OCI is Not the Only Show in Town Any More. Meet PRECRUITMENT.

Something new is in the works when it comes to law school recruitment.  For law students who have relied on “On Campus Interviews”, there is now an option in the works.  Maybe  we  all should have seen it coming during uncertain times for law firms as the economy remains uncertain.  Hiring is down, but there is still a demand for top talent.

The following two articles are instructive.  This article  is an important harbinger for all law students seeking summer positions in Big Law and presents the concept of “prerecruiting, and this article is an update on summer associate positions, which turn out to be less of a guarantee of permanent hire after graduation.

The new “Precruiting” scheme seems like a power play from firms under the guise of allowing law students to lock in summer positions early and have more time to concentrate on their studies.  How benevolent.  I guess it has nothing to do with competition and wanting to “one up” other firms participating in traditional On Campus Interviews.

Although I understand the constraints that law firms are experiencing, I still value not using law students as pieces on a chess board.  It seems to me to be a bit disingenuous to pretend to care about the well-being of potential hires in the beginning and then throw them to the side at the end.

Decide for yourself.  And plan accordingly.

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Thought For The Week: “You don’t always have to be doing something. You can just be, and that’s plenty.” Alice Walker

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What’s Happening With RTO and Hybrid Work At Law Firms?

As pointed out in one of the sources below, September marks a kind of reset for law practice.  More relaxed summer schedules are behind, and it is “back to work.”  But, what is that likely to look like this particular September?  The quote below, from Above the Law, gives us one perspective from a law firm consultant and should give law firm management some degree of pause.

Law firms are different from other businesses—they just are. Lawyers don’t want to be told what to do and when to do it.

We are professionals. We know that if we want to be in that office with our colleagues then that office is doing a good job.

[A]nything that is an unnecessary order can create resentment.

— Law firm consultant Alexa Ross, in comments given to the American Lawyer on the concept of “core” hours within law firms operating with hybrid work policies. Lawyers should “look forward” to coming to the office, she said, rather than being required to do so. “That increases productivity tremendously,” Ross said, “it also decreases attrition.”

And the following article adds insight into the responsibility of law firm managements in meeting the challenges of changing times after the pandemic upended much of what law firm managements believed in.

Captioned as “Did Labor Day Make A Difference For The Legal Profession?”, the article explores how the pandemic changed how work was accomplished, the meaning of “hybrid work”, and how law firms of the future are going to be different, including the impact of AI, and recommendations for management on dealing with the reluctance of lawyers to return to the office and the importance of the impact on productivity and how that impacts the various players.

One of the concepts addressed, “Colleague Connect”, is not on my list of favored methodologies.  A little too Big Brother for me!  I think we can do better.

 

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Thought For The Week: “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” Helen Keller

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Time To Take Your Pack OFF!

Once again, summer bar exam week in America is OVER.  Thousands of recent law school graduates sat for the bar exam last week and experienced watershed moments as they walked out of the exam venue on the last day.  Watershed because their lives as lawyers will never be the same.

Best case, they passed — and the majority of them will.  Worst case, they have this unsavory experience behind them and now know the ropes.  Even if some of them have to retake it, they never will be bar exam novices again. That may not provide much solace, but the truth is that the legal profession is laden with many excellent lawyers who did not pass the bar exam the first time.

The bar exam is THE right of passage for most lawyers — save those lucky few Diploma Privilege grads — but it also is a total bear of an exam.  The content is challenging, of course, but it is the nightmare stories from test takers that are chilling.  Especially from women.  Issues of menstruation, onset of labor pains, infant nursing nightmares, and more.  And other issues like technology failures, clueless exam monitors, and emergency shutdowns which have plagued test takers over time.   Stuff happens (I cleaned that up!), but most of those who sit for the bar exam are successful on the first or second try.  Keep the faith.  All of you dealt with law school for three years, and you can deal with this.

So, NOW, give yourself a break.  Take some time off and enjoy life.  Do not debrief every moment of the exam and rethink every response.  Just chill.  The time will come soon enough when you will leap into that first job at a law firm or in another legal space, and the pressure will be great.  It always is.  Paperwork galore, confusing billing systems, new colleagues, and even lunch options — they all can be stressful.  And you will handle it all better if you have taken time for yourself first.

Become a beach bum.  Take a cross-country bike tour.  Binge watch your favorites.  Learn to sky dive.  Or just hang out with friends and family and give them the benefit of your best and most attentive self.  They deserve it, and so do you.

I will be back on this blog in September, rested after time with my own family and friends and ready to engage about what may interest you.  Until then, relax and be cool.

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Thought For The Week: “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott

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Why are Women Lawyers Leaving Law Firms?

Have you ever wondered why women lawyers leave law firm jobs?  It is written about a lot, and sometimes over-inflated statistics accompany those articles.  It also is often reported that women lawyers leave their jobs because they prefer to stay at home with their children.  But is that correct, or do women lawyers leave law firm jobs because of the failures of law firm policies to address their challenges?

It is an interesting question, and my interaction with young women lawyers leads me to believe that they enjoy working.  The problem is that law firms still need a lot of help understanding the challenges for young women lawyers and how to address those challenges as incentives for women to stay on those jobs.  I have written a lot about that in my work at Best Friends at the Bar, including on this Blog, and I know how complicated it can be.

Here is a recent article that addresses the issues to help you decide how you would answer the question:  Why do women lawyers leave their law firm jobs?

 

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Thought For The Week: “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Maya Angelou

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