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Michael_Lord_Lord Gurman & Lewis

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from Michael Lord, Lord Gurman & Lewis

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This post is part of our recruiter series where we ask legal recruiters for their insider tips and job seeker advice.

This Q&A is with Michael Lord of Lord Gurman & Lewis, a boutique attorney recruiting firm focusing on placing attorneys in New York City and Connecticut.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now?

Business and finance lawyers and litigators focusing on securities are in demand.

Partner level attorneys with books of business are always in demand.

Where are the biggest growth areas?

Cybersecurity and privacy law are growing practice areas. Tax lawyers, too, with recent changes to the tax code.

What traits are your clients looking for in candidates?

Good writing skills; self-starter; reliability.

What’s the biggest mistake candidates make in the recruitment process?

Candidates pass on good opportunities because they think a better job will come along. More often than not, they are wrong and have to settle. Another mistake is failing to plan a clear career path.

What’s the coolest job you ever recruited for?

We recently placed a partner to start from scratch a patent litigation practice at a law firm. And, we placed a counsel at a major New York City cooperative apartment complex.

Do you have any career advice for our readers? 

If you are an attorney in the private practice of law, you must develop a client base. The first step is building a book of relationships with other people, who will serve as a source of referrals. Separately, if you practice in-house, you should plan to relocate to different regions of the country in order to advance your career.

 

See the latest job postings from Lord Gurman & Lewis and start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

Lawjobs.com Career Advice_In House to Law Firm

Swimming Upstream: From In-House To Law Firm

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I love variety. It’s what makes daily life as a recruiter interesting. In my earlier blog, I discussed the traditional journey of going from a private law firm to an in-house position. In this column, we explore the opposite track–going from an in-house position to a private law firm. While it doesn’t happen often, it occurs enough that the topic warrants exploration for those in-house lawyers considering the move.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a corporate attorney (let’s call him “Al”) at Big Law. Al joined their Miami office from an in-house position. In my recruiting world, anyone who fled a law firm for an in-house job NEVER went back to private practice. Once free of the billable/business shackles, they effortlessly rode the downstream current, basking in the ability to do their job without accounting for increments of their time or building a client base. They loved coming to work, doing their job(s) and going home. That said, let’s take a closer look at Al’s career path.

To put things in perspective, at the time he graduated from law school, only two years after  2008 (a watershed for hiring), the market offered Al very limited law firm opportunities. By chance, a recruiter placed Al in an hourly position at the Boston office of a major brokerage house where he was responsible for reviewing and analyzing contracts. Al remained “on the job” for a number of years and rose through the ranks. In 2014, he came home to Miami–while still working with the same company in their South Florida office. He was grateful to have a job–but at the same time–there was a gnawing feeling that he wasn’t achieving his larger career goals as a corporate attorney.

Over time, his responsibilities increased, and he focused almost all of his efforts on credit swap exchanges, a very narrow subset of corporate law. To Al’s credit, he survived rounds of company layoffs after he moved to Miami. In 2015, he joined his current firm after starting there on a temporary basis. He offered six reasons why he switched to private practice:

  • 1. He was pigeonholed in his in-house role and concerned about such granular specialization (i.e.: credit swaps).
  • 2. He wanted exposure to a wide variety of legal matters including M&A and general corporate transactions.
  • 3. His company simply didn’t have the platform to expand his legal experience beyond what he was doing.
  • 4. He knew staying would decrease his overall long-term employability.
  • 5. He took a risk by leaving his full-time in-house job to obtain his current job on a temporary contract basis. Due to his hard work, he developed it into a full-time associate position.
  • 6. He felt it was his responsibility to “manage his own trajectory” in his career and that he had to be proactive in his efforts. No one was going to do the “heavy lifting” for him.

 

He also shared six key questions an in-house lawyer should honestly ask themselves before making a change to private practice:

  • 1. “How much am I learning at my job?”
  • 2. “How much realistic opportunity is there for me to progress at my job?”
  • 3. “How often will I be doing the same work over and over again?”
  • 4. “Am I building a solid foundation for my career?”
  • 5. “How stable is my company?” (Remember: Al was lucky to survive rounds of layoffs)
  • 6. “Do I want to have more control over my destiny by building a practice and having a wide range of experience?”

As we concluded our call, Al reminded me that, for him, making the move to a law firm gave him a sense of accomplishment. He had always wanted to start his career at a firm, but the market forces weren’t as accommodating. He took a longer route to accomplish his goal, but he maintained a positive attitude the whole time.

Al is acutely aware that sometimes work comes before life and sometimes life comes before work. No matter what, he said, for an attorney who is relatively new in their career, they “may have to give now to get later”. He encouraged anyone thinking about making a similar leap not to lose hope and to keep their focus on the end game: doing what they love and making achieving that a priority. For him, the journey to private practice took longer than he anticipated, but in the end, it was absolutely worth it.

I trust this article, and Al’s advice, will be helpful. So if you are going to swim upstream, we both wish you the best of luck!

Looking for law firm associate positions? Start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

AUTHOR:

Joseph E. Ankus, Esq.

President/Founder

954.862.1738

Ankus Consulting, Inc.

[email protected]

www.ankusconsulting.com

David Block_Hertner Block and Bowser

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from David Block, Hertner, Block & Bowser

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This post is part of our recruiter series where we ask legal recruiters for their insider tips and job seeker advice.

This Q&A is with David Block of Hertner, Block & Bowser. Based in Florida, they service the legal staffing needs for partners, associates and mergers of law firms as well as placing general counsel and staff counsel for corporations.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now?

For the past year, the market in Florida for real estate attorneys has been strong and the usual commercial litigation has seen an uptick.

Where are the biggest growth areas?

In my eyes, the biggest growth area has been in regulatory & compliance.  Europe has changed their compliance laws and most companies are hiring in this area over the past couple years.

What traits are your clients looking for in candidates?

It depends on what your client is looking for but generally, we want candidates to have strong credentials from top schools, training with top firms or well-regarded mentors and longevity at a position.  If someone is jumping from one position to the next, every year or every other year, they will not be as “in demand” as those who have a stable work history.

What’s the biggest mistake candidates make in the recruitment process?

They don’t do their homework/research when interviewing at a firm or Company – meaning, the candidate doesn’t research the partners (at a law firm) or attorneys within the legal department at a Company.  Not only will the candidate learn more about the specific firm or Company but the candidate may have an easier time “breaking the ice” at that interview – which always helps.

Do you have any career advice for our readers? 

If you are going to practice at a law firm, try and be a rainmaker.  Get a mentor who will show you the ropes as to originating business because when you are a rainmaker, you have many more choices than service attorneys.  So always have your eye on the prize of how can I generate business, because then firms don’t really care where you went to school or who you were trained by – they will see that you can bring in business to the firm.  Remember law is a business.

 

Start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

James Goodnow, Fennemore Craig

Career Advice with James Goodnow, Managing Partner, Fennemore Craig

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In the first of our interview series with successful lawyers in the field, we’re delighted to bring you some great career advice from James Goodnow, one of the youngest lawyers to run a large American law firm.

Career Stats
Name: James Goodnow
Current role: Managing Partner, Fennemore Craig
Law School: Harvard Law School
First job: Summer File Clerk, Fennemore Craig
Years of experience: 18 in law; 12 as an attorney

  • Tell us about your career path and how you got to be where you are today?

Law runs in the family.  My dad was a lawyer, first for the government, and then later as an in-house attorney.  I knew from a young age I wanted to follow in his footsteps, even if I didn’t fully have an understanding of what being a lawyer meant.  I got my first job in the legal world as a summer file clerk at Fennemore Craig.  I returned to Fennemore during law school as a summer associate, got hired full time after graduation, made partner, joined the management committee, and now serve as the committee’s chair.  I’ve been privileged to make this firm my home for my entire career, and have held positions at every level.  That’s allowed me to see the firm from the inside out and understand it in unique ways.

  • What’s the biggest challenge in your current role, and how are you handling it?

We’re facing many of the same challenges that are plaguing the legal industry as a whole.  The market for private legal services is contracting generally, as bigger players are moving more and more work in-house.  The clients that remain are pushing for lower rates and commoditized practices, which at a certain point aren’t sustainable.  Non-traditional legal service companies are stepping in and taking up market share. We’re working to stay ahead of these challenges by encouraging innovation, rethinking the law firm model, keeping overhead low, and providing reminders to our clients that the quality of legal service they get from a firm like Fennemore isn’t something that you can go out and replace tomorrow with an off-brand copycat.

  • What qualities do you think make you successful in your role?

More than anything, I think it’s how much I enjoy interacting with people.  The modern legal practice is hugely centered around interpersonal communication.  I feel joy when I get to know my fellow attorneys and legal professionals, learn about their interests, get to know their families.  Those kinds of connections help me do my job better.  I understand the needs of the firm’s people better, and I hope it also helps them trust me when I come up with proposals for the firm.

I’ve also benefited from being an unapologetic tech nerd.  My practice sits at the intersection of law, business, and technology.  We use tech to connect with clients, prepare cutting-edge video demand packages, track and analyze our numbers, and position ourselves online.  Being an “elder Millennial” puts me in a sweet spot to be young enough to embrace technology, while still being able to work with people of different generations – including those who aren’t ultra-tech savvy.

  • What’s the best piece of career advice you were given? What’s the worst?

Best: “There’s no substitute for hard work.”  Simple, but true.

Worst: “Friends are friends, business is business.”  I’ve never liked this one.  I’ve typically heard people use this when they’re trying to justify hurting someone they care about.  It strikes me that you don’t say this unless you know you’re doing wrong by somebody important to you. On a more practical note, for supposedly being pro-business, this advice can be a bad business move. Business is about relationships, and once you’re known as someone who can hurt those you’re close to, every relationship you have is going to suffer.  I’m friends with the attorneys in our firm, and I aim to treat them with respect.  Sometimes, tough decisions have to be made.  That doesn’t mean you can’t make those calls compassionately, and in a way that allows everyone involved to maintain their dignity.

  • What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were starting out your legal career?

Whatever stress you’re dealing with today probably isn’t going to matter in five years.  There’s always another emergency around the corner, another fire you’re going to have to put out, so save your energy and don’t stress yourself out over every little snag you hit.  Take the long view, stay calm, and keep things in perspective.  Whatever you’re facing, you will handle it.   Billions of people on this planet are having a worse day than you are.  Take a breath, keep moving, work hard, and everything will be better soon.

  • Where do you go now for career or work advice?

I’ve been blessed to have had more mentors over the years than I can name in this space. I’m grateful for all of them.  Recently, I’ve really come to rely on the two former managing partners at our firm that are still practicing.  I meet with them regularly for insight and guidance as I transition into the new role.  More than anything, though, my close friend and firm partner Marc Lamber has been an invaluable mentor to me through my entire career.  I wouldn’t be the lawyer I am today without his advice, and I’ll continue to sit under his learning tree as long as he’ll have me.

  • How is technology impacting your role / organization / industry?

Every way possible.  Law is now a 24/7, global business.  Clients expect constant communication, and cloud-based document storage means that being out of the office is no longer the impediment to working that it used to be – for better and for worse.  Tech-based competitors like LegalZoom are eating up market share, keeping traditional law firms on our toes.  Tech-enabled virtual law firms like FisherBroyles are also challenging the traditional model.  Insurance companies and major corporate players are using Big Data analysis techniques to quantify and commoditize the practice of law.  My own firm is experimenting with AI-based legal research.  Law is heading for a massive tech disruption, and we aim to be on the leading edge of those changes.

  • What causes are you personally invested in?

I care deeply about developing diverse representation within the firm.  Prior to becoming chair of the management committee, I chaired the firm’s Diversity and Retention Council, which was charged with bringing in and keeping diverse attorneys.  The legal industry as a whole has struggled to bring in diverse attorneys, and more importantly to keep them on track to partnership.  The entire industry loses far too many diverse attorneys as they climb the associate ladder.  Encouraging diversity isn’t about touchy-feely, political correctness; it’s about developing a major competitive advantage.  The research is clear that diverse teams are stronger, smarter, more efficient teams.  The legal industry can’t afford to continue letting strong, bright attorneys fall through the cracks.

  • How are you balancing work and your personal life?

This is the single biggest challenge I face.  I’m blessed to be married to my high school sweetheart, who’s a businesswoman in her own right as the CEO of the college admissions consulting firm Going Ivy, and together we have two beautiful kids.  I’d gladly spend every minute I had with them, but my practice entails long hours, short deadlines, and a lot of travel.  And that was before I became chair of the firm’s management committee.  These days I take my kids to school every morning and do my best to be home by 7 pm to tuck them in and give them a goodnight kiss.  I catch up with my wife after the kids’ bedtime, and then usually have to hit the computer again to catch up on emails before bed.  I work hard to keep as much of the weekends free as possible and to carve out the odd lunch date or school trip wherever I can.  It’s not easy, and it’s something I’ve long been working on being better at.

  • Beyond work, what are you most passionate about?

Working out is a big part of maintaining my wellbeing, both for physical fitness and mental.  Given how little time I have for family already, workouts are even harder to fit in, but I try to find the time.  Workouts function as “me time,” which everyone needs at some point.   I grew up a competitive cyclist, and I lament the fact that my bike mostly collects dust.  These days, I typically get up early, around 4:30 AM and work out in my house before the kids get up for breakfast.  I also recently splurged on a treadmill desk for my office, which is perfect for tapping out emails on an iPad or handling phone calls.

See our law firm openings and start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

David Pedreira_MillerBlowers

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from David Pedreira, MillerBlowers

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This post is part of our recruiter series where we ask legal recruiters for their insider tips and job seeker advice.

This Q&A is with David Pedreira of MillerBlowers, a legal recruiting firm that places law firm associates, partners and executives, and corporate counsel across every major business vertical.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now? Continue reading Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from David Pedreira, MillerBlowers →

Chris Batz_The Lion Group

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from Chris Batz, The Lion Group

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This post is part of our recruiter series where we ask legal recruiters for their insider tips and job seeker advice.

This Q&A is with Chris Batz of The Lion Group– they place law partners, groups and corporate counsel around the United States.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now?

Soft skills.

For law firms: sales. To be a good lawyer and trusted advisor is understood but the future of the law firm profession will continue to be determined by those with the ability to sell and retain client business. This is not a gift people are born with but a skill that is learned.

For in-house: team oriented longterm attorneys. Again, lawyering skills are a given. Then many corporate legal departments are inherently flat and looking for committed longterm team oriented attorneys who are content with increasing compensation but rarely titles.

Where are the biggest growth areas?

Corporate legal departments are growing right now and relying less on law firms for regular work.

If readers what to know how to land an in-house role, on my podcast I interviewed the general counsel of Toyota Material Handling on How she Landed an In-House Job. It’s very practical and encouraging.

For law firms, there’s always demand for litigation, corporate and IP patent attorneys. What’s also in demand is cybersecurity attorneys.

And always, if you learn to develop your own business at a law firm, it greatly increases your chances for being a free agent and lateraling to a law firm of choice.

I wrote a book about this called Lateral Moves: a Guide for Partners and Law Firms.

What traits are your clients looking for in candidates?

Dependable hard working attorneys – there is an opportunity for attorneys who are not afraid to put in the time and hard work to shine and stand out to law partners.

I can’t over emphasize this. The ability to sell and having a history will make you stand out to other candidates for law firm opportunities.

What’s the biggest mistake candidates make in the recruitment process?

The biggest mistake job hunters make are doing the same things all the other job hunters do which typically are submitting a resume via the employer website and sitting. I explain what you should do and much more in my step-by-step process called the Job Hunting System on my blog where I show attorneys how to land the job they want.

What’s the coolest job you ever recruited for?

I placed a law partner group of 20+ attorneys at a client where we opened 3 offices and added to existing offices. This group came from two different large law firms at the same time. It was a tremendous and exciting undertaking.

Do you have any career advice for our readers? 

Never stop learning and most importantly learn sales skills regardless of your age.

Don’t approach job hunting like everyone else. You have to approach an employer different to get a different result.

Don’t jump around. Get skills, experience and make rare strategic moves.

Be mindful of the rapidly changing legal industry landscape. Much will change in the next 10 years. (hoyoskitchen.com)

 

Start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

 

Links to Chris’s work

The Law Firm Leadership Podcast Main Page & iTunes

The Lion Group website

LinkedIn

 

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from Gay Rineberg Schreiber

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This is the second post in our recruiter series where we ask legal recruiters for their insider tips and job seeker advice.

This Q&A is with Gay Rineberg Schreiber of McCormack Schreiber.  McCormackSchreiber is a longtime leader in the Chicago legal market and is proud to have made nearly 1000 law firm and in-house placements.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now?

The skills most in demand in the legal industry right now are demonstrated business acumen and the ability to develop clients/business.  As for substantive practice area skills, the transactional areas are most active and transactional skills are particularly in demand.

Where are the biggest growth areas?

As noted above, the biggest growth is in the transactional areas, including real estate, M&A and private equity, and other growth areas include privacy and information technology, as well as healthcare.  Litigation has remained fairly steady, though we have seen an increased demand recently.

What traits are your clients looking for in candidates?

Our clients are always seeking strong legal skills, a great attitude and motivation to succeed.  For our more junior candidates, our clients want to see excellent writing and strong communication skills.  For our more experienced candidates, our clients are looking for people with great client relations/people skills, the desire and ability to develop business, and the ability to work well with others and collaborate as a team.

What’s the biggest mistake candidates make in the recruitment process?

The biggest mistakes that lateral candidates make in the recruitment process are failing to tailor their message (including resumes and interviews) to a particular client’s needs; being indecisive or projecting a lack of interest to the client, which can be the case when a candidate drags his/her feet and waits too long to follow through with next steps in an interview process; and not being open and honest with the recruiter so as to better allow the recruiter to assist the candidate through the search and interview process.

What’s the coolest job you ever recruited for?

We have been in business for close to 20 years (in June!) so it is difficult to select just one “coolest” job!  That said, while people outside of law may not believe it, many of our jobs have a “cool” element to them.  Some of our law firm clients are boutiques/spin offs with particularly unique and cohesive cultures that have more of an entrepreneurial feel to them.  In the in-house arena, in addition to our more traditional large public company searches, our searches have included new and dynamic companies in the start-up process, and tech companies with pool tables in their offices – many of which offer “cool” options for our candidates.

Do you have any career advice for our readers? 

My career advice for attorneys – even at the junior-level – is to decide the area of practice you enjoy most and best utilizes your skills, and to focus your career accordingly, trying to make yourself a “go-to” for this area.  Further, as business development is becoming more and more important, attorneys should start networking early and often in their career, staying in touch with law school classmates, former colleagues, etc., all of which should pay off when it comes to developing your own business and clients, giving you more career options in the future.

Finally, keep a working document of your resume (and as you get more experienced, representative transactions and engagements lists).  If you learn of a new position that could be a great career move, you want to be prepared to move quickly with the best and most accurate presentation of your experience and skills.

 

Start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

 

More about McCormack Schreiber

McCormack Schreiber Legal Search is Chicago’s premier attorney search firm, and with 8 attorney recruiters we are also one of Chicago’s largest search firms.  Since 1998, we have successfully placed experienced attorneys of all levels and practice areas at top large, midsize and boutique law firms, and at national and international corporations.  Our affiliate company, McCormack Schreiber Legal Solutions, assists our law firm and corporate clients with paralegal hiring as well as contract attorney and other legal staffing needs.   McCormack Schreiber is a longtime leader in the Chicago legal market, and we are proud to have made nearly 1000 law firm and in-house placements.

McCormack Schreiber Legal Search Logo

 

Legal Recruiter Q&A: Job Seeker Advice from Keith Fall, Walker Associates

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In our new series for Lawjobs.com, we’re asking legal recruiters for their insider tips about where the biggest job seeker opportunities are, and for advice on how candidates can best position themselves to get them.

This Q&A is with Keith Fall of Walker Associates, a legal recruitment firm based in New York city.  He specializes in working with Partners and groups as an expert matchmaker and trusted advisor.  He has been in the field since 2005.

What skills are most in demand in the legal industry right now?

Corporate and transactional attorneys continue to be the highest in demand, with virtually every law firm seeking to proactively grow with both revenue producing partners and very talented 3-5 year associates. Firms continue to hire litigators opportunistically, but there seems to be less of a strategic emphasis on lateral growth in that area with any kind of urgency.

Where are the biggest growth areas?

FinTech is a burgeoning area of growth that law firms are just beginning to wrap their heads around. The world of financial services is being upended by new technologies – from virtual currencies and blockchain to peer-to-peer lending and enhanced mobile banking – and it’s affecting an increasing amount of existing law firm clients, all while new potential clients open up every day. FinTech is an interesting industry in that it touches upon a large variety of more traditional practice areas within a law firm, including corporate, regulatory, tax, cybersecurity, securities litigation, banking/finance, amongst others, and the industry is asking new legal questions in a space that has yet to be fully defined. For those reasons, we’ll continue to see an increased focus on growth with legal expertise that touches on all areas of FinTech.

What traits are your clients looking for in candidates?

Clients want a clear understanding of why a candidate is considering a change, and what they’re hoping to accomplish with a move. If as a law firm they’re not going to be able to solve whatever platform deficiencies the attorney is presently experiencing, the likelihood of the match lasting is minimal. Naturally, the business case has to be there as well, so it’s critical to them that almost any Partner level candidate demonstrate a client following, and an ability to develop further client relationships with upside. Lastly, law firms are taking their cultures increasingly seriously, and tend to have less and less tolerance for someone they think will be a problem for them in the future. We’ve seen many situations where someone is viewed as ‘difficult’, and despite having a large book of business, they get passed on routinely.

What’s the biggest mistake candidates make in the recruitment process?

The worst thing a Partner-level candidate can do when interviewing with another firm is to inflate their portable business expectations. It paints a target on their back, and when the practice doesn’t materialize, there is a lot of tension between themselves and the leadership of the firm, in what otherwise should be a harmonious relationship.

What’s the coolest job you ever recruited for?

I love working with different kinds of individuals and groups, and getting to know their personalities and what makes them tick. The people I get to work with are always overwhelmingly more interesting than the job they’re interviewing for.

Do you have any career advice for our readers? 

You’ll never have more leverage in your career than when you have a client following. Whether you’re a big-time producer or are just starting to develop a book of business, you should be spending time every day thinking about how you’re going to market yourself and the firm, and pounding the pavement to get new client relationships in the door. Second, and this may sound counterintuitive coming from a recruiter, but the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Before deciding to conduct what potentially could be a time-consuming search, talk to some resources you trust to get other input on whether a move could truly be worthwhile. Finally, when you’ve decided it’s time for a change, work with a recruiter that takes the time to get to know you and your practice, and is able to make good suggestions about what firms and opportunities you should be aware of. Making a career change is a big deal, and you want to work with someone who will take it as seriously as you will.

 

Start your job search with Lawjobs.com today.

Law School News: Columbia Law Boasts Highest Hiring Rates

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The results are in from the Law.com Go-To Law Schools list for 2018, and Columbia Law School ranked #1 for the 5th year running based on their strong performance of 2017 JD graduates who took associate jobs at the nations’ largest 100 firms. An impressive 68% of their 432 2017 graduates ended up at NLJ 100 law firms.

There are many factors that go into selecting a law school, but this research gets right to the point of what many prospective students really want to know – how will their degree ultimately lead to a job in the legal field.

So how do they do it?  Here are just a few factors that work in Columbia’s favor:

Location, location, location – Columbia happens to be in one of the biggest legal markets in the U.S., so students are better located to attend recruiting events, network, and join summer associate programs in their own backyard.  This correlation can also be seen in the 2nd and 3rd ranked law schools, University of Chicago and NYU.

Alumni – the Columbia alumni network is active and very involved in the recruiting process.  Having these connections in leadership positions at the largest law firms helps even more – last year 27 Columbia Law School alumni were promoted to law firm partnerships according to the report.

Reputation – quoted in an article on Law.com, Columbia Law School dean Gillian Lester said ‘the firms’ hiring teams know that our students will arrive with superb legal and leadership skills, ready to take on the most challenging assignments’.

Columbia is not alone in their success this year.  Here’s who else ranked highest in the 2018 Go-To Law Schools Report, and how these compare to the U.S. News & World Report:

1. Columbia Law School (ranked 5 by U.S. News)

2. University of Chicago Law School (ranked 4 by U.S. News)

3. NYU School of Law (ranked 6 by U.S. News)

4.University of Virginia, School of Law (ranked 8 by U.S. News)

5. University of Pennsylvania, School of Law (ranked 7 by U.S. News)

6. Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (ranked 10 by U.S. News)

7. Duke Law School (ranked 10 by U.S. News)

8. Harvard Law School (ranked 3 by U.S. News)

9. Cornell Law School (ranked 13 by U.S. News)

10. University of California, Berkeley School of Law (ranked 12 by U.S. News)

 

 

 

Inclusion Riders and The Mansfield Rule: Women and Diversity in Law

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On International Women’s Day it seems fitting that we highlight some of the efforts to increase diversity in the legal industry.

As #inclusionrider reverberated around the world this weekend following Frances McDormand’s Oscar speech, diversity advocates delighted. Started by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the contractual provisions of an inclusion rider are not new.  However, they offer new hope that with widespread adoption we could see tangible changes. For those in a position to use them, it provides a way to take action and make an impact.

Writing in Corporate Counsel this week, Sue Reisinger speculates that “it’s possible some highly recruited executive—a CEO or general counsel perhaps—could likewise try to insert diversity hiring goals into an employment contract.”. Once in a position of authority though, executives have the power to increase diversity at the company, and also demand that their vendors and providers show a commitment to diversity in their own organizations. That of course extends to outside counsel too, and the list of corporations who are insisting on diversity among their preferred providers is growing.

Law firms are responding to this call for action at all levels. Cue the Mansfield Rule, born out of the 2016 Women in Law Hackathon hosted by Diversity Lab. According to their website “the Mansfield Rule – the next generation of the Rooney Rule – certifies that law firms consider at least 30% women and minority lawyers for significant leadership roles”.

The rule is so named after Arabella Mansfield, the first woman admitted to the practice of law in the U.S. in 1869. This is an apt reminder of how far we’ve come, but there is much more work ahead. These are all positive signs that the conversations are turning to action.  We’ll continue to follow these trends with interest.

Join the conversation and check out some of the great work being done by the following groups:

Minority Corporate Counsel Association

Women, Influence & Power in Law

Colorado Pledge to Diversity

Diversity Lab

Annenberg Inclusion Initiative