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Rethinking the Legal Talent Pipeline: Why convenience is costing firms opportunity

I spend my days thinking about talent. Not in the abstract and not as a talking point but in the very real sense of who gets hired, who advances, who quietly exits and why. Over the years, I have watched law firms wrestle with the same questions again and again: how to identify excellence, how to remain competitive, and how to adapt to a workforce that looks and thinks differently from what it was even a decade ago.

Apr 1, 2026 12:18 PM CDT

Jones Day adds 4 SCOTUS clerks from October 2024 term as associates

Jones Day said Monday it has hired four U.S. Supreme Court clerks from the October 2024 term as associates in its issues and appeals practice.

Apr 1, 2026 9:46 AM CDT

Exodus: Thousands of federal lawyers left their jobs by choice or by force in 2025

A political party shift in the White House traditionally doesn’t change much for career government lawyers. But the second President Donald Trump administration issued directives that some lawyers who worked in federal government say they couldn’t follow for ethical reasons.

Apr 1, 2026 1:45 AM CDT

In 2016, the ABA Journal debuted 10 Questions. A decade later, we catch up with a few subjects.

For the past 10 years, Jenny B. Davis has written an ABA Journal column called 10 Questions, where she interviews some of the most interesting attorneys working today to ask them about their practice, about their passions and about what makes them remarkable. To commemorate the anniversary, Davis caught up with 10 interview subjects to find out what they’ve been doing since they last talked.

Apr 1, 2026 1:00 AM CDT

Biography examines the career of a New Yorker and single mom who went to law school in the 1970s

In Passion and Power: A Life in Three Worlds, Harriet Newman Cohen chronicles her journey as a divorce lawyer whose clients have included actor Laurence Fishburne, actress Linda Lavin and other celebrities.

Apr 1, 2026 12:50 AM CDT

Bill Kurtis’ memoir tells how law school trained him for covering trials

In Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News, Bill Kurtis’ memoir, the newsman tells how being an attorney built the foundation for his six-decade career in journalism, in which he covered major trials and investigated issues such as Agent Orange.

Apr 1, 2026 12:45 AM CDT

Judge Samuel Thumma finds joy in barbershop singing

As Judge Samuel Thumma began to contemplate the end of his career and what the future might hold, he also began to better appreciate what he describes as “the joy of small things.”

Apr 1, 2026 12:30 AM CDT

Silent Pain: Lawyers in abusive relationships often keep quiet out of reputational fears

While it receives little attention, lawyers can and do experience emotional, physical and other forms of abuse, according to a consultant who offers corporate training on domestic violence and support to high-achieving professionals who also are victims.

Apr 1, 2026 12:00 AM CDT

Law students can get a clue to close reading in fantasy card game-inspired class

Playing the fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering has many parallels to practicing law, says Mihailis Diamantis, a constitutional professor at the University of Iowa College of Law and a lifelong enthusiast of the game.

Mar 31, 2026 12:25 PM CDT

Federal case may curtail journalists’ rights to keep sources confidential

A case between a Chinese American scientist and the federal government has ensnared former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge and threatens to set precedent that would chip away at the ability of journalists to protect their anonymous sources, free speech advocates say.

Mar 30, 2026 2:28 PM CDT

Former prosecutor sentenced after making online threats against LGBTQ+ event and others

A former prosecutor in DuPage County, Illinois, who pleaded guilty to making an online bomb threat against an LGBTQ+ festival in downstate Illinois has been sentenced to home confinement and supervised release.

Mar 30, 2026 12:04 PM CDT

Where can 1Ls get five-figure signing bonuses?

Updated: In a move that some say is costing large law firms more money in recruitment programs, at least 15 Am Law 100 firms are offering first-year associates as much as $50,000 if they commit to 2L summer associate programs.

Mar 26, 2026 10:47 AM CDT

Firms hire fewer Black law interns because of conservative pressure

The number of Black summer associates at U.S. law firms has decreased to its lowest level in more than a decade amid a conservative push to end race- and gender-based preferences in school admissions and hiring, including a specific effort against legal internships, according to a story by Bloomberg Law.

Mar 25, 2026 9:24 AM CDT

Job satisfaction gap found between equity partners, others at their firms, new survey says

Nonequity partners and associates at law firms are less satisfied with their jobs than equity partners, a new Bloomberg Law survey has found.

Mar 24, 2026 10:10 AM CDT

Highlights from the Legalweek ‘Reinventing Professionals’ podcast mixtape

Ari Kaplan, a legal industry analyst and the host of the Reinventing Professionals podcast, recently spoke with attendees at the 2026 Legalweek conference about current trends and opportunities in the legal sector for his annual mixtape.

Mar 24, 2026 9:09 AM CDT