Employers
Employers
Fuel Your New York Growth With Real Estate
Law firms all over surprisingly view real estate as “second best†in comparison to the heavy hitters of corporate and private equity work when in the process of trying to increase their profitability. This is a huge missed opportunity for firms and some New York City law firms are proving just that! A strong real estate practice matters, even though New York is best known for their corporate legal work. Despite modest declines over the past few years, the New York City real estate market is solid and is even improving. Non-New York firms are starting to take notice of the incline in real estate and have even hopped on the train to add significant groups to their real estate practice in New York in the last 18 months. Do you want to be a powerhouse in real estate? Are you a real estate partner or interested in real estate law? Then be sure to check out this law.com article! Author: Victoria Ostrander Assistant Editor The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel Email: vostrander@alm.com ALM Media Properties LLC
Fractional General Counsel Services: The Soft Landing between a Rock and a Hard Place
What is a Fractional General Counsel you ask? A Fractional GC delivers an experienced legal executive for a fixed fee, filling the need for business-focused and operationally-oriented legal help while controlling the legal budget. Big law is continuing to increase starting salaries and raise hourly rates, plus total compensation and benefits for in-house lawyers to continue to grow. Between this rock and hard place are businesses looking for ways to reduce cost and meet demands for legal advice and counsel in an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment. Unless change is made, the “Rock†of high outside counsel costs for anything other than highly specialized work will continue to force companies to search for ways to reduce or at least control legal costs. The Hard Place, the logical response, is the continued growth of in-house legal departments, but therein lies the rub. Want to learn more about this soft landing between a “rock†and “hard place?†Read more here in this law.com article!
Lights, Camera… Legal Advice?
Have you ever wanted legal advice at the touch of a button? Or maybe you are a firm looking to create that kind of accessibility? Well here’s your chance! More and more law firms are starting to turn to video as a way to help get their message out and drive search engine optimization. However, in a day and age where everyone can be a video star, it may be more difficult than ever to stand out. Using video as a digital marketing strategy can help foster new clientele by getting in touch with lawyers outside the office. According to Cynthia Voth, president of the Legal Marketing Association and director of client engagement and innovation at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, nearly three quarters of AM Law 100 firms had YouTube channels during the last year. Voth isn’t exactly sure there’s a way for firms to truly rise against such a crowded backdrop, but there are considerations that can at least be made ahead of time. Want to learn more about law firm video digital marketing? Read more in this law.com article. Author: Victoria Ostrander Assistant Editor The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel Email: vostrander@alm.com ALM Media Properties LLC
The Stealth Job Search
If confidentiality is critical to your job search, any marked change in your schedule, behavior, attitude, work product, or attire could arouse suspicion. Furthermore, you must be careful how you use online job search resources and reach out to your networks. If you have a job while seeking a new opportunity, the consequences of discovery by your current employer include the possibility of immediate termination or, at least, the loss of trust and questions about your loyalty.
Unlimited Vacation Policy: A Perk or Punishment at Law Firms?
Who wouldn’t want an unlimited vacation time policy at their firm? Well, for most lawyers, you would be surprised to know that they would prefer a more restrictive time off policy. What seems to be an attractive feature for a company is viewed as a faulted system. Some lawyers say because of this “perk†they end up using less vacation time.
Legal Industry Adds 4,100 Jobs, Outpacing US Employment Growth
The legal industry was busy this August. They have added more jobs than other professional service sectors or the broader economy. However, growth was still flat. Employment in the legal sector grew right around a third of a percent this August, according to the latest U.S. government jobs report, while adding additional jobs after three-months of little to no growth. Just this August, the legal industry, which is composed of attorneys, paralegals, legal secretaries and others, employed 1,148,100 people. This employment figure has varied by just a few thousand over the past few years, and has failed to catch up to pre-Great Recession numbers. Are you interested in learning more about how this industry is outpacing U.S. Employment Growth? Learn more here. Author: Victoria Ostrander Assistant Editor The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel Email: vostrander@alm.com ALM Media Properties LLC
As Pay Gap Widens, Some Firms Attract Associates with Other Incentives
Law offices across the nation are struggling to appeal to associates and get them to make lateral moves to their firms. There is one city though who is trying a different approach: Atlanta. This city’s large firms are using bonuses and a viable partnership path to lure in-demand associates. Last year’s national wave of associate pay raises further enlarged the compensation gap in law firms in Atlanta, which took a toll on boutiques and regional firms to obtain and retain associates because they are unable to compete salary wise. However, some AM Law 100 and 200 firms that pay below the top associate pay scale in Atlanta are wooing top midlevel and senior associated by offering these higher bonuses and chances to actually make partner, and they are successful. Do you think this strategy is something your firm would be interested in to attract new associates? Learn more in this law.com article. Author: Victoria Ostrander Assistant Editor The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel Email: vostrander@alm.com ALM Media Properties LLC
AI Makes Job Interviews Faster, But Compliance Harder
Companies are starting to use AI as a way to speed up the interview process and to weed through a long list of candidates. In August, the state of Illinois pushed forward and passed the first U.S. law that regulates the use of AI to analyze video interviews with job applicants. This type of AI is used to help analyze qualities like body language or facial expression and this programming could set the tone for similar laws to be created. While some find this to be a great new way to conduct a rigorous process, others fear this could have broader legal implications outside of what’s likely to be a patchwork of similar state laws. Some businesses and their legal representatives are hesitant to embrace this technology. Are you interested in learning more about AI job interviews and why companies might be resistant toward using this type of technology? Learn more in this law.com article!
Goodbye Email, Hello Brave New World
Emails are becoming a thing of the past as more clients ditch email for chat and text tools. Lawyers and their firms are being forced to navigate risks of using short responses instead of paragraphs. This leaves firms wondering, can we keep up with the times?