Leadership Development

These law firms were named as top family- and female-friendly workplaces by Yale Law Women

Yale Law Women’s latest report on top law firms for gender and family friendliness is taking a new approach, with more categories and more opportunities to acknowledge law firms.

May 21, 2020 10:26 AM CDT

What can law firm leaders learn from a pandemic?

It may seem like an odd proposition, but we must recognize that most challenges present opportunities to positively shape the future. The coronavirus challenge is no different, writes lawyer Susan Smith Blakely.

May 14, 2020 8:30 AM CDT

Confidence in the economy is dropping among law firm leaders, new survey finds

Law firm leaders’ confidence in the economy is waning, according to a new survey by Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group.

Jan 16, 2020 12:45 PM CST

New survey finds No. 1 reason why partners leave their firms—and it’s not the most-obvious one

Contrary to popular belief, dissatisfaction with compensation is not the No. 1 reason why partners leave their law firms, according to a new survey of more than 1,300 lateral partners.

Jan 15, 2020 12:36 PM CST

How to kick off 2020 with more productive business meetings

When considering our New Year’s resolutions, we all want to be more resourceful with our time, especially with our workdays. We don’t realize how much time meetings can take up if they are conducted in an inefficient manner.

Jan 8, 2020 6:00 AM CST

BigLaw firm defends its commitment to diversity after Al Sharpton’s criticism

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is defending its diversity efforts after the Revs. Al Sharpton and Dale D. Dennis II criticized the law firm for having few racial minorities in its Wilmington, Delaware, office.

Jan 7, 2020 3:42 PM CST

Top 5 Your Voice columns of 2019

The Your Voice columns of 2019 that we found most impactful were the ones that dug deeper, got personal and exposed the human side of the profession, and justice, itself—and sometimes they included a little humor, too.

Dec 23, 2019 9:44 AM CST

The legal profession doesn’t have a leadership problem—it has a character problem

“We’ve become self-important takers who favored me over you, more over less, and shiny objects over personal connections,” writes lawyer Charles P. Edwards. He discusses why having good character is important for leaders in the legal field.

Nov 7, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Former FBI Director Comey encourages law students to be ‘ethical leaders’

It was never one of former FBI Director James Comey’s career goals to be an “unemployed B-list celebrity,” he said, addressing a crowd at the University of Chicago Law School on Tuesday. During a lecture he gave on leadership roles, he said it became his mission to communicate what being an ethical leader means after President Donald Trump fired him in May 2017.

Oct 31, 2019 12:40 PM CDT

The secret to successful lawyer leadership

Did you miss the class on leadership in law school? There probably wasn't one. And at most law schools, leadership lessons are, at best, an afterthought. Yet, from virtually the day we pass the bar exam, lawyers must lead teams: first staff, then younger lawyers, then case teams, and ultimately, perhaps, entire law firms or offices, large or small.

Oct 17, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

8 ways to enhance workplace inclusivity through physical space and design

While it’s not far-fetched to speculate that changing office temperatures more than a few degrees in either direction could turn the thermostat into courtroom evidence, have entities that are committed to inclusion in the workplace considered whether a rise from 70 to 72 degrees might be enough to keep everyone more comfortable and increase overall productivity?

Oct 3, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

More law firms may close if recession hits; recruiter: ‘Once this party ends, it’s going to end very quickly’

A recession could be the final nail in the coffin for struggling law firms. The prior recession was an aggravating factor in the dissolution of several law firms, Bloomberg Law reports. They included Heller Ehrman; Thelen; Thacher Proffitt & Wood; Howrey; Dewey & LeBoeuf; Bingham McCutchen; and Dickstein Shapiro. Law…

Sep 4, 2019 3:11 PM CDT

What one thing do you wish you were told about legal practice?

Mark Herrmann takes on a flinty, severe persona to lay down the law on legal practice in the real world. But as law grads draft their first pleadings, the former Jones Day partner advises a light touch. “Law schools, they don’t tell you how ferociously busy judges are,” Herrmann tells…

Jun 12, 2019 3:34 PM CDT

Public speaking skills every lawyer should master

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, Ashley Alfirevic of ABA Publishing speaks to lawyer and author Faith Pincus about how to ditch notecards, engage an audience and ask the right type of rhetorical questions.

May 22, 2019 6:00 AM CDT