Professional Development

Games Lawyers Play: Word counts and spacing rules in briefs appear open to interpretation

As teenagers, some of us played a game with our writing assignments. The goal was to make an essay or report appear longer than it actually was. Why? Because our teachers specified a minimum number of words or pages, and we struggled to reach that number.

Jun 5, 2024 9:01 AM CDT

Narcissistic Lawyers and Artificial Intelligence: A band of dysfunctional brothers?

“Your honor, no artificial intelligence was used to generate content in this document. However, we would also like to disclose that there is someone in the courtroom who exhibits highly narcissistic traits and, therefore, is likely to lie, project, confabulate and inflate the truth.” With the rise of narcissism and societal celebration and reward of narcissistic traits, is this where we are headed? Should we consider such disclosure requirements?

May 29, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

How to strike up conversations that build your book of business

Networking is something that comes naturally to some people. But if the idea of talking to strangers makes you break out into a cold sweat, there's help and hope, says Deb Feder, author of the book After Hello: How to Build a Book of Business, One Conversation at a Time.

May 29, 2024 8:55 AM CDT

How Sullivan & Cromwell is scrutinizing potential new hires after campus protests

If you want to get hired by Sullivan & Cromwell, be prepared for an “extremely vigilant” review of your background for clues that you participated in or created “a climate of harassment, intimidation and discrimination,” according to the law firm’s senior chair.

May 9, 2024 12:23 PM CDT

A letter to young women lawyers about ‘SADNESS’ in the law

My dear sister (in law), welcome to our profession of stress, anxiety, depression, negativity, endangerment, sickness and suicide (also known as "SADNESS"). In addition to the SADNESS, many of us carry secrets, scars and an insatiable longing for change. They all dishearten, discourage and divide us in devastating ways. Yet you can prepare for and overcome them.

May 8, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

ABA is committed to protecting sexual assault survivors in bar admissions process, letter says

ABA President Mary Smith is asking an ABA commission to study the prevalence and impact of bar admissions questions that require survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to disclose their involvement in legal and administrative proceedings.

May 8, 2024 11:54 AM CDT

Bosses mandated them back to the office. They took legal action instead

After more than two years of fighting against return-to-office mandates, workers are fed up with their bosses’ inflexible policies and are taking their battle to court.

May 7, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

5 ways motherhood has leveled up your lawyer skills

From one mom to another, you may feel like you’re losing, but let’s discuss all that you have gained from motherhood. Here are five ways that being a mother has enhanced your skills as a lawyer.

May 1, 2024 8:58 AM CDT

Less litigation, more practical skills in law school needed, junior associates say

Almost half of law school associates say law school didn’t prepare them for practice, with a lack of training in practical experience cited most often as the reason why, according to a new study released Monday.

Apr 30, 2024 10:55 AM CDT

ABA should consider impact of rape-disclosure questions on bar applications, 3 senators tell association

The ABA should study the prevalence of bar admissions questions that require the disclosure of campus sexual misconduct complaints and requests for orders of protection, according to a letter by three members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Apr 29, 2024 12:17 PM CDT

Supreme Court won’t hear lawyer’s challenge to anti-bias ethics rule

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in a challenge to a Pennsylvania ethics rule that bars lawyers from knowingly engaging in conduct that constitutes discrimination and harassment in the practice of law.

Apr 24, 2024 10:16 AM CDT

The future of DEI programs in the legal industry

The lack of diversity when it comes to race, gender, sexuality, disability and social class within the legal profession is nothing new. However, the last decade has marked a gradual increase in diversity across all fields.

Apr 17, 2024 8:46 AM CDT

It’s a quick goodbye for many departing associates, new NALP Foundation report finds

Eighty-two percent of associates who left their law firms in 2023 did so within five years of hiring, a figure that is at “an all-time high,” according to a report released Wednesday by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education.

Apr 11, 2024 9:09 AM CDT

Carnegie and Me: Refuting the culture war on American libraries

Our Carnegie library was a dignified brick edifice built for $6,000. It was an oasis for knowledge, not some bogus den of “literary filth” that today’s shortsighted cynics might pretend.

Apr 1, 2024 2:00 AM CDT

Should lawyers always practice ‘by the book’?

I recall as a kid growing up in Montreal, we had difficulties with a next-door neighbor. Among other things, Madame Poirier owned a large mut, Roger, which she allowed the run of the land. This included Roger doing his business on our land. It often led to confrontations with my mother, as Madame Poirier insisted that Roger was just doing what dogs do.

Mar 21, 2024 10:19 AM CDT