Job Seekers

Attorneys with a practice focused on artificial intelligence remain in demand as large tech companies Amazon, ByteDance, OpenAI, Meta and Nvidia seek to recruit more employees to help them navigate the new regulations and risks that artificial intelligence brings to the legal world.  

Tracy LaLonde provides law firm leaders with a common sense approach to improving relationships with her more than 30 years of training, consulting and professional development. She emphasizes the role that trust has in a client-attorney relationship, and how cultivating trust daily might make an attorney the “trusted advisor” for a client. However, LaLonde also cautions that firm leaders also need to cultivate trust at internal settings within the firm. Building trust with colleagues and younger employees at the firm will help contribute to a stronger bottom line. 

Lee Rudy, partner at Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, has been seeing a clear generational shift in the way younger lawyers think about careers in the legal profession. Law school graduates are saying they are seeking a sense of purpose in their work, driven by social awareness and a desire to make a difference in the world. This next generation of attorneys is going over to plaintiff-side work instead of jobs in corporate law firms.

It is not uncommon for junior transactional attorneys to often feel lost when they first land at a firm. Kenneth Ling is a transactional attorney at Greenberg Traurig, and is the first lawyer in his family. He writes that his previous understanding of the legal profession was shaped by law school, summer internships and television shows like “Law and Order.” The culture shock of his first firm job was a difficult transition since it felt so different from law school.

Transitioning to the new hybrid work model and balancing office work and remote work can lead to an environment that benefits law firms and its employees. Finding the right balance is vital to maintaining a happy work environment and morale among employees. The history of the legal industry’s transition to the hybrid work model has benefits and disadvantages for employees and firms. Here are some pros and cons of in-person work and remote work, and how it might affect a firm’s work environment and talent retention.

In the midst of corporate layoffs at profitable companies such as Citigroup, Amazon, and Google, Mike Evers of Evers Legal offers some advice for attorneys navigating their careers in this current landscape. Evers recruits attorneys for corporations across the country, and sees that layoffs are no longer associated with struggling companies. It’s now considered best practice to adjusting staffing needs to coincide with business needs and technological advances, which can boost a company’s bottom line.

Young attorneys starting out in the legal industry receive warnings about long hours, stressful work environments, and strict deadlines. Regardless of whether an attorney starts their career as a law firm associate, in-house counsel, as a government lawyer or in the public interest sector, the expectations and pressure to succeed in each environment remains high. Young attorneys struggling to juggle personal and professional responsibilities may wonder if they can “do it all” like the senior attorneys at their job seem to be able to do.

Despite recent spikes in compensation and reduced billable hours, a recent International Bar Association survey reveals that 54% of lawyers under 40 consider leaving their jobs within five years, and 20% consider leaving the legal industry. Junior attorneys historically have reported job burnout and dissatisfaction and law firms have worked in recent years to improve work culture with more training and mentorship opportunities. But how does an attorney just starting their career react to modern challenges of working at a private practice? 

This article is for litigators who went to law school with a strong desire to represent clients in their legal disputes equipped with the expertise and experience to solve their problems. Daniel Brown, pro bono partner at Sheppard Mullin, advises that pro bono work experience helps litigators write and deliver persuasive arguments, negotiate with opposing counsel, reach favorable settlements and prevail at trial. 

Michael P. Maslanka, associate professor of law at UNT Dallas College of Law, presents five key mindsets for a successful professional life in his new book “A Short and Happy Guide to Professional Responsibility.” In the book, he highlights five key mindsets that promote a healthy approach to riding the waves in an attorney’s professional life: