Diversity is increasingly becoming a focal point in the hiring practices of law firms. While many firms have the best of intentions when it comes to fostering an inclusive working environment, it’s often hard to measure how the firm is progressing in relation to the benchmarks it has set in terms of diversity.

This paper, aimed at all law firms, describes the key elements of a pro bono policy, offers sample policy clauses, and provides information on what other firms are doing.

Risk management is now, more than ever, critical to effective business management, to surviving difficult times and to flourishing as economic conditions improve.

There’s something about a hardhat. Hand them out, put them on and suddenly, a group of individuals becomes a team with a common goal. It’s as true for an on-site crew as for the lawyers who pay them a visit.

The era of the free-agent lawyer, and the law firm lateral hiring frenzy that it spawned, is drawing to a close. The rise of the culture-driven law firm is at hand — because the emphasis on individual lawyer priority over organizational commitment simply isn’t working.

It used to be that lawyers learned about the practice of law entirely on the job or from a colleague’s helpful advice. Today an increased workplace emphasis on formal education and training is making that approach outdated. Law firms are sending lawyers off to school – and bringing coaches to them – for leadership training.

It can be a daunting task - managing a law firm of any size while maintaining a legal practice. But you can learn to juggle both.

Many people mistakenly believe the Chinese word for “crisis” consists of two separate characters: danger and opportunity. Although the etymology is wrong, the sentiment behind it applies to today’s economic climate.

Who influenced you when you were starting out? Do you look back fondly to the kind lawyer who guided you through ethical dilemmas in your early years at the bar? Or did you have to do it the hard way, without a mentor, learning what worked and what didn’t literally through trial and error?

For many years, there has been a quiet and uneasy controversy within firms on whether to limit the tenure of the firm leader.