Long hours, exhausting caseloads, eroding personal boundaries, and high workplace burnout. Many corporate attorneys cite these and other stress-inducing factors as their reasons for leaving law firm environments for in-house life. Now studies show that their assumptions about pressure within corporate law departments, especially in the wake of COVID-19, don’t mesh with their lived experience.… Read More »
The American Bar Association (ABA) finds that within the entire legal profession only 15% of attorneys identify as racial or ethnic minorities and only 36% identify as women. The lack of existing diversity in the field makes it even harder for corporate law departments to cultivate varied backgrounds and perspectives within their organization. Consulting firm… Read More »
by Debra Vinikour, Senior Recruiting Attorney Candidates and recruiters have a shared goal: candidates want the opportunity to be considered for a position, and recruiters want the opportunity to make a placement. We often hear from candidates who wonder why they were not considered for a particular role. Recruiters, who typically receive numerous responses to… Read More »
Changes can sneak in on a legal team. Over time, the workload may increase, or key aspects of cases and issues may shift to overlap new practice areas or emerging topics in the law. Because these changes are subtle, it can be difficult to tell when the balance has tipped far enough to justify supplementing… Read More »
Sometimes, a new hire seems promising on paper and in the interview, but struggles on the job. When this happens, you may wonder whether you’ve made a mistake. If a new hire isn’t doing as well as you’d hoped, start by asking the following questions: How was the new hire trained and onboarded? Training and… Read More »
Whether it’s vacation time, cold and flu season, or a rush period for your practice, working with temporary attorneys can improve your workflow and reduce stress. Here’s how seasonal use of temporary attorney help can improve your practice: Mitigate Vacation Losses The summer season and the winter holiday season are two highly popular times for… Read More »
People perform better when they feel good about what they do, and attorneys are no exception. A sense of ownership, optimism, and accomplishment are a must for lawyers seeking to maximize their engagement and productivity. Do this to help your team feel good about their jobs and reap the benefits: Break up the routine.… Read More »
When you work with a temporary attorney, onboarding is essential to a strong, focused relationship. Without onboarding, even a highly skilled temporary attorney may struggle to provide the support your team and clients need. Here are three points to consider when you plan onboarding for a new temporary attorney. Separate onboarding from orientation. Orientation is… Read More »
Congratulations! You’ve made the leap from working in a law firm or a corporate law department to launching your own solo practice. You have the motivation, you have the credentials, you have the skills. Now all you need are the clients. START OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT Building a practice can be challenging, as… Read More »
by Robert Murphy, co-founder of Assigned Counsel / photo credit: Croissant on Unsplash For twenty-seven years, I have managed an operation in which 100% of the personnel have worked from home. My first client account manager, a single mother with several young children, needed to be home-bound. This initial experience set the foundation for… Read More »