Lawyers that work for law firms who are interested in taking the in-house plunge often wonder about work-life balance, corporate culture and, of course, the pay. However, these lawyers should also be aware of what longtime Big Law lawyer-turned-general counsel Deborah Solmor refers to as the “Doomsday Clock factor.” 

After over 20 years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Solmor walked away from law firm life in 2012 and began her transition to the in-house realm—even though she was warned that she may have a tough time landing a senior corporate counsel position. 

Solmor said she’d heard that “companies don’t want to take a chance on people who have been at a law firm for too long, because they won’t know how to be an in-house lawyer.” Assuming that was true, she wanted to know why. 

“What are the things they think you don’t know how to do?” she wondered. “One of my goals when I got in-house was to figure that out.” 

Are you interested in learning more about the possible ‘Doomsday Clock’ if you consider leaving the law firm and going in-house? Be sure to check out this law.com article.

The number of firms that are willing to hire associates who are fully remote on a case-by-case basis is increasing upward. But none has yet followed Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan with a company-wide “work from anywhere” policy, suggesting that most law firms and associates are content with hybrid arrangements once the “new normal” eventually comes. 

Fenwick & West and Latham & Watkins acknowledged a willingness to consider talented remote candidates to fill areas of need, according to spokespersons for the firms. These two law firms join others such as Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, Goodwin Procter, Perkins Coie and Husch Blackwell who had previously spoken publicly about this policy shift. 

Kirkland & Ellis is also making “out of footprint” hires, according to several recruiters, even if the firm declined to comment, and there is reason to suspect other top firms are doing so as well.

Are you interested in learning more about how more law firms are hiring remote associates, even with hybrid arrangements dominating? Be sure to check out this law.com article.

While law schools have long provided a means for their school’s alumni to get together and network, Brooklyn Law School took it one step further. 

The Brooklyn Law School’s Women’s Leadership Network (WLN) was created to exceed the normal expectations of cultivating contacts, specifically for women. This type of networking could be beneficial for many other law schools, their alumnae, and law students.

“Focusing on women is not about favoritism—it’s about creating the stickiness in our professional lives to enable us to not only stay but also to thrive. Now, more than ever, law schools need to provide more organizational support for women,” says Debbie Epstein Henry, founder of DEH Consulting, Speaking, Writing. 

Are you interested in learning more about making a case for law school sororities? Be sure to check out this law.com article.

Michael Green remembers what it was like to be on the hunt for a job during the 2008 financial crisis. During that time, he and everyone else he knew just wanted to land a job. Almost any job. 

Over a decade and a worldwide pandemic later, things have completely changed. Workers are leaving their positions in record numbers—pointing to burnout, lack of flexibility, child care struggles and low pay. 

However Green, who is now senior director and head of compliance at U.K.-based semiconductor company Arm, said workers’ values have shifted in another way over the past decade.

“They really want to align their values with their workplace,” Green said. “If a person can find a company that really, truly lives values that resonate with potential employees, that actually is some sort of a currency.”

Are you interested in learning more about how in-house lawyers are working to slow the great resignation? Be sure to check out this law.com article.

Michele DeStefano, founder of LawWithoutLaws, has been trying to fundamentally change the way attorneys think and work, and she’s tackling the challenge globally.

From Australia, Iceland, South Africa, the United States of American, the United Kingdom and beyond, she is enabling law school students, business leaders and law firm partners to join forces and develop new skill sets and perspectives by working side-by-side to solve real-life issues.

“The goal is to teach both practicing lawyers and aspiring lawyers how to hone the DNA of an innovator, because that’s really how legal professionals learn how to proactively collaborate in the way that clients really want them to,” DeStefano says.

Are you interested in learning more about if the way lawyers think and work can be changed with the LawWithoutWalls’ international initiative? Be sure to check out this law.com article.

During the last year and a half, virtual law firms have been flooded with interest from lawyers. However, as more traditional law firms eased restrictions around in-office requirements, lawyers continue to move to virtual law firms, signaling that the remote-work element of such a model is just one of many innovative business aspects that appeal to lawyers. 

The capability to work from anywhere—or, perhaps, take the time on a weekday night to attend a parent-teacher conference—is certainly a draw for people. Lawyers are increasingly pointing to the billable hours requirement on which much of the industry has predicted its success as an area that is in need of change.

“The time has come to embrace the idea that success should not be driven by the ability to meet some draconian, quantitative hours measurement,” said David Reidy, managing partner of Silicon Valley-born virtual firm Scale.

Are you interested in learning more about how remote work isn’t the only reason lawyers are flocking to virtual firms? Read more in this law.com article.

The legal field has seen big changes in the last couple years. Legal professionals are beginning to think differently about the business of law by focusing on new models for driving value, efficiency and effectiveness.

In just two short years, things have changed quicker than ever and on far more sophisticated levels for corporate legal departments and legal operations. The pandemic has definitely accelerated things and these changes were already in progress long before the pandemic began. 

Now, you may be asking what are the driving changes in the business of law today? Well, the four primary drivers behind these changes that are reshaping the legal industry are technology, the rise of legal operations, the replacement cost revolution and business model. But, how are they fueling these changes? 

Are you interested in learning more about four primary drivers of change in the modern business of law? Read more in this law.com article.