NALP 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 shortageLaw firm expands community partnerships to aid Black and Indigenous law students
BENZINGA — Stikeman Elliott is pleased to announce that the firm has expanded its community partnerships in support of Black and Indigenous students who demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in law. Earlier this fall, Stikeman Elliott participated in the development of Avenue: Black Undergraduate Internship Program, in collaboration with various Canadian law firms and organizations in…
Read More about Law firm expands community partnerships to aid Black and Indigenous law studentsMinority Corporate Counsel Association study finds diversity gains are mostly in junior ranks
REUTERS — Large law firms collectively increased their hiring of diverse summer associates in recent years but struggled to retain those lawyers over time, according to a new report by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Based on lawyer demographic data submitted by 225 large law firms, it found that 36% of 2020’s summer associates – law students…
Read More about Minority Corporate Counsel Association study finds diversity gains are mostly in junior ranksHow law firms can help mitigate stress for early-career associates
NALP — Let’s begin with law schools. The humanizing legal education movement, among others, has called for substantive changes in legal education for over a decade and is credited with improving the learning environments in many law schools. Those changes include a demonstrated respect for students, a focus on collaborative learning, increased assessments and feedback, attention…
Read More about How law firms can help mitigate stress for early-career associatesLaw firms grapple with decision to return to the office amid COVID-19 uncertainty
REUTERS — Law firm Goodwin Procter this week told its U.S. lawyers and staff that working in the office will be “entirely voluntary” until mid-March, citing the evolving state of the pandemic. The Boston-founded law firm had been “encouraging” lawyers to work in the office at least two days per week starting in November, and had planned…
Read More about Law firms grapple with decision to return to the office amid COVID-19 uncertaintyHow lawyers are affected by impostor syndrome
JD SUPRA — Have you ever felt that all your achievements are a fraud? That your professional accomplishments can be attributed to luck and you don’t deserve to be a lawyer? You’re not alone. That feeling is called the ‘impostor syndrome’, a phenomenon that can be experienced by people of all professions, lawyers included. Impostor syndrome plants a…
Read More about How lawyers are affected by impostor syndromeWhat lawyers need to know about artificial intelligence
ABA JOURNAL — Although artificial intelligence has been the subject of academic research since the 1950s and has been used commercially in some industries for decades, it is still in its infancy across much of the broader economy. The rapid adoption of this technology, along with the unique privacy, security and liability issues associated with it, has…
Read More about What lawyers need to know about artificial intelligenceRecognizing partner law firms for furthering diversity in the legal profession
MICROSOFT — In 2008, we launched the Law Firm Diversity Program (LFDP) to reward our law firm partners who make progress in diversifying their workforce. We are committed to accelerating this progress, and in the last 13 years, we’ve seen consistent and steady progress in legal workforce diversification, including an almost 33% increase of hours worked…
Read More about Recognizing partner law firms for furthering diversity in the legal profession