Law had an attrition problem before the pandemic hit. Now it’s in hyperdrive, dovetailing with a wider movement of dissatisfied workers quitting their jobs in the wake of lockdown restrictions, in what economists have dubbed the “Great Resignation.”
Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Sang Lee, the CEO and co-founder of Thine, a technology company that develops and deploys prehiring and integration assessments. She is a lawyer and entrepreneur who has also owned and operated SJL Attorney Search and Volta Talent Strategies.
Where are the lawyers? As a retired one, I recently wondered about this, querying where in history we see lawyers mentioned and in what light? Actually, after thinking about it, I see little or no sign of lawyers for millennia.
As the United States was completing the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August, the American Bar Association began working to address the needs of Afghans. At first, this assistance came in the form of volunteer ABA members and staff preparing recommendation letters for evacuating Afghans seeking Special Immigration Visas. Simultaneously, individual ABA members and staff were preparing to provide pro bono legal assistance.
In almost 28 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Stephen G. Breyer has been a moderate liberal on an increasingly conservative court. He has advocated interpreting statutes to achieve their purpose on a court that moved sharply away from that approach in favor of focusing on the plain language of laws. He has stressed looking at pragmatic real-world consequences on a bench that has become ever more ideological in its rulings. A former professor who specialized in administrative law, he has expressed the need for deference to the expertise of agencies at a time when more of the justices are openly hostile to the administrative state.
It’s good to be back. After my usual holiday break, I now find myself staring straight into the eyes of my fifth full year writing this column for the ABA Journal. It has been a privilege and an honor to have such a far-reaching platform for my thoughts on law and pop culture, and I look forward to continuing the content.
Now that 2021 is behind us, we’re faced with a new year looming before us, and the only thing that can be easily predicted is continued unpredictability. Pandemic surges have led to rescheduled conferences, canceled travel plans and delayed office reopenings. As a result, it’s no easy task for law firms seeking to lay the groundwork for a successful 2022. Pandemic-related uncertainty must be factored into the mix, and resiliency needs to be at the core of a law firm’s business plan.
