Professional Development

Cooley reportedly pushes back start date for incoming associates; are summer programs at risk?

Cooley has pushed back its start date for new associates from November 2023 to January 2024, according to reports by Bloomberg Law and Law.com that rely on anonymous sources.

Apr 12, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Lawyers report high level of satisfaction with their jobs, but stress remains an issue, survey finds

Eighty-three percent of surveyed attorneys report they are stressed at least some of the time, but 71% of the lawyers would not switch careers if given a chance for a do-over, according to survey findings by Law360 Pulse.

Apr 12, 2023 8:43 AM CDT

Why you should unlearn certain valuable legal skills

Much has been written about the mental health crisis in the legal profession. Certainly, external factors like billable hours and client demands play a large role in creating anxiety and stress in the profession; but there are also internal factors created by “thinking like a lawyer” that deserve more focus.

Apr 11, 2023 1:46 PM CDT

BigLaw associate’s admonition to be available 24/7 with ‘no exceptions, no excuses’ goes viral

A Paul Hastings associate’s best-practices advice to junior colleagues in an internal presentation wasn’t that far off the mark, legal observers said. But its tone was lacking.

Apr 6, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

What I wish I’d learned in law school

The ABA Journal asked 25 lawyers what they wish they’d learned, as well as the best advice that they got in law school and whether school had prepared them for practice.

Apr 1, 2023 3:45 AM CDT

How young attorneys are shaking up law firm culture

Young lawyers are candid about striking a balance between work and their personal lives. For some, that means leaving behind BigLaw’s relentless pace for other kinds of work. For others, it means finding a workplace culture aligned with their priorities and values.

Mar 6, 2023 8:40 AM CST

Humanizing the Process: A new approach to interviewing for law firms

For the past 20 years in the legal recruiting business, my firm, the Advocates, has focused on helping our clients land key lateral attorneys and improve retention through several unique processes designed to match candidates’ personalities to the right law firm and corporate cultures for them.

Feb 16, 2023 12:21 PM CST

Lawyers are twice as likely to have thoughts of suicide, new study finds

A recent study of California and Washington, D.C., lawyers found that lawyers are twice as likely as the general population to experience suicidal ideation.

Feb 14, 2023 10:34 AM CST

Florida judges can no longer get CLE credit for general ‘fairness and diversity’ courses, state supreme court says

Florida judges can no longer take “fairness and diversity” courses to satisfy continuing education requirements, unless the classes relate to judicial professionalism, ethics opinions or the judicial conduct code, the Florida Supreme Court has decided.

Feb 6, 2023 8:37 AM CST

As more law firms adopt 3-day-per-week schedule, one ties attendance to cash

As more law firms mandate or encourage three days per week in the office, one is using the threat of reduced bonuses to get associates back in the building.

Jan 26, 2023 3:14 PM CST

Law is the most stressful profession, newspaper’s analysis finds

The most stressful occupation in the United States is being a lawyer, according to an analysis by the Washington Post of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jan 24, 2023 12:48 PM CST

Legal career lessons from Mount Everest

For many of us, building a legal career is like climbing a mountain. It’s an obvious analogy; you put in lots of hard work, never taking your eye off the prize at the top. Working through the pain by visualizing the euphoric view at the peak. After thousands of hours spent climbing toward the top, your career pinnacle—making partner at a top-tier firm—will be in reach.

Jan 23, 2023 9:01 AM CST

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2022

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 12 extraordinary ABA members who go to great lengths to embolden their clients, colleagues and members of the communities around them. Their work includes helping immigrants with tax issues, advocating for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and addressing racial injustice and inequality.

Dec 14, 2022 8:38 AM CST

Top 8 Your Voice columns of 2022

Diversity and inclusion, stress management, mental health and practice management are some of the major areas of focus among legal professionals today. And contributors to the ABA Journal’s Your Voice column certainly brought these concepts front and center in 2022.

Dec 14, 2022 8:37 AM CST

How an Am Law 200 firm created an incubator program for associates to learn business, leadership skills

An intrepid cavalier King Charles spaniel inspired a microincubator program aimed at giving associates room to develop leadership skills, foster creative thinking and facilitate collaboration with colleagues in different locations and practice areas.

Dec 12, 2022 8:45 AM CST