According to today’s Washington Post article, that is exactly where our HR departments are headed. The authors report that the emphasis on belonging grew out of a natural progression from looking at what was working and not working in diversity and inclusion programs. Belonging in the workplace is quickly becoming HR's next hot topic - although not everyone is quite certain how to implement it yet.

For its proponents, using the word ‘belonging’ is intended to bring in an emotional element of diversity and inclusion, rather than just focusing on bottom line numbers or who is in the room. As subsequent generations of students continue to rise into the ranks of companies (and law firms), they are looking for a sense of community and social connection. Belonging is the word that feels right.

Have you seen an emphasis on belonging in your firm conversations yet? Let us know in the comments below!

The ABA spent two years studying women's decisions to leave large firms and compiled their findings into the report Walking Out The Door. This report compares perspectives from men, women, and managing partners and aims to reveal answers in three focus areas:

• Everyday experiences that contribute to success for women and men
• Reasons why women stay vs leave
• What is working vs not working in regards to advancing women

While it's not surprising that parental responsibilities are a significant factor influencing women's decisions, what is most revealing about this report is that it is a small part of a much larger picture of gender bias in firms. The authors compare it to "death by a thousand cuts." The lack of access to business development, significant senior female role models, and advancement opportunities in big firms are also discussed as having a significant impact on women in large firms.

At 20 pages long, the report is an insightful window into what is happening behind the scenes before women choose to leave, and why firms might be missing the mark on getting them to stay. It concludes with concrete action steps for positive change and is well worth the read.  

 Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

NATASHA ZECH
Director of Attorney Recruiting, Diversity & Development
Williams & Connolly LLP

1. How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
I've been a proud WALRAA member for almost 10 years! My favorite experience has been serving as a WALRAA mentor and having one of my mentees, Sherry Bridge, recently join my firm this year.

2. How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
What started as a role focused on attorney recruiting has gradually expanded to include associate development and diversity and inclusion. At times, it has been rather daunting to wade into unknown territory but the support, guidance and resources from fellow WALRAA members has really helped me spread my wings professionally.

3. How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
I was a former paralegal at Williams & Connolly. In addition to having tremendous respect for the litigators, I really loved the firm culture and comradery we shared in the trenches. After clerking and litigating elsewhere for several years, when I was ready for a career change, I was welcomed back to lead our attorney recruiting department. Being a former litigator - and my love for socializing - has made recruiting my dream job!

4. What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
While our team members have many years of collective experience, we are relatively new to each other. But everyone has really stepped up to support each other personally and professionally in the short time we've worked together, even when we are working long hours, and watching us grow and thrive has easily been the highlight of my career to date.

5. What is it that challenges you most in your job?
It's hard for me to say no to a good social event and I often forget that I require more sleep than a summer associate.

6. How do you balance your career and personal life?
I don't love the phrase "work life balance" because it implies that my personal and professional life have perfect equilibrium and never overlap. On my best day, I try to be flexible and shift my priorities at home and at work, depending on what the situation requires. On all other days, I try for some self care and pat myself on the back for keeping my children alive and happy. And give a shout out to my husband for doing the same because I couldn't do any of this without an amazing partner.

7. What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
The Diversity Committee hosted a very insightful meeting this year on Law and Parenthood that not only provided attendees with interesting data but gave us practical tips that we could implement at our respective organizations.  It resonated with me as a parent who like so many has struggled with competing demands at home and in the office.  The conversation spurred a group of us to form something we’ve been discussing for a while - the inaugural WALRAA Parents Group which had had its first meeting last month.  It's been heartening to see that there are so many ways to parent and I love getting parents together to learn from each other. Like so many, I've benefitted tremendously from the committee work and networking events that WALRAA has hosted and I welcomed the chance to give back to an organization that has given so much to me.

8. What is the best professional advice you have received?
Instead of focusing on the salary, find a job that interests you and you're more likely to work hard at it and turn it into a career.

9. What do you like to do for fun?
I love to cook and we have family dinners with my parents every Sunday. Now that I've stopped burning everything in my Williams Sonoma cookbooks, it's become a favorite family tradition.

10. Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I'm an introvert. Just kidding.

Written By: John Hollway

Attorney well-being is a topic of great focus today, and with good reason. Attorneys suffer from very high rates of substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and suicide, and a recent Harvard Business Review article rated law the loneliest profession. This may not surprise you—perhaps you or a colleague is hurting.

But we owe it to ourselves and our profession to find answers so that we can, first, ensure those who are in crisis mode receive the immediate help and attention they need, and, second, adopt preventive measures to help change the statistics.

When we talk about “attorney well-being,” what do we mean? “Well-being” and “wellness” are thrown about a lot, and becoming more integrated into conversations around the practice of law, but not everyone means the same things. Well-being is more than ergonomic desks, step challenges and meditation programs (though I’m supportive of all three of those initiatives!). So here, I propose a framework for thinking about well-being in the context of work and the practice of law.

Full Artile

SARAH HAYDEN
Legal Recruiting Coordinator
Perkins Coie LLP

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
I've been a member of WALRAA for two years.  My favorite experience so far was the 2018 Educational Conference.  I thought the breakout sessions were really great!

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
It has allowed me to meet so many others in Legal Recruiting. I'm able to listen to their stories, learn about their experiences, and apply some of their ideas to my own work.

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
I joined Perkins in February 2016 and started helping out with Legal Recruiting that summer (their busiest time).  I became a full time coordinator within the department by April 2017.  

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
I really enjoy getting to meet lateral hires in the different stages of the hiring process. I first meet them in the interview stage and if they're hired, I then get to on-board them and see how they acclimate within firm. I also really enjoy our summer associate program as I attend many of the events with our summers so it adds fun activities to an otherwise very busy time.  

What is it that challenges you most in your job?
Honestly, it has to be the workload at the busier times of the year. Our summer associate program won't have even ended when I've already started planning and preparing for OCI.   

How do you balance your career and personal life?
While my hours and commute makes a personal life on weekdays a bit more difficult, I find time to see my family and friends as often as I can on the weekends.  

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
I'd like to continue to learn more about legal recruiting both within my firm and from our WALRAA membership meetings.  

What is the best professional advice you have received?
The best professional advice I've received is also echoed by my mom often - be an advocate for yourself!  Fight for what you want and don't take "no" for an answer.

What do you like to do for fun?
Cue the common answers - reading, watching tv, movies. I also love spending time with my dog and love to travel as often as I can to new places.  I hope to visit Spain this fall and head somewhere warm over the winter holidays.  

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I'd have to change this question to "most people at WALRAA" because my friends know I'm a giant nerd.  I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and am still waiting for my letter to Hogwarts...

ASHLEY NETTLES
Attorney Recruiting & Development Coordinator
O'Melveny & Myers LLP

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
1 year. I thought the Industry Survey with Eva Wisnik was very helpful. 

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
This is my first law firm job; when I was thinking about switching industries, a WALRAA member told me about the organization, and I reached out to a few people on the board to talk to them about their career paths. These conversations helped me determine that legal recruiting would be a good fit for me, and ultimately positioned me to apply to and accept an offer at O'Melveny. I'm very thankful for WALRAA helping me get my start here and introducing me to a great field!   

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
In my previous role, I helped run our internship program, which quickly became my favorite part of my job. I decided to try to make that piece more of a central part of my day-to-day, and in conversations with others, stumbled on attorney recruiting. 

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
I love our summer associate program! I enjoy the recruiting process and figuring out who is going to be part of our class, as well as planning for their arrival. Their first day at the firm has to be my favorite part though: they bring such a nice energy and excitement to the office as a whole. 

What is it that challenges you most in your job?
I think the most challenging part (which I also like) is that we get to wear a lot of hats, and it's just a lot to juggle all of the different components and make sure that you aren't dropping the ball on any of it. It really is true that no two days are the same, which I also really enjoy.   

How do you balance your career and personal life?
Honestly, I haven't found this to be too difficult so far. We have a really great team, and when everyone is committed and is working hard when we are at the office, then we can all have a good personal life outside of the office too. Some parts of the year are of course busier than others, but it helps to have a flexible, can-do-it attitude at all times. 

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
I've learned so much this first year, and I'm excited to continue to learn and grow in year two. Specifically, I'm looking forward to going back through parts of the recruiting cycle for a second time and making recommendations for ways we can improve based on my previous experiences. 

What do you like to do for fun?
I like to get outside as much as possible, especially now that the weather is warming up! I also love attending concerts (preferably at Wolf Trap or another outdoor venue). My husband and I love to travel; we are planning a trip to South Africa this year, which I'm very excited about. 

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I love dachshunds. I had a dachshund growing up named Buddy, and it makes me very happy when I see one walking around DC. I look forward to the day when I can have my own again! 

When Major, Lindsey & Africa released its 2018 Partner Compensation Survey, showing that male partners earn 53 percent more than female partners at top U.S. law firms, well-deserved attention was placed on this persistent problem. Since the survey’s inception in 2010, male partners have consistently reported substantially higher average compensation than female partners. Because underlying factors causing this pay gap are complex, the search for solutions requires robust discussion and collaboration among everyone in the industry.

One voice with a special stake in the gender pay gap—and a special ability to help solve it—is that of the legal recruiting industry. Legal recruiters serve as intermediaries and trusted advisers between firms and candidates, and have a unique view of talent across the industry. By coaching highly qualified candidates to fully advocate for and market themselves while also assisting law firm clients in analyzing the value of a lawyer or group of lawyers’ practices, recruiters are in a unique position to help move the needle on closing the gap.

Indeed, because successful legal recruiters have a broad view of the industry, the work we do to help address pervasive issues like the gender pay gap starts as early as law school and extends throughout a lawyer’s career. Here’s how we can make a difference.

Full Article

ARIELLE DUBIN
Legal Personnel & Development Coordinator
WilmerHale

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
I've been a member of WALRAA for just over two years. I've enjoyed getting to know colleagues in other firms and law schools and being a member of WALRAA always reminds me that I'm part of a dynamic profession and not simply an employee of one particular firm.

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
In all sorts of ways, but the most important part of being a member of WALRAA is the opportunity to meet and get to know more senior colleagues who end up serving as supportive mentors.

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
I guess you could say Attorney Recruiting/Career Services is in my DNA! I was probably one of the only kids that knew what NALP, OCI and "the fall" meant long before I joined our profession. My story is that my mom has worked in the Public Interest Advising Office at Georgetown Law my entire life, so after college when I was figuring out what I should do, she somewhat randomly suggested I look into legal recruiting. She connected me with Megan McGrath who at the time (and to this day) was an incredible mentor and she helped me get a foot in the door. I first worked at Sidley Austin for a summer, decided I wanted to work in higher ed, so I worked at Georgetown SCS for a few years, and then returned to the field after missing the fast-paced environment of legal recruiting.

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
There have been so many, but I think that the stand out moments always involve being part of a team. The opportunity to feel that my contributions strengthen the team's overall excellence is deeply rewarding and important to me.

What is it that challenges you most in your job?
Being in a high-speed, non-stop environment can be challenging yet exhilarating. No one day is the same, and since I just joined WilmerHale this past summer and transitioned from recruiting to legal personnel, I still have a lot to learn, but I love learning by doing. Even when there's more to do than the hours in the day!

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
This past year I wanted to get more involved in WALRAA, so I volunteered to be the co-chair of the Mentoring & Networking Committee. My goals were to meet more members, mentor junior recruiters just starting out, and I was also interested in helping to revamp the existing mentoring program. For example, this year we created mentoring circles of 5 - 7 members from all different experience levels, rather than just creating mentorship pairs, and I think they were a success!

What is the best professional advice you have received?
If you're interested in a getting involved in a project or learning more about a subject, you should always let someone know. We control our own careers, so if there is something that interests you, the best thing you can do is ask to learn more about it. People will notice your sincerity and you will likely be offered the opportunity to stretch yourself. I love to work out, read, take my dog for walks around the monuments, and try new and amazing restaurants in DC. As a former pasty chef, I'm still food obsessed, so eating my way around DC is a top priority.

What do you like to do for fun?
I love to work out, read, take my dog for walks around the monuments, and try new and amazing restaurants in DC. As a former pasty chef, I'm still food obsessed, so eating my way around DC is a top priority.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
After college, I went to the Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA) to become a pastry chef and then worked at The Ritz-Carlton, DC.

The American Bar Association is launching an innovative campaign targeting substance-use disorders and mental health issues among lawyers, and some of the nation’s largest law firms have already pledged to support the initiative and adopt its framework for improved well-being.onigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP; Latham & Watkins LLP; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP; Nixon Peabody LLP; Perkins Coie LLP; Reed Smith, LLP; Schiff Hardin LLP; Seyfarth Shaw LLP; Snell & Wilmer LLP; and Wiley Rein LLP. The ABA hopes all legal employers take the pledge by Jan. 1, 2019, to be included in the inaugural class that is making this commitment to lawyer well-being.

Full Article

It's a job seeker's market and potential hires want to see the hiring process include reminders, text messages and other app-like bells and whistles.  Most online hiring plans occur via email, but when it comes to scheduling interviews, managers may want to switch to text.

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JENNIFER GEWERTZ
Firmwide Director of Attorney Recruiting
Arnold & Porter

How long have you been a member of WALRAA? What has been your favorite experience so far?
I have been a member of WALRAA for 15 years (typing that makes me feel really old)! My favorite experiences have been serving on various WALRAA committees over the years. I've made a lot of wonderful friends and learned a lot along the way.

How has WALRAA helped you in your field?
WALRAA has helped keep me informed and up to date on important industry developments and provided a network of colleagues within the industry that I can turn to for perspective and advice as my career has progressed.

How did you first learn about and get started in Attorney Recruiting/Career Services?
I was a year and a half out of college and recruiting for a small family-owned company that managed fitness centers and spas in hotels. I knew I wanted to stay in recruiting but wanted to expand my horizons. Coincidentally, my mother attended a summer associate event at my father's law firm and ended up having a long conversation with one of the attorney recruiters at the firm about what their job entailed. My mom called me that evening told me she thought it was a job that I would really enjoy and I reached out to that recruiter (who was a WALRAA member) to get more information. She told me about the WALRAA job listings and I started applying for jobs at firms shortly thereafter. I wasn't offered a job at the first firm I interview with but through WALRAA connections, I was referred to someone else who was also looking to hire someone and the rest is history! This was one of those times when mom really does know best!

What is your favorite moment of your career so far?
It's hard to narrow it down to one moment but I think it would have to be the first time I felt like my guidance and support had a direct impact on a summer associate receiving an offer at the end of the summer. But, I have also had so many amazing moments just being in the trenches with my recruiting colleagues over the years. Those moments mean so much to me and helped keep me sane through all of the long hours and professional challenges.

What is it that challenges you most in your job?
In my current role, managing a team of people spread across several offices. At this point in my career, the recruiting part is easy but being sure that the team of people I am responsible for are happy and feel fulfilled by their job is definitely a daily challenge!

How do you balance your career and personal life?
I have no idea! If someone has this figured out, please call me to fill me in!

What professional goals have you set for yourself this year?
This year I am really excited about the work I am doing as a member of WALRAA's Safety & Wellness Task Force and one of the Vice Chairs of NALP's Sexual Harassment & Recruiting Conduct Work Group.

What is the best professional advice you have received?
Always do the right thing. It's seems pretty simple but often times it's the more difficult path.

What do you like to do for fun?
Quality time with my family, relax near any body of water, wine tasting and way back in the day...karaoke at NALP conferences!

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
My claim to fame is that John Krasinski (Jim from The Office) was a classmate of mine in college and since my maiden name is Kraemer, our pictures were right next to each other in our college Facebook (back when it was actually a printed book that you received as a Freshman)!