Ahead of the Curve
March 2020
PURPOSE
The Professional Development Advisory Committee’s (PDAC) purpose in providing you this communication is to further its goal of periodically sharing topical information regarding the legal industry. Our hope is that one or more of the updates will provide a spark of insight to assist with your work on behalf of ALA as well as within your firm or legal department.
Past Issues
"WORKING FROM HOME? HERE’S HOW TO SEPARATE THE ‘WORK’ FROM THE ‘HOME’"
Full-time remote work is the new normal — at least for now and for some of us. Establishing boundaries—with the help of your partner, family, or roommates — can help you adjust.
Learn more.
Resource: Glenn Fleishman, Fast Company
"BUILD TRUST AND ADD VALUE THROUGH LEGAL MARKETING: PRINCIPLES TO FOLLOW DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS"
Marketing may seem meaningless in times like these, but it’s critical. Through marketing, we must focus on building more trust, generating more enrollment, and making more of an impact. Marketing, especially now, is not about being the fastest or loudest. Effective marketing is about providing more help to those you hope to serve.
Learn more.
Resource: Jay Harrington, Attorney at Work
"THE INCREDIBLY SIMPLE REASON WORKING FROM HOME COULD BE HERE TO STAY"
Companies are finally investing in the remote work technology that they didn’t think they needed before. A quick read.
Learn more.
Resource: Ruth Carter, Attorney at Work
"PUBLIC SPEAKING: HOW TO BE A BETTER CLE PANELIST"
The dos and don'ts and expert tips to avoid boring the audience. While focused for attorneys, these are good tips everyone can use. This will help to make it a great presentation.
Learn more.
Resource: Ruth Carter, Attorney at Work
"60 IN 60 TECHSHOW CLOSING SESSION"
The session covered travel and work tips, privacy and keyboards. Good article and link to a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation that has all of the tips.
Learn more.
Resource: Victor Li, ABA Journal
"ETHICAL DILEMMAS EMERGE WHEN ATTORNEYS KEEP MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES PRIVATE"
An article on a panel discussion at the ABA Tech show about the issues of attorneys not reaching out to their firms for help and some of the directions that others can take. While notifying the Bar about an impaired attorney is an alternative and probably might even be required, it seems to me that if attorneys don't want to reach out to tell management about a problem, it might be even harder to call in an anonymous tip on their friend.
Learn more.
Resource: Amanda Robert, ABA Journal
"AI IN LAW AND LEGAL PRACTICE: A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF 35 CURRENT APPLICATIONS"
This article lists the 35 current applications various firms are now using and how they are using them. It's a little lengthy, but it's easy to scroll down to areas that might interest you. It is a balanced and helpful article that helps to grasp how AI can help firms.
Learn more.
Resource: Edgar Alan Rayo, Emerj
"10 TIPS FOR A MORE EFFECTIVE, PERSONABLE ATTORNEY BIO"
A good bio can help to bring in new business. A bad one can put you out of the running.
Learn more.
Resource: Gina Rubel, Attorney at Work
"IT’S TIME TO CHANGE THE WAY WE MANAGE CHANGE"
Legal tech has flourished, but have lawyers kept up? Tips to get unstuck.
Learn more.
Resource: Abhijat Saraswat, Attorney at Work
