Tag: humanresources

Categories
Law Firm Management

Reading Between The Lines

Man in front of computer screen which says that his services are no longer required.
Photo by Ron Lach at Pexels.

At my law firm, we had great human resources management. It was so good that information was hard to come by. In fact, it was just about impossible to get any really good gossip out of management until it had made its way down to the partners, after which it became more readily available.

Since we had some really smart people at our firm (as well as a few who were not so smart), it should not be surprising that we had to compensate for the lack of information flow by learning to read between the lines.

read more about human resources in lawfirms “Reading Between The Lines”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Some Stuff Matters. Some Not So Much.

Woman holding a small balance with two different items on it.
Photo by JJ Jordan at Pexels.

This is for the young folks looking for jobs in private practice early in their careers. Here is what matters and what does not matter so much. Ignore this at your own peril (and I am sure that a great many of you will both ignore it and eventually be in peril.)

read more about what matters and what doesn’t. “Some Stuff Matters. Some Not So Much.”
Categories
Law Students and Young Lawyers

Advice From The Uninformed

U.S. recruiting poster saying "I want you for the U.S. Army."
Photo by Inguaribile Viaggiatore at Pexels.

Let’s say that you get arrested and are in deep doo-doo. Would you rather ask for advice from an experienced criminal lawyer or a recent graduate?  The answer sounds obvious, doesn’t it?

And yet, when I was practicing law, I would often see articling students and junior lawyers ask for help from other junior people rather than reaching out to more senior lawyers. Sometimes the more senior people were not approachable or were downright intimidating, but more often than not, the students or junior lawyers were just shy or insecure about approaching them.

read more about lying to recruiters “Advice From The Uninformed”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Huh, Really?

photo-of-shocked-woman-in-blue-t-shirt-standing-in-front-of-white-background-
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.

A short while ago I was contacted by a junior Associate who I will call Jennifer. Jennifer was looking to move to a well-established Vancouver law firm.

The interview with the senior partner went well and Jennifer received an offer which was more than acceptable. She was very excited about taking the next step in her career.

read more about partner trumps management “Huh, Really?”
Categories
Firm Culture

Building a Team of Partners and Losers

Baseball player sliding into third base and about to be tagged out.
Photo by Pixabay at Pexels.

We live in a hierarchical world. In a law firm, the levels are pretty clear. From top to bottom it goes something like this: Managing Partner, Other Partners (ranked in order of billings and client originating credits), Senior Associates, Professional Managers, Junior Associates, Law Clerks, Legal Assistants, Clerical Staff, Articling Students, and Cleaners.

Everyone in a law firm has a pretty good notion about what the hierarchy is, although Articling Students have sometimes found out to their shock and horror that they do in fact rank under the Law Clerks, Legal Assistants, and Clerical Staff.

read more about partners and losers “Building a Team of Partners and Losers”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Selling Out For the Price of a Postage Stamp

A red postage stamp bearing the head of the Queen.
Photo by Brett Jordan at Pexels.

Just about everything that I learned about stupidity in the realm of managing people, I learned from lawyers, much of it from my own mistakes. However, this time I will write about the failures at my friend Martin’s law firm instead.

At Martin’s firm, the Human Resources Manager convinced the Partners that it would be a good idea to initiate a program to recognize long-serving firm members, with the view of spreading the word to all members of the team that the firm valued loyalty.

read more about how useless lawyers are at motivating people “Selling Out For the Price of a Postage Stamp”
Categories
Law Firm Management

Lawyers are Fools When it Comes to Hiring People

Two people in a meeting.

You would think that in a profession where people are the most valuable asset, employers would develop some expertise around human resources.  And yet, most lawyers know squat about it. That is not surprising. Most H.R. professionals do not know much about practicing law.

read more about why lawyers should use h.r. professionals “Lawyers are Fools When it Comes to Hiring People”