Ahead of the Curve
November 2021
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
"AS TALENT WAR ESCALATES, LAW FIRMS FEAR BUSINESS PROS GETTING POACHED"
Law firms aren't just fighting for talented lawyers. A duel for talented nonattorney staff members is happening as well.
Learn more.
Resource: Andrew Mahoney, Law.com (requires subscription)
"WILL CALIFORNIA BE THE NEXT STATE TO PERMIT NON-LAWYER PARAPROFESSIONALS?"
The State Bar of California is considering a proposal to have the Golden State join a small number of other jurisdictions in permitting non-lawyer paraprofessionals to provide legal advice and undertake other tasks typically handled by attorneys. Under the plan crafted by the California Paraprofessional Program Working Group, paraprofessionals would be allowed to represent parties in court in certain instances but not jury trials.
Learn more.
Resource: Lyle Moran, ABA Journal
"SOME LAW FIRMS TRY TO KEEP THEIR LAWYERS UNDER THE RADAR IN MISGUIDED EFFORT TO KEEP THEM"
Some law firms trying to hold on to their lawyers are offering special bonuses and perks, making counteroffers, offering more interesting work, and promoting on a shortened timeline. Then there are the law firms hoping that they can keep their talent hidden from competitors.
Learn more.
Resource: Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal
"CONTRACT LAWYERS FACE A GROWING INVASION OF SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS THAT MONITOR THEIR WORK"
Facial recognition systems have become an increasingly common element of the rapid rise in work-from-home surveillance during the coronavirus pandemic. Employers argue that they offer a simple and secure way to monitor a scattered workforce. But for Anidi and other lawyers, they serve as a dehumanizing reminder that every second of their workday is rigorously probed and analyzed: After verifying their identity, the software judges their level of attention or distraction and kicks them out of their work networks if the system thinks they’re not focused enough.
Learn more.
Resource: Drew Harwell, The Washington Post
"TALENT WARS TOP LIST OF PERCEIVED THREATS TO LAW FIRM PROFITABILITY, NEW SURVEY FINDS"
Law firm business leaders are bullish about the future of the legal industry, but they are increasingly concerned about the impact of talent wars on profitability, according to a survey released Tuesday.
Learn more.
Resource: Debra Cassens Weiss, American Bar Association
"SIDLEY AUSTIN IMPLEMENTS EXECUTIVE TRAINING AND NEW TITLES FOR ASSOCIATES"
Senior Sidley Austin associates are getting new titles and new opportunities to learn business skills.
Learn more.
Resource: Debra Cassens Weiss, American Bar Association
"HOW LAW FIRMS CAN GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE WITH FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE"
Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Rob Stote, the Managing Director of profitability products at BigHand, a provider of financial and operational productivity software; Michael Grupp, Chief Executive Officer of Bryter, a no-code software platform; and Tom Obermaier, Chief Executive Officer of SurePoint Technologies, a provider of financial and practice management software, about the recent report — Implementing Financial Intelligence to Give Law Firms a Competitive Advantage in 2022 and Beyond — that the three companies commissioned to identify key trends among law firm financial leaders.
Learn more.
Resource: Ari Kaplan, American Bar Association
"ABA TECHREPORT 2021 SURVEY ON LEGAL TECH TRENDS"
The American Bar Association Legal Technology Resource Center will begin releasing its ABA TechReport 2021, a comprehensive publication exploring how attorneys are using technology in their practices, on November 10. TechReport 2021 combines data from the annual Legal Technology Survey Report with expert analysis, observations and predictions from legal technology leaders.
Learn more.
Resource: American Bar Association
"FORGET FLEXIBILITY. YOUR EMPLOYEES WANT AUTONOMY."
For organizations looking to remain competitive in the hybrid future, enabling and empowering employee autonomy will be the single most important enabler of flexibility. By ditching policies for principles, investing in competence and relatedness, and giving employees the tools they need to do their job well regardless of location, leaders can create a culture of autonomy and flexibility to the benefit of the organization, teams, and individual employees.
Learn more.
Resource: Holger Reisinger and Dane Fetterer, Harvard Business Review
"LAW FIRMS STILL BELIEVE THEY HAVE A CLEAR ADVANTAGE OVER ALSPS. THEIR CLIENTS ARE STARTING TO FEEL DIFFERENTLY."
For now, law firms still have an edge over their less traditional competitors. But there's evidence to suggest that could be gradually changing.
Learn more.
Resource: Zack Needles, Law.com (requires free subscription)
