LSAT and GMAT Registrations Are Up

It appears that law schools and business schools have nothing to worry about, and may actually see a silver-lining in the economic cloud. Registrations for the LSAT are up 6.2% and GMAT registrations are up 10.4%. For more information click here.
In the long run, law firms will also benefit. The biggest contributor to current high [...]

Doctors Trained Like Lawyers?

Does that question send chills down your spine? At a recent symposium on legal education, Professor David Chavkin of the University of Washington School of Law, put it this way:
“If the goal of medical school were to teach students not how to be doctors, but how to think like doctors, would you want to be [...]

AMLAW 2008 Law Firm Leaders Survey: The Results are In!

The results of the 2008 survey were published yesterday, and there are some surprises given what’s been in the news. First, 38% responded that they are “optimistic” about 2009. Second, 72% expect their firm headcount to increase over the next year. And third, 58% expect their 2009 first-year associate class to be the same as [...]

Generation “Watch Out”

I found a link to this intriguing article from Ad Week on the (non)billable hour blog. Although the article is focusing on graduates in the marketing field, the author’s observations apply to 20-somethings generally. We’ve been hearing about this generation for the past few years, but have law firms adapted? Are we ready for this [...]

Associate Retention through Professional Development

In an article earlier this year, Big Firm Associates: Why They Go and How to Keep Them, I found a very interesting quote: “…most importantly, firms could spend as much time on professional development as on marketing.” I don’t know if firms are using this type of benchmark to measure the amount of resources committed [...]

Things that might change soon…

Associate retention has recently been an issue in part due to flat law school admissions. Where were they all going…business school. Maybe not such a good idea anymore. Are Students Switching Career Interest From Business to Law?
The associate salary boom appears to be at an end. No more keeping up with the law firm down [...]

A Softer Side?

Two recent items about “work/life balance” that were in the news caught my eye. First, Balch & Bingham, an Atlanta-based firm, is allowing staff to work four 10 hour days. For a temporary period of time, staff can choose to take off Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. This came about when the managing partner overheard a [...]

Already Out Looking?

According to an Associate Life Survey by Lateral Link and Above the Law, almost half of associates who have been practicing less than one year are looking for jobs or about to start looking. Why all the looking around?
“The majority of respondents, 52%, simply want “a more satisfying practice.” 43% want a better work environment, [...]

Integration vs. Orientation

After reading this article from NALP, I’m intrigued by the idea of an ongoing “integration” versus a two-week orientation for new associates. The definitions for these two activities could not be more different. Orientation is merely an “introduction” to new surroundings, while integration is an act of combining into a whole (dictionary.com). I  think that [...]