Looking for Opportunity in Crisis at NALP's Annual Conference
Ari KaplanSpecial to Law.com
April 07, 2009
Every spring, law school career services professionals join their law firm counterparts in recruiting and professional development throughout the U.S. and Canada for the Association for Legal Career Professionals' Annual Education Conference. Last year the discussion at the 3 1/2-day event featured conversations about attorney attrition and managing millennials. Those days are over.
This year in Washington, D.C., the agenda's 100-plus sessions included titles for more austere times, like "Responding Nimbly to Economic Change," "Associate Deferrals and Public Interest Placements" and "Managing Student Expectations." But in spite of the anxiety over continuing law firm layoffs and the difficulties law students now face in finding a job after graduation, the event put on by NALP (the group is still known by the acronym of its former name, the National Association for Legal Placement) managed to find a few hints of optimism.
The conference opened with a highly anticipated plenary discussion about the information revolution, featuring David Lat, founding editor of Above the Law -- the blog the legal community seems to love to hate because of its daily (sometimes hourly) coverage of layoffs, dissolutions, bonus cuts and salary freezes.
"Don't Fight the Web: Surviving and Thriving in a 2.0 World" allowed esteemed members of the legal technorati to share their perspectives on communication in the age of instant information. With over 500,000 unique monthly visitors (most of whom are law students and law firm associates), there was a universal acknowledgment that ATL has had a dramatic impact. "Above the Law has changed the way we all do business," said co-panelist Mark Weber, assistant dean for career services at Harvard Law School.
Still, Lat faced questions about the "salaciousness" of the postings, purported inaccuracies of the content and accusations that it fosters an environment of panic. To his credit, Lat, a former associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, answered every question from the audience of 900 or so honestly and with a sense of humor. "Lawyers have a hunger for gossip," he said. "Sometimes the saucy stories offer a window into a firm culture."
The counterpoints came from Weber, who acknowledged that "[t]he web is where our students are getting all of their information." He cautioned, however, "The information is moving at a frenetic pace and sometimes that can cause a panic." Lat got the room chuckling with his response: "I fan the flames of panic for a living."
ADDRESSING THE EMPLOYMENT CRISIS
Attendees seemed to recognize the pervasive anxiety in the legal world at the moment, but speakers at the conference encouraged them to take collective responsibility for helping address the employment crisis in a meaningful and proactive fashion. "I suspect that everyone here is awfully glad to have a job and equally glad that their organization thought enough to send them to the conference," remarked Cybele Smith, director of public service and public interest programs at the Michael E. Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University.
The consensus of the plenary was that although technology is helping students and associates make better career decisions, law schools and law firms are more measured in their communication, which is not necessarily benefiting their constituencies. In a closing comment from the audience, Lou Helmuth, assistant dean for career services at California Western School of Law noted, "This is a time for opportunity -- for the legal profession to take stock. We need to look at how we can reform what we have been doing and respond as a professional organization." In that remark, Helmuth set the stage for the most powerful theme of the conference: seizing the opportunity to renew the legal profession in a way that will empower students and strengthen law firms. He also highlighted the distinction between how the economy is affecting the top law schools and the Am Law 200 versus its impact on lower-tier schools and smaller to midsize firms, which are increasingly viewed as more stable.
To that end, there were programs about marketing to small firms, clerkships with administrative law judges (rather than Article III judges) and alternative careers. My favorite was the program on recruiting in virtual reality worlds, creatively presented partially in Second Life (flying avatars and all) by Rhonda Beassie, assistant dean and assistant clinical professor at the University of Houston Law Center and Gina Rowsam, assistant dean of professional and career development at Oklahoma City University School of Law, which highlighted the ingenuity many are bringing to serving their students.
ATTENDANCE ON THE WANE
Despite the standing-room-only opening event and generally crowded sessions, NALP's executive director, James Leipold, reported that attendance dropped 23 percent from last year (from about 1,300 to about 1,000), with law firm personnel representing the more significant segment of the loss. "I think that law firms are under greater pressure to cut expenses and the perception of having staff out at conferences feels awkward when you are conducting layoffs," he said.
Considering some expectations, the conference was actually well-attended. "I am quite pleased with the attendance in light of the economy," said Mike Gotham, director of attorney recruiting and retention at Perkins Coie, whose term as NALP president concluded with the closing of the conference (he is succeeded by LeaNora Ruffin, assistant dean for career development at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware).
NALP's conference registration decline is part of a larger trend. Jonathan Fitzgarrald, director of marketing for Greenberg Glusker and a board member of the Legal Marketing Association's Los Angeles chapter, who took a break from the LMA's annual conference occurring simultaneously in nearby National Harbor, Md., to attend a NALP diversity reception with a colleague, anecdotally reported that attendance there appeared lower as well.
The impact on the industry notwithstanding, there was confidence about the prospects for the next generation of lawyers. "There are still great opportunities for students throughout the country," reported Alan Dickinson, director of JD advising and career development at Duke University School of Law. Even Above the Law's David Lat could not repress his optimism. "There is a lot of fear, but there is also a sense of opportunity that necessary changes can be made," he said.
One of those changes, which could come as soon as next month, is teaching summer associates to be more like lawyers in training rather than law students, noted Kay Nash, director of professional development and attorney recruiting for Wiley Rein. Other ideas suggested in various breakout sessions were shorter summer programs (justified by earlier on-campus interviewing programs), lower associate salaries, the elimination of billable hours for first-year associates and enhancing the dialog between law firms and law schools. Many hoped to set the proverbial reset button to create a new model for education and practice.
The concrete ideas aside, some simply felt reassured by the strength in numbers. "Overall, I feel like it is inspiring me," said Suzanna Adelizi, assistant director of career services at Chapman University School of Law during a reception at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. "There is a value and comfort in identifying with people who are experiencing what you are experiencing," she adds.
A dynamic plenary, an empowering message and a thoughtful approach to addressing a series of complex (and, in some cases, unprecedented) problems yielded value when many needed it most.
Perhaps next year in Puerto Rico, the crisis will have passed and the discussions will return to managing multiple offers and retroactive salary wars. This year, though, many left prepared to face a challenging year ahead.
Ari Kaplan is the author of "The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career Through Creative Networking and Business Development" (Thomson-West, 2008). He speaks about standing out in a stagnant economy at law firms, law schools and bar associations nationwide.