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Influence of Technology on Today’s Legal Landscape

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It is no secret that technology has slowly infiltrated its way into the legal industry. From social media to online legal search engines, technology has helped to modernize the legal landscape, making it more accessible to all legal professionals. As technology continues to change the legal industry, many professionals are left wondering how they can benefit.

Social Media Improves Connectivity within the Legal Landscape
No matter the industry, social media seems to have a measurable impact. In fact, when it comes to the legal landscape, social media has been responsible for a number of new developments. First and foremost, social media makes it easier for people working in the legal sector to remain connected. Take for example, the ever-popular Facebook. 

Facebook is logged into by an unprecedented 1.09 Billion people per day. For legal professionals, this means that they can more easily stay connected to the latest news and legal stories that over 1 Billion people are posting, sharing, liking, and otherwise commenting about on a daily basis. Thanks to the popular social network, legal professionals now find it easier to stay up-to-date on the latest legal precedents. Not only can legal professionals stay up-to-date, but they can better understand the general population’s take on the passing of certain laws, regulations, and other legal events. In short, social media has made it easier for the legal landscape to be readily accessible to both legal professionals and the general population.

Technology Makes Online News Spreads Quickly
Online news can spread at the speed of a click or in many cases a “tweet.” For the legal landscape, this means that important news is more readily available. Thanks to online databases that are connected to verified news sources, legal professionals can now access important documents, facts, precedents, and other information needed in their day-to-day jobs.

No longer do legal professionals have to spend hours digging through the stacks of public, private, or legal libraries. Instead, members of the legal industry can link their research onto different devices. Whether it is scanning a page from a book with their cell phone or signing into an online legal database like VerdictSearch, legal industry professionals are able to expand their knowledge in a timely fashion. In the age of new legal precedents (for example the constant debates over same-sex marriage, healthcare laws and cybersecurity), easy access to online news and legal information is paramount to the success of a legal professional.

Finding a Job Has Been Influenced by the Online Marketplace
Applying for jobs in the legal industry has been greatly improved by the creation of legal-focused job search engines, such as Lawjobs.com. Lawjobs is the leading niche legal recruitment website. This easy-to-use site efficiently and effectively pairs active and passive job seekers within the legal industry with firms who are looking to fill targeted positions. Thanks to mobile and desktop accessibility, Lawjobs.com has successfully capitalized on the technology trend that is sweeping through the legal industry. Now, legal professionals can more easily find the jobs that best suit their needs, and law firms can simultaneously enjoy the benefits of highly qualified staff members. 

The Bottom Line
Whether it is through social media, online news outlets, or an online legal job search engine, technology has helped to reshape the legal landscape. Through technology, legal professionals can now enjoy streamlined access to the latest news, legal rulings, and general legal information that they need to successfully complete their jobs and advance their careers.

How to Get Back in the Legal Industry

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Career changes and job changes are a constant for the typical American worker, and the constant state of flux in the legal industry only reinforces this general principle. Turnover in the legal industry costs roughly $9.1 billion annually. Much of this turnover is due to lawyers who seek a legal career change or lawyers who left law and aim to re-enter the industry.

This extensive industry turnover provides an excellent opportunity to re-enter the legal industry for anyone looking to use their law degree to practice law once again. If you are a legal graduate looking to return to the industry, the following tips should prove helpful for your legal re-entry strategy.

Tap Into Your Legal Network

Given that you were once an active member of the legal community, you likely created ties and connections to important people in the industry before you left. In the years since your departure from the legal industry, those peers likely have grown to enjoy hiring influence in their respective law firm and/or company.

As the old adage goes, it is often who you know, not what you know that makes the difference in the hiring process. This is no less true in the legal industry. Whether you tap into your peers or a network of passionate law school alumni, connections reduce barriers to re-entry and make it far easier to get your foot in the door.

Staying on Top of Legal Changes

Staying current with the latest legal changes is a critical component of making a successful return to law. Many educational institutions offer programs designed to help lawyers shore up their knowledge before re-entering the competitive legal marketplace. Bar associations may also provide similar programs and opportunities, so it pays to do your research in the state where you will be practicing. Not only will these programs help you find job opportunities, they are also critically important for shoring up legal knowledge.

As you know from your days in law school, many areas of law change rapidly. No matter what practice area you plan on resuming, you will need to find out what’s changed in your field since you left the law. Whether you take continuing legal education (CLE) courses or you need to take the bar, you will find the resources you need through local law schools and bar associations.

Refine Your Résumé

Once you reconnect with peers and refine your legal knowledge, you will be ready to commence the job interview process. While you may have an “in” with some of your former colleagues, you still need to tweak your résumé so you showcase your experience in the best possible light.

Depending on your desired practice area, highlight the skills you learned outside of law in the best possible light. For example, if you left real estate law to become a real estate agent, leverage that experience to highlight your nuanced understanding of real estate transactions from every angle. In short, sell your prior experience as something to be coveted and valued by legal employers.

Once you reach out to your network, regain familiarity with your practice area and hone your résumé, you will be well on your way towards a fulfilling return to law.

Omnichannel Legal Recruitment

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Hiring the best legal talent can be challenging. Candidates may seem great on paper but are not the right fit for your culture. Others could be perfect for your practice but they don’t even know you have an opening. Utilizing omnichannel legal recruitment practices can help you with both of these issues.

What is Omnichannel?

The concept of “Omnichannel” began in retail, as companies promoted their products to customers along multiple social media platforms. This process is now used by nearly every type of business, including legal firms, to create a cohesive brand and to attract new customers or clients. Progressive law firms find this approach to be an effective component of their recruitment strategy.

Legal Recruitment and Omnichannel Practices

Omnichannel legal recruitment is more than simply posting the job on Linkedin or Facebook. To achieve your goals, you need to engage potential employees, letting them learn more about you as you learn about them. In effect, the process becomes part of an initial candidate interview. A successful legal recruitment process includes:

  • Knowing which platforms your target candidates are most likely to use. The most used sites for recruitment are Facebook, Linkedin, google+ and twitter, though Instagram, snapchat and tumbler are also popular.  If you aren’t sure which sites to focus on, ask your legal interns.
  • Promoting your firm. Candidates will look at your feeds, posts and blogs to evaluate your work environment and employee satisfaction. Present a positive, and hopefully accurate, picture of who you are and what you do.
  • Being creative. Don’t be shy about posting on unique topics such as specific successes or day-to-day struggles with the copier. These stories will capture the attention of potential candidates and help you stand out from the crowd.
  • Interacting with the candidates. You are likely to receive questions and comments from potential employees through these sites. Respond to each one, even if it is a polite “sorry, you’re not what we’re looking for.” Through this process you can establish a rapport with candidates and identify those who warrant a closer look.
  • Letting your employees share their experiences. Encourage them to post positive photos and comments on their social media pages.

Be consistent and engaging in your message. Present clear instructions on how to apply for your open positions and encourage interactions with potential applicants. Candidates will experience your firm as modern and connected, which will support the effectiveness of your legal recruiting.

Applicants and Omnichannel Recruitment

Applicants seeking legal positions can also use an omnichannel approach to finding employment. The keys to success include:

  • Professional presentation. Handle any social media contact with a potential employer the way you would a query letter. Be informative, concise and always use the appropriate titles of Mr., Mrs., or Ms.
  • Engage the firm representative in a “conversation” that conveys your understanding of what they do and how you can meet their needs.
  • Share positive work experiences. Discuss complex research you’ve done or cases you’ve won. Never share unflattering opinions about your job or employer on any multimedia platform as you will be viewed as a complainer.

Use the best aspects of social media to learn about the law firms you want to apply to and use questions or comments to get a sense of the firm’s culture.

Many law firms don’t have the time or resources to conduct an effective recruiting campaign. Lawjobs.com knows the industry and has the tools to find the best employees for practice. The perfect candidate may already be in our extensive resume database. Contact us to learn more.

Few Lawyers Plan on Retiring in 2016

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A recent survey conducted across multiple legal publications found that a trending market downturn has many lawyers spooked about retirement. Uncertain markets are likely to keep older attorneys at work across the board where the two-word retirement plan, “keep working” is common said one lawyer.

As a general rule of thumb, lawyers near retirement should evaluate if they can live off of 4 to 5 percent of total assets per year, said tax attorney Martin Press. Still, market temperature appears to be a larger determinant of employment levels among older attorneys. Recruiters and hiring managers would be wise to evaluate employment levels with the stock market.

Read more here.

Young Lawyers Can Impact Their Firm’s Culture

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Law Firm culture can impact more than just day to day happiness. Culture reflects the firm’s management and relationship style at the top, and can be an indicator of a long term success. In the past, company culture lacked the significance it has in today’s legal industry. With more competition and opportunities for lawyers to change firms or start their own, culture can make or break a firm’s chance at survival.

There a few cultural elements valued above others when it comes to the workplace. The relationships within the firm and the behavior of the senior partners hold huge impact. It is well document that people who have friends at work are much more productive than those who don’t. On a related note, the overall vibe of the firm can be just as valuable. Lawyers tend to work long hours and a fun, exciting workplace full of opportunity can make them much more enjoyable.

Young lawyers just out of law school or making an early career change from one firm to another should take culture into consideration when making career decisions. Asking thoughtful questions during the interview process and spending time observing the office environment can be helpful when deciding whether or not a firm’s culture is a good fit.

Once young lawyers have joined a firm they have a responsibility to make a positive impact on its culture. Spending time building relationships with both senior and junior colleagues can make everyone feel more valued. Saying “hello” and “thank you” to everyone in the office is an easy way to foster friendly vibes.

To thrive in the future both young lawyers and firms will need to recognize the role culture plays in their success. For more on young lawyers and their impact on culture, head to New York Law Journal.

Read more here.