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  • Fri, June 30, 2017 1:48 PM | Deleted user

    By: Ian Lopez, Legaltech News

    In almost every sense, technology has changed the way we both provide and consume information. The same is currently happening in legal services , albeit slowly.

    Mark Klein, general counsel and chief compliance officer at Marketfield Asset Management, said he's been watching this advancement for the past 25 years of his career. Along with this change, he said, has come change to the demands of consumers—for law firms to provide services that are " more efficient, more cost-effective and timelier."

    At Thomson Reuters' Law Firm CFO/CIO/COO Forum , Klein partook in a panel aptly titled "Exploring Future Drivers of Change in Legal Services—Defining Client Expectations." Here, corporate and law firm professionals discussed technology's role in the changing nature of delivering and receiving legal services, as well as shopping for them.

    Full Article
  • Mon, June 26, 2017 1:17 PM | Deleted user


    Arent Fox LLP will once again host an Evening at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, featuring General Counsel and Arent Fox Partner, Gerard Leval. 

    This year’s event takes place on Tuesday, July 11 at 5:00 PM. Please inform your summer associates, interns and students. Thank you in advance for your help in publicizing the event. For questions, please contact Michelle Fowle at michelle.fowle@arentfox.com.


  • Mon, June 19, 2017 11:16 AM | Deleted user

    By Michelle Kim Hall, US News

    Once you decide where to enroll in law school, you may be wondering how best to prepare for your first year – or 1L. Socratic lectures, casebooks, issue spotting, legal research, blind grading and a curve make law school different than what you encountered as an undergraduate. Your 1L grades are particularly important for summer employment positions, clerkships, eligibility for law review and class rank.

    The summer before I began my law school journey at Harvard University, I bought Scott Turow's book "One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School." I still remember Turow's description of reading his first case as equivalent to "stirring concrete with my eyelashes."

    I found that description so memorable because it was true for me. As an English major, I didn't have any experience reading cases to identify rules, rationale and holdings. I didn't know what a tort was or how civil procedure governed the adjudication of lawsuits. I was excited to find out, but I was nervous, too. I wish I had done more to prepare.

    Today there are more resources available to rising 1Ls than ever before. While 1L prep courses can help you navigate your first year, keep in mind these benefits and drawbacks.

    Full Article 

  • Wed, June 14, 2017 11:10 AM | Deleted user

    By: Elizabeth Olson, New York Times


    Tim Ryan had been the United States chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers for about a week last year when five police officers in Dallas were killed by a sniper during a protest over police shootings of African-Americans in Minnesota and Louisiana.

    A company email to reassure the accounting firm’s employees drew a response that stayed with Mr. Ryan. “The sender wrote that when he came to work, the silence about what happened was deafening,” Mr. Ryan recalled in an interview. “I knew this was something that hit on our leadership.”Less than three weeks later, thousands of employees sat down for a daylong discussion on race, he said.

    It was a risky step, Mr. Ryan said, “because people have different views and often it’s the case that we don’t openly address these topics in the workplace, even though that’s where we spend the majority of our time.”After talking to fellow chief executives about the experience, Mr. Ryan began enlisting many to join a new initiative to foster more open discussion about race and gender in the workplace.

    That new initiative, C.E.O. Action for Diversity and Inclusion, will announce on Monday that 150 corporate executives have committed to their companies’ encouraging their employees to discuss those sensitive topics. Procter & Gamble, New York Life, Accenture, Deloitte U.S. and the Boston Consulting Group are among the companies that have joined the alliance, of which Mr. Ryan is chairman.

    Full Article

  • Thu, June 08, 2017 10:50 AM | Deleted user

    By: Linda R. Evers, Forbes


    Attorneys are now using SMS (short message service) to communicate with clients and prospects. Before you start thinking that lawyers are on the cusp of a cutting-edge communications style, let me remind you that SMS is also known as text messaging. You may be wondering, “how does an article about texting fit into a discussion regarding the legal profession?” Because the law doesn't always keep up with reality.

    As fellow members of the International Female Entrepreneur Association, Kendra Stephen and I recently discussed future trends in the legal profession, covering a variety of topics including attorney use of SMS. Kendra is the founder of hirealadylawyer.com, the only online directory dedicated solely to women attorneys.

    Kendra has successfully used technology to turn her boutique law practice into an international virtual law firm. It's safe to say she's an early adopter and on the leading edge when it comes to leveraging technology to market her practice. Kendra is full of knowledge regarding modern law practice marketing and management. I would like to share some of the takeaways from our discussion on text message marketing and communication, as it is expected to become more visible in the legal industry.

    Full Article


  • Mon, June 05, 2017 11:51 AM | Deleted user


    JOSE LUIS DAVILA GONZALEZ

    Assistant Director

    Georgetown University Law Center


    How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
    4 years. The sense of community and the opportunities to keep growing in the field. 

    How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
    By putting together programs that help understand the constant changes and challenges in the field.

    What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
    The fact that my Mentor/Boss has supported me in many different ways such as encouraging me to get my Global MBA and Leadership Coaching Certificate most recently. I could not ask for a better Mentor!

    What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
    To practice my Leadership Coaching skills now that I have finished my certificate.

    What is the best professional advice you have received? 
    If someone offers you a great opportunity, say YES, you can learn how to do it later!

    Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know. 
    I sold over a million dollars of gum in Mexico City back in the day when I was a salesman! That is a lot of gum!


  • Thu, June 01, 2017 4:10 PM | Deleted user

    By: Sara Randazzo, Wall Street Journal

    California’s notoriously difficult bar exam has long been a point of pride among the state’s lawyers. Now it is prompting blowback. With passing rates hitting historic lows, the state’s law schools are pushing for a controversial change: lowering the score required to pass.

    The educators argue that California holds graduates to an unreasonably high standard that no longer can be justified, especially as the price of law school skyrockets. Others say lowering the bar would pander to a recent cohort of law students with weak credentials, and that law schools should either raise their own standards or shut their doors.

    The issue came to a head after the announcement that just 35% of takers passed the most recent California exam, given in February. Only 43% passed last July’s test, the lowest mark for the summer exam in more than three decades.

    Full Article


  • Tue, May 30, 2017 3:14 PM | Deleted user

    By: Meghan Tribe, Law.com

    Minority lawyers working in Am Law 200 firms and NLJ 250 firms stood at just 15.6 percent in 2016, up from 15.0 percent in 2015. The percentage of minority partners among the firms also saw only incremental growth, up only 0.4 percentage points to reach 8.6 percent last year.

    Trying to boost those percentages, especially in the partner ranks, general counsel at Facebook Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. have all announced in recent months initiatives that will require more diversity among their outside counsel—or put those firms at risk of losing fees.

    Full Article


  • Thu, May 25, 2017 2:49 PM | Deleted user

    By: Lizzy McLellan, Law.com

    Large law firms have been seeking feedback about how they give feedback. And what they’re finding is that associates want to know whether they’re doing well, far more than once per year.

    As young lawyers clamor for praise or constructive criticism, a number of firms are moving toward real-time performance reviews. British firm Allen & Overy turned heads on both sides of the Atlantic earlier this month when it unveiled an ongoing pilot program abandoning annual appraisals in favor of “consistent feedback and dialogue” about lawyer performance.

    Full Article

  • Mon, May 22, 2017 1:30 PM | Deleted user

    ALEXIS GREMS

    Attorney Recruiting Assistant

    McGuireWoods


    How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
    6 months. The first meeting I attended, WALRAA brought in a speaker about subconscious stereotypes and I thought it was such a great move on their part and a very entertaining lecture.

    What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
    The first month I was here we had a big meeting with some top partners and associates in our DC office to pick out our small summer associate team. Preparing the materials for that and then getting to be a part of that meeting made me realize what sort of responsibility I had here and what impact I was really going to be making.

    What is the best professional advice you have received? 
    Get to know the partners and associates. I realize now that they're much more willing to attend events, conduct interviews, etc. when they know who I am and ask them personally. An email is always fine, but a phone call or an in person drop by with a little small talk involved can go a long way.

    What do you like to do for fun? 
    I play on a flag football team on the weekends and ref volleyball games on the weekdays. I also volunteer at a women's shelter in Anacostia where I teach a curriculum on communication specifically via the internet and social media. While sometimes challenging and quite a bit of work, it's always a rewarding time.


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