The Professional Development Issue | May 2014
In this issue of ABA Law Practice Today:
It’s more important than ever for law firms to train attorneys and staff on the “soft skills” of communication and client service. For too long, lawyers and law firms have ignored the serious harm resulting from chronic exposure to stress. It’s past time to address this issue – as an operational business priority, not merely an act of human compassion. Arm yourself with these five niche marketing tips as you take on—and take out—the marketing challenges that you face every day. Legal professional development has changed dramatically. To help PD professionals (and their employers) realize their full potential, the Professional Development Consortium has built the profession’s first formal competency model. Do law schools do enough to prepare students for the reality of legal practice? Not if you ask a majority of respondents to a recent survey. The differences between how men and women communicate and approach work tasks can profoundly affect a law firm’s success in business development. Smart firms are taking action now to understand and bridge the differences between the genders that impact getting new business. Lawyers who have embraced the changing legal landscape to create non-traditional legal jobs—AltLegal jobs—offer their perspective on the benefits of carving your own career path. Role models and multiple models of success are important for cultivating an environment in which all attorneys believe they have an opportunity to succeed.
Developing Lawyers’ “Soft Skills” – a Challenge for the New Era in Legal Services
Law Firms: It Is In Your Business Interest To Grant Your Lawyers’ Request For Relief
Super Attorney: How to Be a Marketing Hero
Mastering PD: The PDC’s Evolving Competency Model
Law Students Need Professional Development, Too
Developing Business with Women and Men
The Changing Legal Industry and the Birth of AltLegal
Imagine Me – The Power of Role Modeling