US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire
AP NEWS — Longtime liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is retiring, numerous sources said Wednesday, giving President Joe Biden his first high court opening, which he has pledged to fill with the historic naming of the court’s first Black woman. Breyer, 83, has been a pragmatic force on a court that has grown increasingly conservative, trying…
Read More about US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retireNew York State Bar Association says law graduates should not have to disclose juvenile records to become licensed
REUTERS — New York should stop asking aspiring lawyers about their juvenile criminal records during the character and fitness review required for licensing, the New York State Bar Association said Monday. Forcing law students to disclose information about sealed criminal records, juvenile delinquency, dismissed cases and non-pending arrests that didn’t lead to a conviction — which is…
Read More about New York State Bar Association says law graduates should not have to disclose juvenile records to become licensedHow law firms can improve recruiting tactics
THE NATIONAL LAW REVIEW — Young lawyers are a significant investment for a law firm. From the hiring process to training, the goal should be to attract and retain lawyers for the long term. If an associate is brought on and ends up leaving, law firms have to start all over and reinvest in hiring another,…
Read More about How law firms can improve recruiting tacticsOregon Supreme Court advances alternative methods to becoming a licensed lawyer
OPB.ORG — Oregonians may soon have some options when it comes to becoming licensed attorneys in the state, following a recent decision by the state Supreme Court. The Oregon Supreme Court unanimously supported the concept of two alternatives in addition to the Uniform Bar Exam — currently, the sole pathway to attorney licensure for people in…
Read More about Oregon Supreme Court advances alternative methods to becoming a licensed lawyerHow law firms are addressing burnout
FORBES — Burnout and culture are two topics that dominated the workplace conversation in 2021, and the legal profession was no exception. A profession that isn’t known for making swift change found itself navigating unprecedented challenges while also experiencing tremendous growth, leading to an uptick in stress and burnout. A recent article about law firm culture defined it…
Read More about How law firms are addressing burnout2022 ABA Midyear Meeting will take place entirely online
ABA JOURNAL — The 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting, which will take place from Feb. 9 to 14, had been scheduled to be in Seattle. But after assessing the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the ABA Board of Governors voted Thursday to change the meeting to a fully virtual format. More information will be made available…
Read More about 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting will take place entirely onlineLarge New York Law firms raise associate starting salaries to attract talent
REUTERS — Large U.S. law firms may be poised for yet another round of associate pay raises, with New York-based firm Milbank on Thursday increasing annual salaries by as much as $20,000 depending on seniority. Within hours, rival New York firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft said it would match the new Milbank salaries. Both firms said first-year associates…
Read More about Large New York Law firms raise associate starting salaries to attract talentEx-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 2021