Professional Development

277 ABA Journal Professional Development articles.

Lawyers are twice as likely to have thoughts of suicide, new study finds

A recent study of California and Washington, D.C., lawyers found that lawyers are twice as likely as the general population to experience suicidal ideation.

Feb 14, 2023 10:34 AM CST

Florida judges can no longer get CLE credit for general ‘fairness and diversity’ courses, state supreme court says

Florida judges can no longer take “fairness and diversity” courses to satisfy continuing education requirements, unless the classes relate to judicial professionalism, ethics opinions or the judicial conduct code, the Florida Supreme Court has decided.

Feb 6, 2023 8:37 AM CST

As more law firms adopt 3-day-per-week schedule, one ties attendance to cash

As more law firms mandate or encourage three days per week in the office, one is using the threat of reduced bonuses to get associates back in the building.

Jan 26, 2023 3:14 PM CST

Law is the most stressful profession, newspaper’s analysis finds

The most stressful occupation in the United States is being a lawyer, according to an analysis by the Washington Post of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jan 24, 2023 12:48 PM CST

Legal career lessons from Mount Everest

For many of us, building a legal career is like climbing a mountain. It’s an obvious analogy; you put in lots of hard work, never taking your eye off the prize at the top. Working through the pain by visualizing the euphoric view at the peak. After thousands of hours spent climbing toward the top, your career pinnacle—making partner at a top-tier firm—will be in reach.

Jan 23, 2023 9:01 AM CST

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2022

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 12 extraordinary ABA members who go to great lengths to embolden their clients, colleagues and members of the communities around them. Their work includes helping immigrants with tax issues, advocating for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and addressing racial injustice and inequality.

Dec 14, 2022 8:38 AM CST

Top 8 Your Voice columns of 2022

Diversity and inclusion, stress management, mental health and practice management are some of the major areas of focus among legal professionals today. And contributors to the ABA Journal’s Your Voice column certainly brought these concepts front and center in 2022.

Dec 14, 2022 8:37 AM CST

How an Am Law 200 firm created an incubator program for associates to learn business, leadership skills

An intrepid cavalier King Charles spaniel inspired a microincubator program aimed at giving associates room to develop leadership skills, foster creative thinking and facilitate collaboration with colleagues in different locations and practice areas.

Dec 12, 2022 8:45 AM CST

Law firm revenue growth moderates as expenses grow; top 50 firms see biggest productivity drop

Revenue growth for law firms was “a modest” 4.1% for the first nine months of 2022, compared to growth of 14.7% in the same period last year, according to a client advisory by Citi Private Bank’s law firm group and Hildebrandt Consulting.

Dec 9, 2022 9:10 AM CST

Can change really come from within? These 13 prosecutors think so

Change From Within: Reimagining the 21st-Century Prosecutor shares the personal profiles of prosecutors who want to use prosecutorial discretion to reduce incarceration rates and harm to vulnerable communities from the prison-industrial system.

Nov 30, 2022 8:44 AM CST

ABA asks SCOTUS to preserve long-standing attorney-client privilege

In an amicus brief filed Wednesday, the ABA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to consider client-lawyer communications privileged, even if the purpose of some of those communications is not to request or give legal advice.

Nov 28, 2022 10:53 AM CST

Feeling the holiday stress? The ABA is offering a number of wellness events

With the holidays quickly approaching, lawyers and legal professionals may be looking for tips to counter anxiety and stress, set boundaries with family and at work, or focus more on their overall well-being as they say goodbye to this year and hello to 2023. The ABA is offering CLE programs in November and December that fit the bill.

Nov 14, 2022 8:45 AM CST

Stressed about holiday parties? Think about skipping them, says lawyer in recovery

As we head into the holiday season, consider what you want your celebrations to look like, rather than meeting everyone else’s expectations, says a lawyer who has been sober for almost two decades.

Oct 31, 2022 9:00 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Cardozo Law will fight junk science with $15M; sheriff convicted for restraint-chair misuse

Cardozo Law will use $15M gift to fight junk science convictions

Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law plans to use a $15 million donation to create a justice clinic that…

Oct 28, 2022 2:13 PM CDT

Lawyer accused of relying on staffer to take CLE classes gets sanction reprieve if he accepts indigent cases

A solo practitioner in Maine may find it difficult to comply with the terms of an ethics sanction imposed for relying on his assistant to take his continuing legal education classes.

Oct 27, 2022 9:05 AM CDT

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