Associate Life
From the editors of Texas Lawyer
The Issues in Moving From Law Firm Lockstep to 'Levels' Compensation
New York Law Journal
Friday, November 6, 2009
Law firms are changing the way they hire, evaluate, develop, promote and pay their associates. Case in point: the accelerating interest among law firms in moving from "lockstep" to "levels."
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT
Experts: Lower Associate Pay Is Here to Stay
Fulton County Daily Report
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Fifty-five percent of participants in an online seminar on associate compensation last week believe associate salary cuts are temporary.
Solo and Small Firm Attorneys Branch Out to Make Ends Meet
The Connecticut Law Tribune
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
You might find them in line at the court clerk's office, asking questions that you would expect from a rookie attorney. Or maybe wandering courthouse hallways not entirely sure where to go.
Deferred Associates 'Hit the Ground Running' at Temporary Positions
New York Law Journal
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Had the economy not gone into a tail spin, Christopher Reid would likely be elbow-deep in research for discovery in a patent lawsuit at Ropes & Gray.
Don't Look Back
The American Lawyer
Monday, November 2, 2009
Believe it: The worst economic downturn since the Great Depression has hit law firms hard.
The Challenge for Women IP Lawyers
The Recorder
Friday, October 30, 2009
Much has been written about how difficult it is for women who practice in the field of intellectual property and, in particular, why the growth trend for women attorneys in this area has not evolved as quickly as in other industries.
Seductive Nurse or 'Illegal Alien' Costume ... Actually, Please Don't
The National Law Journal
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Companies might want to put out a "do's" and "don'ts" list for Halloween costumes this year, employment lawyers advise. And it's not just the naughty nurse or street pimp that employers should ban, the lawyers say, but politically and socially offensive characters as well.
Survey Shows Large Firms Have Few Women Among Top Rainmakers
The Legal Intelligencer
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Women as top rainmakers can now be added to a list of rarities in large law firms, joining the small group of women on governing committees and an even greater rarity -- the female managing partner.
Task-Code Billing for life
Fulton County Daily Report
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cost-conscious Big Law clients want more bang for their buck, and who can blame them? Don't we all expect a steep discount on anything we buy these days?houses, TVs, cars?because no one is buying much of anything? Sure we do.
Deferred Associates Stay Busy Before Starting at Their Firms
Texas Lawyer
Thursday, October 22, 2009
It's often valuable to make lemonade out of lemons, to turn a negative into a positive, to find the silver lining in a dark sky.
Professor Wants Law Students to Think Before They Tweet
The National Law Journal
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Drake University Law School professor Melissa Weresh is on a mission to get law students and young attorneys to think twice before they hit send on an e-mail, post a photo to their Facebook pages or update their Twitter accounts.
Progress Proves Elusive for Diversity in the Legal Profession
The National Law Journal
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Five years ago this month, Roderick Palmore wrote "A Call to Action" -- a pledge signed by the general counsel of some of the country's largest corporations vowing to make diversity a major consideration in their selection of outside counsel.
Five Types of Corporate Lawyers Predicted for the Future
The Corporate Counselor
Monday, October 19, 2009
FTC to Bloggers: Big Brother Isn't Watching
The National Law Journal
Friday, October 16, 2009
Bloggers of the world, relax — the Federal Trade Commission is not out to get you. That was the message from Mary Engle, associate director for advertising practices at the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "We are not going to be patrolling the blogosphere," she said. "We are not planning on investigating individual bloggers."
Law Departments Putting Cost-Cutting Into Action
The Legal Intelligencer
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Cost-control methods in law departments are more than just talk as cost pressures are creating a fundamental shift in the management and operation of the departments and their interaction with outside counsel, results of a recent Hildebrandt International survey suggest.
When will lawyers learn to listen?
Fulton County Daily Report
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Lawyers are a diverse bunch, but one thing they all seem to have in common is a love for the sound of their own voices. This is not just a Big Law thing?it is lawyer thing.
Use Informational Interviews to Help Your Job Search
Special to Law.com
Monday, October 12, 2009
Mention "networking" to a law student and watch her cringe.
After a Year, Laid-Off Associate Finds New Job Outside a Law Firm
The American Lawyer
Friday, October 9, 2009
Nearly a year after Lynne Zagami was laid off from Brown Rudnick, she's back to work.
Refine Your Use of LinkedIn
Marketing the Law Firm Newsletter
Thursday, October 8, 2009
LinkedIn is very different from Facebook and similar social networking sites.
Is the Associate Apocalypse Upon Us?
The American Lawyer
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
If the four horsemen represent the last signs of the apocalypse for us earthly denizens, perhaps an early October onset of stories about the demise of the traditional law firm structure and compensation system for young lawyers is a sign that the world as associates once knew it is gone.
Associate Salaries: The War is Over
The Recorder
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
It goes without saying that the associate salary wars are over.
Survey Shows Recession's Impact on Minority Associates
The Minority Law Journal
Monday, October 5, 2009
Given the current economic climate, it's easy to see why long-range efforts to boost minority hiring and retention might fall further down the to-do list, as law firms attend to more urgent concerns.
Technology Enables New Work-Life Norms
The American Lawyer
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The most important man in the free world is doing something that many businesses and even more law firms say can't be done. He is working at home.
Survivor's guilt
Fulton County Daily Report
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
So you're a survivor. The recent Great Purge of law firm personnel passed you by, and you still have a paycheck, a current business card and an office to go to every morning. You should be elated, right?



