Professional Development

350 ABA Journal Professional Development articles.

What ‘Wolf Hall’ taught me about practicing law

Every practicing attorney is familiar with the prelaw literary canon—that list of books every law student should read. A Civil Action, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Buffalo Creek Disaster. These books are meant to inspire a love of justice, hard work and a desire to fight for society’s underdogs.

Nov 20, 2023 8:44 AM CST

Martin Scorsese and Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear discuss making of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

The film Killers of the Flower Moon “underscores the critical importance of the rule of law and the pursuit of justice,” said ABA President Mary Smith, who interviewed director Martin Scorsese and Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear of the Osage Nation in the latest installment of the ABA Presidential Speaker Series.

Nov 15, 2023 2:09 PM CST

How this lawyer uses TikTok to skewer law firm culture

In the past decade, influencer culture has exploded. However, content creation is not just about Gen Zers and millennials promoting new brands, hot products and lifestyle choices.

Nov 15, 2023 8:39 AM CST

Legal profession needs to support Native American female lawyers, new ABA report shows

Native American female lawyers often feel isolated and exhausted, and they have endured pervasive bias and harassment, according to a new report published by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession and the National Native American Bar Association on Thursday.

Nov 2, 2023 2:05 PM CDT

Deb Haaland, other Native American ‘first trailblazers’ discuss importance of being at the table

“We are breaking down barriers, so our communities have the representation they deserve everywhere—in statehouses, in Congress, in classrooms, in film, science, and right here, with the American Bar Association,” Secretary Deb Haaland said in her remarks.

Nov 2, 2023 2:00 PM CDT

First-generation law students study and work more hours, rack up more student debt

First-generation law students with parents who never obtained a bachelor’s degree differ in some significant respects from classmates with at least one parent who completed a college degree, according to a new survey of more than 13,000 law students at 75 law schools.

Oct 26, 2023 3:37 PM CDT

Strongest rainmaking partners often have these characteristics, new study says

Partners who choose an “activator approach” are more likely to be successful at business development, according to a new study called Unlocking the Secrets to Successful Business Development: The Rainmaker Genome Project.

Oct 26, 2023 12:29 PM CDT

Navigating the future of knowledge and know-how with generative AI

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Kelly Lake, the CEO and executive director for CEB: Continuing Education of the Bar, a California-focused provider of legal research and continuation legal education.

Oct 23, 2023 8:58 AM CDT

Race, ethnicity, parents’ education level produce differing job outcomes for class of 2022 law grads

Nikia Gray, the executive director of the National Association for Law Placement, is asking legal employers to “stand firm” on their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion after the release of data showing that minorities from the class of 2022 fare worse in employment numbers.

Oct 17, 2023 3:30 PM CDT

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