Engagement - September 9, 2008
Almost every study seems to indicate that the degree to which employees are engaged in ...

2007 Highest New Lawyer Year in 20 Years - July 7, 2008
Talk of layoffs comes after what was the strongest year ever for law school graduate ...

Managing the Grapevine - May 5, 2008
A new tool may be added to legal administrators’ skill set – managing gossip.&...

Taking Evaluations Seriously - May 5, 2008
As associate and staff retention becomes a larger part of law firms’ core business ...

Diversity – Is the Issue Resolvable at the Law Firm Level? - April 4, 2008
The statistics are clear; about one in three U.S. residents is a minority but ...

Flu Prevention - March 3, 2008
Any law firm that has been through a flu epidemic understands the value of flu ...

Summer Associate Offers - March 3, 2008
According to NALP, employment offers made to summer associates reached an all time high in 2007.&...

Behavioral Interviewing - February 2, 2008
We have observed that an increasing number of law firms are using behavior interviewing in ...

2008 Holiday Schedule - January 1, 2008
 Our survey of large law firms shows that they are planning to schedule the ...

Executive Physicals - January 1, 2008
Twenty years ago many law firms routinely provided executive physicals for partners and senior staff ...

Low 401(k) Participation - January 1, 2008
A new Federal report notes that only 36 percent of all workers participate in an employer ...

HR in a Box - December 12, 2007
Smaller law firms and regional offices of larger law firms are finding that some out ...

The High Cost of Health Care - December 12, 2007
It probably comes as no surprise that cost of firm sponsored health plans are the ...

Preparing for Boomer Retirements - December 12, 2007
We attempted to do an informal telephone survey of how law firms prepare for the ...

What’s in a Title - November 11, 2007
Common sense tells us that, in an industry where there is no uniformity of administrative ...

Benefits Dissatisfaction - November 11, 2007
Employee dissatisfaction with employer offered health care benefits reached an all-time low this year. ...

Bogus EEOC E-Mails - November 11, 2007
Law firms and other sophisticated employers are the target of a new e-mail threat. ...

Putting Diversity into Practice - November 11, 2007
The biggest problem with effective implementation of diversity programs is the failure to gain commitment ...

Resume Embellishment - October 10, 2007
A new study shows that 40 percent of candidates embellish or flat out lie about their ...

Mortgage Crisis Brings Increased Garnishments - October 10, 2007
Law firm employees have typically not been large targets for wage garnishments, but the current ...

Cutting Health Insurance Costs - October 10, 2007
Big jumps in health insurance premiums and self-insurance costs have caused law firms to look ...

Job Abandonment - September 9, 2007
It sounds silly to ask but how long does someone have to not show up ...

Hiring Clients' Children for the Summer - July 7, 2007
One of the great challenges for law firm administrators is what to do with clients' ...

Gender Differences in Job Satisfaction - June 6, 2007
According to the American Business Collaboration (a group that promotes job sharing) there are some ...

HR Issues in Law Firm Mergers - March 3, 2007
Merger discussions between law firms notoriously focus on financial and marketing issues, but HR Managers ...

Smokers’ Rights - February 2, 2007
You didn’t think smokers were going to go down without a fight, did ...

DC Gender Identity Rules - December 12, 2006
Since so many of our clients are located in Washington, or have an office there, ...

Health Care Coaching - October 10, 2006
Traditionally, law firms complain that they pay among the highest health care rates of any ...

“No-match” Rules for Social Security Numbers - October 10, 2006
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has teamed up with the Social Security Administration ...

Management/Employee Opinion Differences - September 9, 2006
One of the largest and most credible surveys of the attitudes of professional workers shows ...

Criminal Records Checks - August 8, 2006
The internet and the popup of so many background checking companies has made a criminal ...

Heath Insurance Plans - August 8, 2006
The employer share of health insurance is a major cost for law firm budgets. ...

Polling Employee Opinions - June 6, 2006
Creating an associate or staff member opinion poll that is valid and functional can be ...

Sexual Harassment and Diversity Training - June 6, 2006
It is common for the settlement of complaints involving sexual harassment or diversity problems that ...

Cracking Resume Code - May 5, 2006
When sorting through resumes or interviewing candidates there is a tendency to make notations directly ...

Exit Interviews - January 1, 2006
Everyone agrees that exit interviews are valuable. Employees tend to be more candid on the ...

Lessons From Katrina - December 12, 2005
With a record-breaking – and heart-breaking - hurricane season officially behind us, HR professionals ...

Sick Leave - December 12, 2005
Traditionally, law firms have focused on programs designed to encourage staff members to limit their ...

More Complex 401(k) Plans - November 11, 2005
Most law firm 401(k) plans offer participants a limited number of investment options. The ...

Orientation Questions - October 10, 2005
As law firms grow and technology becomes more complex, orientation programs for new associates and ...

HR Director Survey - October 10, 2005
Legal Week, a leading UK law firm management periodical, interviewed 55 senior law firm human resources ...

Legal Administrator Training - October 10, 2005
A question we hear quite often from clients is where to find top quality management ...

Unique Job Title - October 10, 2005
A client firm has a Knowledge Concierge. The position is responsible for helping lawyers access ...

Centralized v. Decentralized Human Resources - September 9, 2005
We are seeing a trend toward decentralized HR capabilities. As firms attempt to put more ...

How Not to Make a Bad Hire - September 9, 2005
The affect of a bad hire on a law firm goes far beyond the wasted ...

Staff Appreciation - July 7, 2005
What started as “take your secretary to lunch” day became the more inclusive ...

Background Checks - July 7, 2005
In the past two months we have heard of five firms who suffered embarrassment by ...

New Emphasis on Pension Plans - June 6, 2005
Experienced HR Directors have long recognized that most employees have little interest in pension issues ...

Signing Bonuses - June 6, 2005
The concept of signing bonuses, which used to be associated with high draft picks among ...

Temporary Law Firm Executives - March 3, 2005
Law firms have used temporary secretaries for years and, in some cities, temporary attorneys and ...

Internships - March 3, 2005
Internships aren’t just for law students anymore

Summer Associate Programs Become Strategic - February 2, 2005
Traditionally law firms used summer programs as a means of finding the best talent available. ...

Correlation Between Malpractice Risk and Legal Administrators? - February 2, 2005
General Electric Insurance Solutions has announced that it is offering up to a 7½% premium ...

Temporary Attorneys - February 2, 2005
For years temp agencies have been trying to sell law firms on the use of temporary attorneys

Part-time Attorneys - January 1, 2005
How many firms actually permit part-time schedules?

Part-time Arrangements - December 12, 2004
According to a NALP survey, the percentage of practicing attorneys who are working on a ...

Top 10 Perks - November 11, 2004
We are seeing a lot of firms adding some glitzy perquisites to attract and retain lawyers and staff

Keeping Older Workers - November 11, 2004
Some law firms are finding it difficult to fill positions requiring traditional skills

More Firms Add Practice Administrators - September 9, 2004
Increasingly we are working with firms to recruit for newly created Practice Administrator

Performance Reviews Become Automated - September 9, 2004
Performance reviews are among the most dreaded of law firm rituals

Lawyer Termination - July 7, 2004
A look inside “involuntary” termination

Administrative Outsourcing - July 7, 2004
You don’t have to go to India to outsource administrative functions. CBF Group, ...

Training of New Lawyers - June 6, 2004
How different training systems in the U.K. and U.S. will mesh

Dealing with Problem Partners - June 6, 2004
Some firms have focused their attention and energy on dealing with under-performing partners

International Outsourcing - May 5, 2004
As U.S. firms look at moving administrative functions to India, Underwoods, a UK employment ...

Wellness Programs - April 4, 2004
With skyrocketing health insurance costs, some firms are revisiting wellness programs