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  • Wed, June 28, 2023 9:03 AM | Melissa Byrnes (Administrator)


    Rachel Lawrence

    Assistant Director for Legal Recruitment

    The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law

    This month WALRAA is proud to feature Rachel Lawrence! Rachel is the Assistant Director for Legal Recruitment at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. She joined WALRAA last year in 2022. Read about her experience working in the career services at a law school, her fun summer plans and more in her own words below. 

    1.      How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
    I have been a member since 2022, and heard great things about it years before. There have been so many great experiences! Most recently the April Virtual Fireside Chat with Ritu Bhasin. It was incredibly uplifting and inspiring!

    2.      How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
    WALRAA provides an important network of information-sharing between law school and law school, and law schools and firms. And the community makes the work that much more enjoyable!

    3.      How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
    I have worn many hats at the law school and feel lucky to have found a home with career services! I love helping students and connecting with the outside legal community!

    4.      What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
    My favorite moment in my career so far has been sitting down with and listening to students. It is a joyful experience to help them feel heard and to increase their confidence to take the next steps toward their desired path.

    5.      What is it that challenges you most in your job?
    Time! There is always so much to do! I appreciate tips to work smart while retaining a work life balance. Our career office and law school are very supportive - everyone pitches in when needed!

    6.      How do you balance your career and personal life?
    Our office and law school offer a lot of flexibility, which is amazing! Our career office supports each other in getting the work done and being present for students, and also having time outside of the office for telework and time with family and friends.

    7.      What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
    I am excited to take on a more formal role in counseling students.

    8.      What is the best professional advice you have received?
    We all make mistakes and it is important not to internalize them and to move forward productively.

    9.      What do you like to do for fun?
    I love being active: walking or jogging with friends, playing soccer with my kids, and dancing! I am taking a trampoline class this summer!

    10.  Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know?
    I worked in Ireland after college for six months!

  • Fri, May 19, 2023 8:59 AM | Melissa Byrnes (Administrator)


    Bhavisha Dave

    Senior Legal Education and Development Coordinator
    Kirkland & Ellis LLP

    This month WALRAA is proud to feature Bhavisha Dave. Bhavisha is the Senior Legal Education and Development Coordinator at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She joined WALRAA last year in 2022 and loves the many networking opportunities. Read about her experience with in Legal Education and Development, her professional goals and more in her own words below. 

    1.      How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
    I joined WALRAA in 2022! My favorite experience so far was the 2023 Educational Conference. I had a blast meeting new WALRAA members and attending the different sessions.

    2.      How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
    WALRAA has helped me break out of my shell by providing me with networking opportunities. This has allowed me expand my network in comfortable, welcoming spaces. I have also been able to reconnect with old colleagues which has been so wonderful.

    3.      How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
    I got started in Legal Education and Development right out of college as a temp. I was lucky enough that my former manager took a chance on me and hired me to be a part of her team. I realized that I really enjoyed the work and the industry and the rest is history!

    4.      What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
    My favorite moment in my career so far has been putting together programs that support our diverse attorneys.

    5.      How do you balance your career and personal life?
    I have not always been the best at it however I am trying to prioritize that this year! I schedule plans with friends, time off/vacations so that I always to have something to look forward to. I am also very lucky that I have a team so supportive of having a good work/life balance.

    6.      What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
    I'd like to improve on my public speaking skills and executive presence

    7.      What is the best professional advice you have received?
     Q-TIP: Quit Taking It Personally

    8.      What do you like to do for fun?
    I really enjoy discovering new music and making playlists that fit a specific vibe/mood/feeling! I have also recently gotten into SoulCycle and of course, I love spending time with my family's dog. He is hands down the best part of my day, every day!

    9.  Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know?
    I taught myself how to play guitar when I was home from college on winter break one year.

  • Fri, May 12, 2023 11:47 AM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)

    Written by: Robert Iafolla

    Many employers that turned to hybrid work schedules during the pandemic are retaining that model of employees splitting work time between the office and home, a survey of employers showed.

    Just over 70% of US employers surveyed use the hybrid working model, according to a report released Wednesday by labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC. Although some employers have a mix of workers on hybrid and in-person schedules, just 16% said they fully require in-person work.

    “It really looks like it’s here to stay,” said Littler attorney Devjani Mishra, who leads the management-side firm’s trio of teams focused on Covid-19, return-to-work, and vaccination issues.

    Full Article

  • Mon, April 17, 2023 2:23 PM | Melissa Byrnes (Administrator)


    NICOLE CANTARELLI

    Senior Recruiting Coordinator - US
    Latham & Watkins

    This month WALRAA is proud to feature Nicole Cantarelli. Nicole serves as WALRAA's President. She started recruiting career her while in undergrad at UVA working in the Office of Private Practice. She's been a member of WALRAA since 2018. Read about her experience with in recruiting, her best professional advice, and more in her own words below. 

    1.      How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
    I have been a WALRAA member since 2018! I have had a ton of really great experiences and memories from being part of the organization. One of the experiences that is deeply engrained into my memory is planning the 2020 Educational Conference. It was such a great opportunity to network and learn about the organization and our partners. I will say that my favorite WALRAA events are the Holiday parties (with karaoke after, of course).

    2.      How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
    WALRAA has helped me make lasting friends and connections in the field. It has also given me so many opportunities to grow and challenge myself outside of my day-to-day work. It has been super rewarding serving WALRAA in multiple capacities and I really enjoy creating educational opportunities for our members and as well as ways for those in our industry to form relationships with one another.

    3.      How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
    I owe it all to Kevin Donovan and the UVA Law Office of Private Practice. While I was in undergrad working at UVA's OPP, Kevin and did not know what I wanted to do with my career post-grad, the team recommended that I look into Attorney Recruiting. When Kevin introduced me to Lynn, Tacie, and Samantha - I knew that it was the field for me, and the rest is history!

    4.      What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
    While I was a recruiting assistant, I became a notary to help out with some documents on the recruiting team. I realized after that notaries can also swear law clerks into the Bar. Playing a part in making the people that I recruited officially members of the Bar is a memory I'll cherish forever.

    5.      What is it that challenges you most in your job?
    This is a tough one! Our jobs are extremely fast paced in nature. While the fast pace is exciting, and makes the day go by quicker - we have a lot on our plates and it gets tiring! This is why it's so important to have colleagues and friends who are supportive and will help you when things get especially busy.

    6.      How do you balance your career and personal life?
    I work hard to make sure that fun plans stay on the calendar. Having a personal life, seeing friends, and doing fun things is so important for our mental health.

    7.      What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
    My goals this year are to continue to build my network and work on my supervisory skills to help my team to ensure that they are getting opportunities to grow.

    8.      What is the best professional advice you have received?
    Don't let perfection stand in the way of good.

    9.      What do you like to do for fun?
    I love exploring the DC restaurant scene, going on walks with friends, traveling, and going to work out classes. If anyone ever wants to go to a class together, let me know!

    10.  Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know?
    I spent this past summer living in San Francisco!

  • Fri, February 17, 2023 11:35 AM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)


    Written by: Karen Sloan

    (Reuters) - U.S. law firms ended 2022 with a whimper thanks to a worsening drop in client demand, declining productivity and rising expenses, a new report found.

    Demand was down 3.9% in the fourth quarter, while productivity fell more than 7% year-over-year, according to the latest edition of the Thomson Reuters Institute’s Law Firm Financial Index, released Tuesday. The index tracks key financial metrics across 170 large and midsized law firms.

    Lawyers billed an average 112 hours per month in the fourth quarter of 2022 — down from 121 hours the previous year. Every practice area tracked by the index saw a decline in client demand over the fourth quarter of 2021.

    Demand for M&A work was down nearly 17%, followed by real estate, which was down 11.5%. Demand was down by 10% for both bankruptcy and tax practices. Profits per partner declined 4.5% over the past 12 months, the index found.

    Full Article
  • Fri, January 27, 2023 11:44 AM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)

    Written by: Matt Spencer

    Institutions such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, NYU, UC Berkeley, and Stanford have all announced that they will withdraw from the U.S. News & World Report Law School Rankings. The report has served as a ranking system for the country’s top law schools, acting as the purveyor of which institutions were prestigious and which were not.

    For consideration, administrators are asked to answer questions regarding grades and test scores for incoming applicants, as well as expected salaries once graduated. Opponents of the publication argue that schools could be tempted to only accept students with perfect grades, and later push them to accept only high paying jobs, as opposed to public service or interest jobs that benefit society. In years past, some schools have changed their practices or policies so as to improve their ranking, even if it undermines the school’s academic quality or diversity.

    In a recent study, it was discovered that a 25.9% poverty rate exists for law students with two U.S.-born non-Hispanic Black parents, versus a 7.5% poverty rate for white law students. While privilege clearly translates into advantages for admissions testing and academic performance, it very rarely guarantees professional potential. If administrators are incentivized to only accept students with the best grades, versus possibly those with good grades and serious financial need, an unhealthy system of prestige is perpetuated, and those with potential are very often left out.

    Full Article

  • Fri, January 06, 2023 2:43 PM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)

    Written by: Karen Sloan

    (Reuters) - U.S. News & World Report said on Monday it will modify its law school rankings amid a growing revolt among schools that say the closely watched list hampers their diversity and affordability.

    The upcoming edition of the rankings, which are typically released in March, will rely solely on publicly available data collected by the American Bar Association and reputational surveys completed by academics, judges and lawyers — meaning all schools will be ranked on the same factors regardless of whether they participate or not, according to a letter U.S. News sent to law deans Monday. The publication said it will give more weight to schools’ employment and bar pass rate, while decreasing the weight of reputational surveys.

    Full Article

  • Fri, December 09, 2022 1:11 PM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)

    Written by: Andrew Maloney

    Many firms will see a decline in profitability by year’s end, as they head into a 2023 with a “high” likelihood of recession and a higher cost structure due to inflation, a new report concludes.

    Confronting those challenges, some law firms may take a number of measures within the upcoming months to increase efficiencies and maximize profits, including adjusting leverage, investing in highly-skilled staff such as pricing specialists, reducing office space, outsourcing more and targeting strategic growth instead of opportunistic growth, said analysts at Citi’s Global Wealth at Work Law Firm Group and Hildebrandt Consulting in the report.

    Additionally, hiring may shift, as the market will likely favor firms with a tilt toward practices such as litigation or bankruptcy and restructuring, according to the group’s 2023 Client Advisory, published Wednesday.

    Full Article

  • Fri, November 11, 2022 10:15 AM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)

    Written by: Andrew Maloney

    For years, the richest law firms have been getting even richer, increasing the profit gap between themselves and others and forcing smaller law firms to join forces or wither on the vine. But 2022 is a reminder that segmentation isn’t a one-way street, as clients become more cost-conscious and certain kinds of work and practices move down-market.

    According to the latest Law Firm Financial Index from Thomson Reuters, law firms beyond the Am Law 200 (defined as midsize firms in the report) saw an increase in overall demand during the third quarter, relative to the same time last year, while Am Law 100 and Second Hundred firms saw declines.

    For those smaller firms, demand in labor and employment (up 2%) and litigation (up about 1.5%) specifically picked up.

    The analysts wrote that those demand trends were “exacerbated by increasingly mobile legal demand in the market, with evidence of smaller firms seeing greater success both overall and in certain practices, suggesting that clients are now more willing to shop around.”

    An earlier report this year from Thomson Reuters noted that 2015 was the last year in which the average midsize law firm outperformed the average Am Law 100 firm in terms of demand growth. That’s the case in 2022, in spite of the drag created by increasing overhead and rising associate compensation.

    But demand shifts between segments isn’t evidence that the gap between bigger and smaller firms is narrowing or that segmentation isn’t occurring, said Jim Jones, a former managing partner of Arnold & Porter and now senior director of Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown University Law Center.

    Indeed, he said he thinks it’s mounting evidence of segmentation.

    Full Article

  • Fri, October 07, 2022 11:49 AM | Sarah Hayden (Administrator)


    Written by: Ayanna Alexander

    Veteran women attorneys are jettisoning Big Law in favor of in-house jobs at a higher rate, an accelerating trend that hits top law firms at a time when they’re fighting to improve their diversity.

    In 2021, only 35% of women who left one of the top 200 law firms in the US joined another Big Law firm, according to data from legal consultancy Leopard Solutions. Through the first nine months of 2022, that number has shrunk to 28%. Moving to in-house positions remains the most popular second choice for women who say that gives them more control over their careers.

    Full Article

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