How the legal community created opportunities for underrepresented law students during the pandemic
REUTERS — Over the past 18 months, students from diverse backgrounds have borne witness, all too often, to a broken system of law enforcement amid a global pandemic, race-based hate crimes, and the continuing dehumanization of undocumented persons and refugees — all of which have put a spotlight on the stark inequities in our legal system…
Read More about How the legal community created opportunities for underrepresented law students during the pandemicMentorship-focused non-profit organization partners seasoned attorneys with new lawyers
ABA JOURNAL — An informal networking organization that matched law students and new lawyers with mentors has become a nonprofit organization that’s set to grow nationwide. DLA Piper is a founding sponsor of the Legal Mentor Network, which got its start with a 2020 LinkedIn post that went viral, according to Law.com, a DLA Piper press release…
Read More about Mentorship-focused non-profit organization partners seasoned attorneys with new lawyersLarge firms are now hiring a larger percentage of law graduates
ABA JOURNAL — Larger firms of 250 or more lawyers are hiring a higher percentage of law grads as class sizes stagnate and law firms grow. Nearly 10% of all law school graduates in the class of 2012—4,600 new lawyers—ended up working full time at law firms with more than 250 lawyers, Bloomberg Law reports in a…
Read More about Large firms are now hiring a larger percentage of law graduatesLaw firm talent shortage raises questions about hiring standards
BLOOMBERG LAW — I’ve been asking law firm leaders if there’s room in their economic models to hire more associates. Hiring more associates is the opposite of what firms’ financial ambitions demand. Fewer associates working longer hours is good for profitability, not bad! On the other hand, most law firm leaders by now realize burnout is a concern,…
Read More about Law firm talent shortage raises questions about hiring standardsOhio inducts nearly 600 new lawyers at Bar Admissions Ceremony
COURT NEWS OHIO — Hundreds of the state’s newest attorneys completed their transition to licensed practitioners at the fall Ohio bar admissions ceremony on Monday. The 598 inductees took their oaths during the virtual event, which was broadcast and livestreamed from the Courtroom at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus. Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice…
Read More about Ohio inducts nearly 600 new lawyers at Bar Admissions CeremonySurvey: Law firms worry about staying profitable amid competitive hiring environment
ABA JOURNAL — Law firm business leaders are bullish about the future of the legal industry, but they are increasingly concerned about the impact of talent wars on profitability, according to a survey released Tuesday. Fifty-one percent of the surveyed leaders said lawyer recruitment and retention pose a high risk to future law firm profitability, while 35%…
Read More about Survey: Law firms worry about staying profitable amid competitive hiring environmentLaw firms promote associates to partner in record numbers to retain talent
ABA JOURNAL — Several law firms have announced their largest new partner classes on record amid a push to reward lawyers and create an incentive for associates to stay. Reuters and Law.com have stories on the phenomenon.
Read More about Law firms promote associates to partner in record numbers to retain talentUniversity of Chicago Law Review’s list of most-cited legal scholars contains few women
REUTERS — Retired federal appellate judge and law professor Richard Posner is the most cited U.S. legal scholar on record, followed by Harvard University law professor Cass Sunstein, and the late New York University law professor Ronald Dworkin. That’s according to Yale Law librarian Fred Shapiro, who analyzed the law review article and book citations of thousands…
Read More about University of Chicago Law Review’s list of most-cited legal scholars contains few womenHarvard Law hosts symposium on crisis lawyering
HARVARD LAW TODAY — During times of crisis, lawyers often need to rely on nontraditional and unexpected skills. “Don’t just be a lawyer. Be a strategist, understand nuance, and have a view to how multiple constituents will view your actions,” Ralph C. Martin II, Northeastern University’s senior vice president and general counsel, told a Harvard Law School…
Read More about Harvard Law hosts symposium on crisis lawyeringUniversity of Houston Law Center professor Renee Knake Jefferson publishes essay on legal ethics
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER — University of Houston Law Center Professor Renee Knake Jefferson explores the implications of false lawyer claims in politics in a recently published essay on legal ethics in the Yale Law Journal Forum. The essay, titled “Lawyer Lies and Political Speech,” was published as part of an invited collection with contributors including…
Read More about University of Houston Law Center professor Renee Knake Jefferson publishes essay on legal ethics