By: Leslie A. Gordon, ABA Journal

Soon after graduating from New York University School of Law and joining the corporate practice of a white-shoe Manhattan law firm, Will Meyerhofer gained 45 pounds, was sleep-deprived and was frequently sick. "I was a nervous wreck. I was shattered," says Meyerhofer, who'd also graduated from Harvard". The official number is that something like a gazillion lawyers are stressed out, and that amounts to a bajillion percent of the profession," observes Meyerhofer, who became a licensed clinical social worker after benefiting tremendously from therapy he himself underwent to "get a grasp on what happened to me in BigLaw." 

Full Article

Each spring WALRAA provides participating members a weekly directory with summer housing opportunities in the Washington DC metro area. The directory is a great way to help out-of-town summer associates find convenient and affordable housing. Since summer is just around the corner, we are collecting information about available apartments, condos or houses.

All submissions must be made through the 2017 Summer Housing Submission page, in order to be included in the directory.

Beginning the week of March 5th, the weekly housing directory will be emailed to all participating law firms and law schools. You may also access the directory to obtain the most up to date listings available via the Resource Center.

Your participation is much appreciated! Please feel free to forward this information to anyone who may be interested in renting.

WALRAA_Summer_Housing_Flyer.JPG

Is intrapreneurship the key to success and happiness? Research shows that entrepreneurs are happier people so what can we learn from them in the legal industry. This Spring at the NALP Education Conference we will be discussing this topic and presenting data from the corporate world. In an effort to present the current state of intrapreneurship in the legal industry we are asking people to complete the below anonymous survey. The survey is brief and should take no more than five minutes to complete, but will provide us with valuable insights to share during our program. We encourage you to share this survey throughout your network so that we can ensure a statistically significant data pool.

All information is anonymous unless you choose to be contacted for additional interviews. If you would like any additional information please contact Rachael Bosch or Mikaela McRae.

NALP Program Survey

Tammy Patterson, President and CEO of the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education, shared highlights of the Foundation's recent research, including associate hiring and attrition, evaluations, lawyer mobility (based on the Foundation and the American Bar Foundation's seminal project, After the JD), and lawyer satisfaction (based on the the Foundation's Law School Alumni Employment and Satisfaction Studies and After the JD). Tammy also spoke about the Foundation's current and upcoming projects.

Tammy Patterson's presentation can be found in the Resource Center.

By: Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at the Georgetown University Law Center and Thomson Reuters' Peer Monitor.

The Center for the Study of the Legal Profession at the Georgetown University Law Center and Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute are pleased to present this 2017 Report setting out our views of the dominant trends impacting the legal market in 2016 and key issues likely to influence the market in 2017 and beyond.

2017 Report on the State of the Legal Market

By Elizabeth Olson, The New York Times

January 9, 2017

America’s law firms, even the most prominent, are mired in an era of noticeably modest growth and volatility in the industry, and 2017 promises to be no better.

Fierce competition is prompting firms to take unusual steps to bolster their profiles. Top firms are hiring groups of lawyers to expand specific practice areas, changing pay practices, jettisoning or demoting some partners and staff members and seeking ways to distinguish their brands to set them apart from competitors.

With Competition Fierce, Even Elite Law Firms Resort to the Unusual

By Kevin Granville, The New York Times

January 1, 2017

Many people spend most of their waking hours at work or thinking about work. In the dim chill of a Monday morning in January, the prospect of another year at a job that fails to satisfy can be daunting, if not downright depressing.

The Best Time to Retune Your Career? It’s Probably Right Now

By Elizabeth Olson, The New York Times

November 30, 2016

Women currently occupy nearly half of all the seats in American law schools, gaining credentials for a professional career once all but reserved for men. But their large presence on campus does not mean women have the same job prospects as men.

More Law Degrees for Women, but Fewer Good Jobs

ADVANCING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEGAL SUPERSTARS

Presented by:

Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance

Kori Karew, Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives, Shook, Hardy & Bacon

Kia Scipio, Associate Director, Georgetown University Law Center

We all know students are vying for jobs, but employers are just as competitive with each other to recruit top talent. The needs and wants of this generation are vastly different than the typical recruit 5-10 years ago. Have you adjusted your counseling style and employer outreach to meet the changing needs of your students? Research shows flexibility is a key consideration when students and lawyers are choosing their firms (and when they are deciding to leave). When employers have a flex policy, how is it being messaged and translated during the recruitment process (if at all)? For CSO's, how do you counsel students on navigating flexibility without stigma from a potential employer?

Please join us on Tuesday, November 29 from 1 pm - 2:15 pm EST for the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance's free, national CSO meet and greet call to learn more about who we are, our research and resources, and how we can partner together to help students achieve career success! As a national think tank dedicated to helping organizations create inclusive cultures that leverage diversity and flexibility to attract and retain top talent, we believe in creating connections, and we look forward to meeting you!

In addition to meeting the Alliance, hear from Kori Karew, Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives, Shook, Hardy & Bacon and Kia Scipio, Associate Director, Georgetown University Law Center as they discuss both the employer and CSO perspectives on how to leverage flexibility for the recruitment and retention of the next generation of superstars!

Contact Eliza Musallam, Director of Member Relations & Outreach, with any questions. Please feel free to forward this invitation to other staff and faculty members of your office and/or organization. This presentation is not open to students.

REGISTER NOW

By: Elizabeth Olson, The New York Times

November 21, 2016

To make partner at a big law firm is to grab a brass ring of prestige, wealth and security.

Now, for some partners, however, that ring is being yanked away.

Wrestling with a difficult market, some big law firms are demoting partners — meaning they are no longer owners in the firm who share in annual profits.

Law Firms, Struggling Financially, Cull Partner Ranks