Industry data indicate that 2021 was another banner year financially for law firms, the most profitable year since before the Great Recession, with the strongest growth in demand for legal services since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) show that fall 2021 recruiting activity was also strong following a … [Read more...] about Law firms scramble for entry-level and lateral hires
Hiring
Survey: Law students need more skills to be ready for practice
A recent survey by Bloomberg Law offers insights on law students’ preparedness for practice. Bloomberg asked over 1,000 practicing attorneys, law school students, faculty, and librarians about the skills needed for practice and how well law schools prepared individuals to enter the legal profession. Responses indicate that new attorneys would benefit from having more skills … [Read more...] about Survey: Law students need more skills to be ready for practice
How pre-hire social media searches save employers
By Lynne Curry You thought the applicant knocked it out of the park with his resume and answers to your interview questions. Do you make the offer? Not so fast. Have you fully checked out the real person behind the resume and interview answers? In addition to reference checks, ninety percent of employers now use social media to evaluate job candidates.1 According to Harvard … [Read more...] about How pre-hire social media searches save employers
Summer associate diversity gains but challenges remain
Overall gains have been made at the summer associate level in the representation of women, summer associates of color, and LGBTQ summer associates at major U.S. law firms in 2021 as compared to 2020. The annual Report on Diversity at U.S. Law Firms, released this month, is based on the 2021-2022 NALP Directory of Legal Employers (NDLE). The percentage of summer associates of … [Read more...] about Summer associate diversity gains but challenges remain
Winning the talent war
By Lynne Curry “We’re not getting any qualified applicants for our manager position,” the practice manager told me. “We’ve posted it on all the standard job sites. Should we offer a signing bonus?” “Is your pay competitive?” “We’re paying as much as we can.” “Do you have an employee you can promote into management?” “Not one strong enough. If we can’t find a suitable … [Read more...] about Winning the talent war
Job descriptions have hidden powers
By Paul Edwards When it comes to hiring practices, the job description is usually not top of mind for small practice entrepreneurs. In fact, it’s usually one of the last things on the HR to-do list of small medical offices. Still, if small business leadership understood how much heavy lifting a good job description can do, they would likely be seen as the first thing you need … [Read more...] about Job descriptions have hidden powers
Religious discrimination and pitfalls for diversity efforts
By Mike O’Brien Religious discrimination An Asian-American engineer who worked for a municipal utility in Stockton, Calif., filed a lawsuit claiming that city officials belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the “Church”) sought to recruit, hire, and promote members of their own faith and that he was denied a promotion because he was a member of the … [Read more...] about Religious discrimination and pitfalls for diversity efforts
Don’t lose your new employees their first week
By Lynne Curry Employers regularly hire me to conduct exit interviews when promising new employees leave within their first six months. After conducting hundreds of interviews, I can document that newly hired employees decide what their employer is like and whether they will fit in and be successful during their first days and weeks. Here’s what employers, managers and … [Read more...] about Don’t lose your new employees their first week
First-gen grads less likely to find work; race/ethnicity disparities persist
Employment outcomes for first-generation college students fall below those of their peers, and disparities in outcomes by race/ethnicity persist For the first time, the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) has measured the law school employment outcomes for graduates who do not have at least one parent/guardian with a bachelor’s degree or higher degree and the new … [Read more...] about First-gen grads less likely to find work; race/ethnicity disparities persist
That glowing reference? It’s fake
By Lynne Curry It isn’t fair that honest, hard-working, quality applicants lose out on job opportunities to individuals who fake resumes and references. But they do. The reality: you can’t believe resumes A stunning number of applicants lie on resumes. According to a February 2021 article posted on one of the country’s top hiring sites, indeed.com, 40 percent of applicants … [Read more...] about That glowing reference? It’s fake