Features
Professional Development: Enough Is Enough: Lawyers Should Look Like Lawyers
This is the first of two articles about current dress codes in U.S. law firms. This first article sets forth the author's opinion on the 'hot-button' topic. The second article will present reaction and commentary from managing partners and firm leaders across the country.
Features
Law Firm Intelligence: Researching an RFP: Winning Business Through Understanding Clients
In conducting research for an RFP, turnaround time, budget, and resource considerations will have to be balanced with the value of the opportunity. Before the research begins, the researcher should read the RFP and consult with key decision-makers in her firm to determine the research questions, the scope of the research process as well the format of the final product.
Making It Run Isn't Running It
A favorite story about this is the lawyer who once said to me that if you're smart enough to be a lawyer, you're smart enough to do your own advertising. True, I said. And if you're smart enough to be a lawyer, you're smart enough to be a nuclear physicist ' but it doesn't make you one." Here's what managing is ' and is not.
The Place to Network: Blow That Curve!
Remember those kids in high school who blew the bell curve ' the overachievers? Those were the ones who asked for extra credit projects even when the rest of us were up to our eyebrows in the standard work requirements. Well, some of them grew up to be high-powered associates at law firms! Here's how to be one of them.
Career Journal: Title Inflation: What's in a Name?
Like many organizations, title inflation has befallen law firms. Over the last decade, starting with the move of Executive Directors to Chief Operating Officer titles, most functional managers have seen their titles elevated to the 'C' level. While generally a sign of progress, some new positions can really make you scratch your head.
Features
What to Do When You Get a Business Card
As the author says: Don't treat a business card like a scrap of paper. Be intentional about your business development and be meticulous in your record-keeping. By the time you have 4,000 or 5,000 records in your contact list, you'll be sitting on a hilltop of gold." Here's how to do it.
Retaliation Claims.
Retaliation claims are on the rise. Commonly brought under state or federal discrimination laws, wage/hour laws, Sarbanes-Oxley, or other regulatory schemes, such claims are becoming more prevalent. One likely reason for the rise in such claims is that they are viable even when the claim of discrimination or illegal conduct that underlies the alleged retaliation is determined not to have merit. This article contains savvy advice for employers.
Paying Now to Avoid Paying Later
Unwary employers, particularly federal contractors or subcontractors, who do not regularly review their own compensation practices, remain at risk for costly litigation. Here's why.
Avoiding State Law Pitfalls
Navigating the treacherous waters of federal employment law is not easy. Well-intentioned employers can unknowingly violate some of the more complicated (albeit well-known) laws like the Family & Medical Leave Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act due to a lack of familiarity with the applicable regulations or the case law interpreting them. When an employer has operations in multiple jurisdictions, the analysis becomes even more complex due to circuit splits on pivotal issues.
Reasonable Accommodation of Religion Under Title VII
Employers are increasingly faced with the challenge of responding to employee requests to be relieved of work requirements related to religious beliefs and observance. This article provides general background regarding the definition of 'religion' and 'religious belief' in the context of providing a religious accommodation, and an overview of the growing body of case law that deals with the employee's right to seek and the employer's obligation to provide a 'reasonable accommodation.'
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