New Jersey Pulse

Expert Analysis

• Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll

  As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.

• The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation

  As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

• The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms

  In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

• The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey

  Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

• Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors

  Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

• Series

  Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload?

  Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

• A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms

  Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

• Series

  Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments?

  In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging. 

• Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap

  In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.

• COVID-19 Spurs Associates To Think Bigger — Like Partners

  What is the firm's data on profit per partner? How do the rainmakers seal deals without pre-COVID-19 pricey dinners? Is the firm financially stable? These are the kinds of partner-level questions associates are now asking before choosing a new firm, which points to a major shift in the lateral landscape, say Kate Reder Sheikh and Rebecca Glatzer at Major Lindsey & Africa.

• Guest Feature

  Mentorship Is Key To Fixing Drop-Off Of Women In Law

  It falls to senior male attorneys to recognize the crisis female attorneys face as the pandemic amplifies an already unequal system and to offer their knowledge, experience and counsel to build a better future for women in law, says James Meadows at Culhane Meadows.