Job Seekers

Adriana Paris, author of “The Chill Lawyer,” is a legal recruiter at Rissman in Florida but had practiced law for ten years prior to switching careers to work in professional development. Paris notes that while the legal profession is “plagued” with lawyers who are stressed and feeling stuck, there are ways for an attorney to ensure that they can create a career in law that they love. 

Steve Fretzin, host of the “Be That Lawyer” podcast and author of four books on legal business development, and Wayne Pollock, founder of Copo Strategies, and the Law Firm Editorial Service, offer advice to associates and partners on how to become a rainmaker in private practice by paying attention to the business development side of the legal industry.

Stacy Bratcher and M.C. Sungaila recently shared the top insights from their podcasts on succeeding in a career as an in-house attorney. Bratcher, general counsel of Cottage Health, hosts The Legal Department podcast and Sungaila, partner at Complex Appellate Litigation Group, hosts The Portia Project. Their top ten tips include:

Shannon Duffy Lombardo drives strategy for business development initiatives firmwide at Saul Ewing. As director of business development, she strives for growth in lateral attorney integration, attorney training, and other initiatives, and find that thought leadership helps effectively showcase a firm’s capabilities to a curated audience.

Chantelle McHugh, an associate at Pardo Jackson Gainsburg & Shelowitz in Miami, knows that few people are lucky enough to start their careers in their dream positions. Getting promoted to the next level in the legal industry usually involves switching law firms or working in different areas of law. 

Tracy LaLonde witnessed firsthand the transformation of what it meant to “go above and beyond” in the post-pandemic world. Instead of putting in the most hours or staying late nights at the office, those who innovate and bring about change are regarded as excellent employees.

The total number of new hires of summer associates in New Jersey stayed strong this year, with 100 summer associates hired across firms surveyed. The average number of summer associates hired per firm was about 4, which has stayed consistent in the last two years.

April Petrosino, an attorney at Stinson, found herself struggling at her first job after law school. Beyond just first-job jitters, the pervasive psychological phenomenon known as imposter syndrome where someone doubts their skills, abilities and accomplishments can be extremely common amongst young attorneys. Petrosino herself experienced imposter syndrome as a new attorney at her first job in the post-pandemic world and doubted whether she was cut out for a career in the legal profession.

David H. Freeman is a consultant and author drawing from his experience in the legal industry to help lawyers become “great rainmakers.”  A former attorney, Freeman created an accountability and development training program called Lawyer BookBuilder. One current tool used to aid learning and development is music, and Freeman details how this can help a lawyer in progress in their career. 

Michael Maslanka, an associate professor of law at the University of North Texas at Dallas, gives a few pointers on how to give a great closing argument, and certain pitfalls for attorneys to avoid.