Ex-lawyers discuss why they left their careers
REUTERS — Making partner, the old joke goes, is like winning a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie. So perhaps it’s not surprising that some lawyers lose their taste for it. Last week, Washington Post advice columnist Carolyn Hax ran a letter from a burned-out lawyer signed “Happy to Drop Out.” “I recently resigned from my…
Read More about Ex-lawyers discuss why they left their careersCalifornia’s plan to license non-lawyers sees mixed reactions from the legal profession and public
REUTERS — Attorneys have a lot to say about allowing competition from so-called paraprofessionals in California. The State Bar of California this week said it had received 1,318 public comments on a proposal that would enable specially trained nonlawyers to offer legal advice in limited settings, such as employment and consumer debt, in a bid to expand…
Read More about California’s plan to license non-lawyers sees mixed reactions from the legal profession and publicThe 10 Legal Tech Trends that Defined 2021
LAWSITES — As awful as was the year 2020 for so many reasons, my year-end report last year found reasons to be optimistic. “The silver lining of 2020,” I wrote, “is that we have been forced to consider changes that were long overdue and then given the opportunity to implement those changes.” This year, my report is…
Read More about The 10 Legal Tech Trends that Defined 2021Northwestern Law professor Alyson Carrel honored by AALS Section on Technology, Law, and Legal Education
NORTHWESTERN PRITZKER SCHOOL OF LAW — Alyson Carrel, Harry B. Reese Teaching Clinical Professor of Law and co-director of the Center on Negotiation and Mediation, was awarded the 2022 Technology, Law and Legal Education Section Award from the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). She was presented the award during the AALS Annual Meeting, which took…
Read More about Northwestern Law professor Alyson Carrel honored by AALS Section on Technology, Law, and Legal EducationUC Berkeley Law reappoints dean Erwin Chemerinsky
BERKELEY LAW — At times, the descriptions of Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky seem wholly contradictory. Colleagues joke that he’s a machine, that no human could write so many books, op-eds, and articles; answer so many emails, phone calls, and letters; and lead so many organizations, initiatives, and committees. But they’re also quick to note his humanity,…
Read More about UC Berkeley Law reappoints dean Erwin ChemerinskyOregon Supreme Court tentatively approves proposal for law practice licensing through supervision and experience
BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE — The Oregon Supreme Court has tentatively OK’d a proposal that would give would-be lawyers the option to skip the bar exam and instead become licensed to practice law through experience or supervision. The state’s highest court in a unanimous vote “expressed approval in concept” to a pair of alternative pathways designed for law students…
Read More about Oregon Supreme Court tentatively approves proposal for law practice licensing through supervision and experienceOpinion: How diploma privilege could help diversify the legal profession
THE HILL — When Kim Kardashian announced to her 272 million Instagram followers that she passed the “baby bar” exam on her fourth try, reactions ranged from celebration to derision, and then to confusion over what, in fact, is a baby bar. California’s First-Year Law Students’ Examination, or “baby bar” is a one-day test designed to allow prospective lawyers…
Read More about Opinion: How diploma privilege could help diversify the legal professionNALP report: 2021 law firm summer associates most diverse on record
REUTERS — Law firms brought on a historically diverse cohort of summer associates in 2021, according to new data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), outpacing diversity gains among more senior lawyers. The proportion of summer associates of color climbed to 41% in 2021, up from 36% in 2020. That represents the largest year-over-year increase…
Read More about NALP report: 2021 law firm summer associates most diverse on recordOpinion: Mental health questions on bar application prevent aspiring attorneys from seeking help
TEEN VOGUE — Weeks before the pandemic first began to ravage New York City, New York State Chief Judge Janet DiFiore announced that bar applicants will no longer have to answer intrusive questions about mental health conditions or treatment to become certified attorneys in the state via the Character and Fitness application. Upon hearing this news,…
Read More about Opinion: Mental health questions on bar application prevent aspiring attorneys from seeking helpMidsize law firms face recruiting pressure with labor shortage
REUTERS — Midsize U.S. law firms are facing recruiting pressure in a tight labor market, compelling some to raise early career attorneys’ salaries and offer other perks. These firms, which typically have 25 to 200 lawyers and often operate regionally, are extending benefits such as paid sabbaticals and law school loan repayment. Several have raised starting salaries,…
Read More about Midsize law firms face recruiting pressure with labor shortage