As corporate clients more often consider the diversity and inclusion policies of law firms when selecting counsel to represent them, competition to recruit minority talent is fierce. To satisfy their desire for outside counsel that meet their desired diversity and inclusion goals, general counsel expand their searches to include smaller, local, and regional firms. Specifically,…
The conversation around diversity and inclusion in the legal profession changed over the past several decades. When the principals of SeltzerFontaineLLC entered the legal search profession in the early 1980s, diversity was a topic we brought up to the hiring authorities at major law firms and corporate legal departments rather than the other way around.…
If your law firm is eligible but lacks certification as a woman-, minority-, veteran-, or other diversity-owned or small business, you may be missing out on valuable business opportunities. Most governmental entities now mandate that their vendors and their vendors’ suppliers are not only diverse, but also are certified as such. Hence, many private businesses…
With so many demands on a lawyer’s time, anything additional must be well worth it. Active involvement in Bar Associations or other, similar professional organizations, definitely passes that test. To reap the benefits, just being admitted to the bar in your jurisdiction doesn’t do the trick; you must seek out and involve yourself in the…
With increased competition among law firms, business development is a top priority. To maximize revenues, many—if not most—law firms incentivize rainmakers via compensation models which encourage business development. They track originations as a way to reward those who bring in the most business. Historically, however, the most profitable U.S. law firms never tracked originations. They…
O’Melveny jumped to the front of the Biglaw recruiting pack with the announcement of its plans to use a gamified career assessment and recruiting platform to evaluate potential law school candidates. Through the gamification of recruiting, the firm hopes to broaden its recruiting pipeline and gain access to more diverse candidates. Gamification uses game theory,…
