Professional Development

277 ABA Journal Professional Development articles.

Lawyers who know their role can become ‘Rainstars’

My grandfather used to say, “Life is a movie, and we’re all just actors in that story.” And just as all good stories have heroes, understanding who they are and what they want can help lawyers learn to become what I call a “Rainstar.” A Rainstar is a lawyer with a tremendous ability to generate significant revenue for their firm while excelling at client satisfaction and retention.

Jun 1, 2023 2:00 AM CDT

Lateral candidates continue to raise ‘red flags,’ research company says

Nearly one-third of all lateral candidates in 2022 raised “red flags,” which include undisclosed business affiliations, cultural incompatibility and inflated books of business, according to Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

May 19, 2023 10:32 AM CDT

How can lawyers be better allies? ABA presidents share their advice

“You’re not trying to kick anybody out,” says Paulette Brown, who was the first Black woman to become ABA president. “You’re trying to have people understand that everyone has not been given the same basic tools that others have been given.”

May 19, 2023 9:32 AM CDT

BigLaw is losing its appeal, new survey of Gen Z lawyers and law students says

In the long term, a majority of Generation Z attorneys and law students plan on eschewing a traditional BigLaw career path for in-house, government or nonprofit work, according to a new survey by legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa released Wednesday, and they value work-life balance and flexibility in the workplace.

May 10, 2023 8:35 AM CDT

For 2022 law grads, bar-pass-required jobs increase, while JD-advantage positions decrease

For the second year in a row, there is an increase in jobs for new lawyers, according to data released Tuesday by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 25, 2023 12:12 PM CDT

Grit and growth mindset boosts work of teams, new ABA report finds

Can teams operate in a gritty and growth mindset-oriented way, and if so, does that make them more successful?

Apr 24, 2023 4:07 PM CDT

Associate hiring and attrition remain above average in 2022, new NALP Foundation report says

While hiring and attrition of law firm associates have decreased from the historic high levels reported in 2021, they remained above levels from previous years in 2022, according to the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education’s annual Update on Associate Attrition report released Tuesday.

Apr 21, 2023 10:30 AM CDT

28% of lawyers in this state considered leaving the profession because of mental health, burnout or stress

Forty-nine percent of surveyed lawyers in New Jersey have reported moderate to high levels of burnout, a percentage that is nearly twice as high as the level of burnout in the general U.S. working population, according to a survey by a task force of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Apr 18, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Cooley reportedly pushes back start date for incoming associates; are summer programs at risk?

Cooley has pushed back its start date for new associates from November 2023 to January 2024, according to reports by Bloomberg Law and Law.com that rely on anonymous sources.

Apr 12, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Lawyers report high level of satisfaction with their jobs, but stress remains an issue, survey finds

Eighty-three percent of surveyed attorneys report they are stressed at least some of the time, but 71% of the lawyers would not switch careers if given a chance for a do-over, according to survey findings by Law360 Pulse.

Apr 12, 2023 8:43 AM CDT

Why you should unlearn certain valuable legal skills

Much has been written about the mental health crisis in the legal profession. Certainly, external factors like billable hours and client demands play a large role in creating anxiety and stress in the profession; but there are also internal factors created by “thinking like a lawyer” that deserve more focus.

Apr 11, 2023 1:46 PM CDT

BigLaw associate’s admonition to be available 24/7 with ‘no exceptions, no excuses’ goes viral

A Paul Hastings associate’s best-practices advice to junior colleagues in an internal presentation wasn’t that far off the mark, legal observers said. But its tone was lacking.

Apr 6, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

What I wish I’d learned in law school

The ABA Journal asked 25 lawyers what they wish they’d learned, as well as the best advice that they got in law school and whether school had prepared them for practice.

Apr 1, 2023 3:45 AM CDT

How young attorneys are shaking up law firm culture

Young lawyers are candid about striking a balance between work and their personal lives. For some, that means leaving behind BigLaw’s relentless pace for other kinds of work. For others, it means finding a workplace culture aligned with their priorities and values.

Mar 6, 2023 8:40 AM CST

Humanizing the Process: A new approach to interviewing for law firms

For the past 20 years in the legal recruiting business, my firm, the Advocates, has focused on helping our clients land key lateral attorneys and improve retention through several unique processes designed to match candidates’ personalities to the right law firm and corporate cultures for them.

Feb 16, 2023 12:21 PM CST

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