaders, including both law schools and law firms, might struggle to recognize, understand, and adapt to the changes occurring in the legal market.
While laws are in place to protect against sexual harassment, at this time there are no laws to protect workers from bullying that is verbal and not physical.
From the President, Fault Lines
Law firm mergers trigger a range of emotions — uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and even grief. Given the increase in the number of law firm mergers in recent years, it is likely that you or someone you know has gone through, or will go through, this experience. While we all recognize that when faced with the prospect of a merger, we will need to do something, we don’t always know exactly what that “something” should be. This unknown is what triggers a variety of emotions. Concentrating on the three W’s — what you need to know, when you need to know it, and why this knowledge is important — provides structure, clarity, and a path forward. Combinin...
Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s Julie Binter and Eliana Morrison explain how virtual onboarding best practices can be found in the details.
Greenberg Traurig’s Bridget Huffstutler and Sandra Minea offer tips for providing real feedback to colleagues in a remote work environment.
maintaining morale among those you supervise and work with during a downmarket
Tips on crisis management from James Bond.
We're only a month into a new year, and if we learn from 2014 we have another opportunity to tackle critical issues and get them right.
Greiner Consulting Group’s Melanie Heller provides advice for making virtual mentorships a success for both the mentor and the mentee.
Columbia Law School’s Michael Kerman and Julie Anna Alvarez Rivera offer tips on how to start and expand well-being and mindfulness programs at law schools.
Thompson Hine LLP’s Carole Deeter explains how mutual trust and showing your appreciation can help build strong professional development teams at law firms.
Law Firm Business and Economics
How much change will the current legal economy cause? And will it last?
Establishing trust among team members is key, as it creates a collaborative atmosphere that encourages high performance. This article details the elements of trust to encourage an environment where people can do their best work.
In this new Bulletin+ column, Executive Insights had the opportunity to speak with Ashok Regmi, who became Street Law’s CEO in 2022.
Much of the effectiveness of a hiring committee depends upon how well the firm's recruitment administrator supports and promotes the work of the committee.
becoming a law firm leader
"Why is it that increasingly for all NALP members and the institutions they work for it feels as if the rug is being pulled out from under us on a daily basis?" asks NALP's Executive Director James Leipold.
Here's how the four C's of collaboration (client service, connection, communication, and cooperation) can combine to make lawyer professional development efforts more effective.
Tabloid blogs have created a significant disincentive for law firms to share sensitive information with their associates.
How can you be a great boss? This checklist will help.
Starting a new law school in China
The economic crisis has created an opportunity for law firms to rethink their talent management practices, including the compensation of associates. This webinar provides significant insights to aid that process.
A tremendous amount of effort goes into preparing for the arrival and transition of new lawyers into our firms. We should mirror that effort for retiring partners.
Steven J. Harper proposes that what economist Joseph Schumpeter called "creative destruction" has begun in the legal profession. So has the grieving for what is slipping away.
William A. Chamberlain responds to Steven Harper's article, looking at the "creative" amid the "creative destruction" now occurring.
As law schools wrestle with questions of the value of law school, NALP members can play leadership roles on their campuses.
In most cases, the success of a lateral partner hire is greatly determined by the effective transition of his or her clients to the new firm. How do you determine whether a lateral candidate’s clients really are portable and assess the likelihood that they actually will send their legal work to your firm? What can you do to make their portability more likely?
tips for success in the recruiting season
Submit nominations for NALP's Board of Directors and committees, including President-Elect, Vice-President, 2020-2022 Directors, Regional Resource Council and more.
EsquireWell’s Kendra Brodin and DueCourse and Aspire’s Kelli Dunaway explain the importance of emotional intelligence when giving and receiving feedback.
NALP Executive Director James G. Leipold says farewell to members following more than 18 years serving as the association’s chief executive.
What are we to make of this past spring's developments among the vendors who supply database management systems to law school career services and recruitment offices?
A Review of The Extraordinary Law Firm: Making Your Firm a Great Place to Work by Charles E. Stinnett
Legal career professionals can advocate for and help implement the steps that firm management must take in order to set and enforce expectations about transitioning responsibilities and clients to younger lawyers.
Let's look at management responsibilities and firm members' obligations in return - and suggest how those in recruitment, retention, and professional development roles, can bring added value by implementing elements of the management bargain.
To effectively innovate, we need to be on the same page as the leaders of our organizations and have a thorough understanding of how and why the profession is in its current state.
Personal connectivity is key to fostering a robust law firm alumni network or program.
McGuireWoods’ Stephanie Felder offers ideas on how to maximize training and professional development on a shoestring budget and during uncertain times.
Here are 10 time management and organization “hacks,” tips, or shortcuts to make life just a little bit easier. While these are specific to Microsoft Outlook, some can be adapted to other email programs.
Here are some ways to give yourself, the rest of your office, and your new coworker the best shot at thriving when welcoming a new staff member into your CSO.
Rebecca Calman works to foster a culture that acknowledges how much preparation goes into delivering a presentation. She offers tips on how to prepare ahead of time.
NALP President Rebecca Calman writes about change. Legal talent professionals are being asked to manage complex, high-stakes changes within their organizations, whether it be contingency planning, changes resulting from a merger, or a new strategic initiative. NALP’s Change Management Task Force was borne out of a desire to equip NALP members with the tools to manage changes and new challenges effectively and with confidence.
The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to take a closer look at your current time and management strategies. Here are some guiding principles built off best practices, habits and routines that can help you with this process.
Sometimes it seems that each time we start working with a new hiring partner, practice group leader, committee chair, or dean, we have to prove yet again that we're experts in our industry who bring great value to our organizations.
From the big to the small, the University of Toronto Faculty of Law's Environmental Sustainability Working Group has been addressing every aspect of law school life.
At what point does a cost-benefit analysis lead a significant number of potential applicants to forgo a legal education?
best practices for office relocations
Reimagining the discussion around diversity.
To have an inclusive environment where people of all races and ethnicities are reflected at every level of the organization, significant changes still need to be made. Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.
Neil Dennis and Lynn Herron explain how NALP members can embrace the pandemic uncertainty by starting something new in considering a leadership position at NALP, or by nominating their colleagues.
In the NALP world, the summer of 2008 is likely to be very different from the summers that have immediately preceded it.
December can be a wonderful time for thinking about how to renew our work teams and keep motivation and performance levels high.
Executive Director; economy; Timing Guidelines; Part V
Part 2 of coverage of the June 24 Roundtable.
At the International Legal Technology Association's recent annual conference, keynoters placed industry changes within the larger context of rapid and potentially disruptive change happening everywhere, and challenged conference attendees to imagine the future.
Legal Project Management offers an example of how teams and clients can be aligned.
While everyone is talking about using "big data" these days, using your own firm's hiring data can be more valuable.
While consultant and former career services administrator, Andy Ceperley’s new book, Tone Setters in the Academy, is explicitly addressed to university administrators, all NALP members, many of whom are middle managers within their schools or legal employers, will find much value here.
When lawyers see conflict as an opportunity to strengthen ideas and collaboration, they improve firm culture and well-being and prepare the next generation of leaders to engage differences with skill and humanity.
