Law Firms Have to Do Marketing, Too

But how? Law firms (like all of us) make many mistakes in marketing online. Law Crossing posted an article to help law firms in particular to boost their marketing efforts.

1. Not using the internet to find clients– we should ALL be using the data we have freely at our fingertips!
2. Not including practice area and location based keywords in target keyword phrases– if someone gets to your site and can’t figure out where you are and what you do in a matter of seconds, they will leave and go somewhere they can.
3. Not having a Google Plus business page– the easiest way to increase exposure from searches (the searches are being done on Google, so taking advantage of Google SEO opportunities should be self-explanatory).
4. Not engaging an audience on social media– build engagement with potential clients– a great way to set yourself apart when there are so many options.
5. Blogging on the wrong topics– give your target audience relevant material, don’t just bombard them with irrelevant content.
6. Not targeting synonyms and related keyword phrases– use both attorney AND lawyer, singular and plural!
7. Not creating an AVVO profile– this is a legal directory with high authority in search, great for increasing traffic to your website and linking to specific attorneys.
8. Not using video in your marketing efforts– they are much more personal than text (and Google owns YouTube, so videos will help your search ranking).

It is not an easy task to have great marketing for a law firm. But, many of these suggestions require a minimal amount of time and can go a long way.

Source: http://www.lawcrossing.com/employers/article/900047254/8-Marketing-Mistakes-Your-Law-Firm-Might-Be-Making/?utm_source=PC&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=t_18092–dt_20160706-cid_34795-Did_100200186-ad_Employer.Mined.Legal.All-logid_14555752

Who in the Denver legal market has raised salaries?

Since the inception of the new $180k salary scale for associates at Cravath, many firms across the U.S. have matched the scale, including a few in Denver. This puts pressure on others in the Denver market to follow suit, and while a few have, it remains to be seen who else will fall in line.

Thus far, Above the Law posted an article which lists the law firms to date who have adapted this salary scale. In Denver, they include:
Hogan Lovells
Morrison & Foerster
Gibson Dunn
Arnold & Porter
Wilmer Hale
Haynes & Boone
Baker Hostetler

We’ll most likely have updates to this list as this quarter comes to an end and into Q3 & Q4!

Source: http://abovethelaw.com/2016/06/salary-wars-scorecard-which-firms-have-announced-raises/

Protect Yourself from Risks of Hiring Independent Contractors

Hiring independent contractors can be riskier than you think, and the latest class action lawsuits against ride-sharing giants Uber and Lyft are perfect examples of the complications associated with classification of employees.

“Given how quickly the landscape surrounding reliance on contracted labor is evolving, employers are wise to undertake a critical review of any and all employment-related agreements to ensure that they are properly classifying employees,” comments Victoria Aguilar in her HR blog. Businesses should do their best to ensure they do not accidentally open themselves up to being audited and other trouble.

Hiring a staffing agency who takes care of the complications associated with contract workers can protect you from the risks associated with hiring independent contractors. We not only conduct executive search, but do the legwork so you can legally hire the workers you need for only as long as you need them so you do not have to worry about compliance with IRS and Department of Labor regulations.

Source: https://uncommonlysmarthr.com/independent-contractors-riskier-think/?utm_source=On+TARGet+April+Edition&utm_campaign=April+2016+Newsletter&utm_medium=email

Legal hiring today: still a highly competitive market

Today, the legal market is as competitive as ever, and with a large supply of lawyers in the market, top tier law firms can be picky with their candidates. The New York Times reports a decline in jobs for low-skilled support workers at a time of expanding opportunities for highly educated workers.

One statistic in Texas noted as high as nearly one quarter of Texas law graduates are either unemployed or under-employed. Some law schools try to implement innovative programs to help attorneys advance their own professional advancement as much as possible to be as competitive they can when they enter the market.

Law schools also encourage students to develop their networking and relationship-building skills, because without those skills, a highly educated lawyer in an over-saturated market is still likely to be left high and dry without a well-paying job.

Regardless of attorneys position within their legal careers, it is vital to maintain a key network in order to be able to take advantage of new opportunities if the situation calls for it. No matter what, because of such a competitive legal market, attorneys of all caliber need to be aptly prepared to navigate the rough waters of the legal market if need be.

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/headlines/20160422-nearly-one-fourth-of-texas-law-grads-are-unemployed-or-underemployed.ece

2016: The rise of the contingent workforce

The future of the job market lies in the contingent workforce. According to a recent study conducted by Fieldglass (a software company) on hiring trends, the number of workers hired as freelance, contract workers, or temps has risen in the past two years, and is expected to continue to increase. According to this study, 95% of businesses believe that these type of workers are essential to success and development in businesses, which will affect the types of hires we will see in 2016.

“As of 2015, the average business’ workforce consisted of 20 percent contingent workforce and 54 percent traditional full-time employees. The other 26 percent are a grey area of people who fit into both categories; perhaps remote workers or part-time employees. Fieldglass predicts that by 2017 that will change to 25 percent contingent and 41 percent traditional workers, while the remaining 34 percent will exist in that grey area.”

Utilizing a flexible workforce can help organizations achieve its constantly adapting and changing goals. An external workforce can be beneficial if an organization is focused on keeping down costs, interested in finding the highest quality workers for projects, or are under time constraints. Instead of having internal employees work on something they might not be interested in or qualified for, short-term hires can do the work better and faster.

Because of the speed at which technology is advancing and things like online hiring platforms are available, it is easier than ever before to access contingent workers. And when organizations take advantage of this, and are able to figure out the ins and outs of managing non-traditional employees, they are able to derive additional value from the wealth of skillsets and talent that is available on-demand in today’s marketplace.

Ultimately, the full-time workforce is not at risk. But using external workers “affords companies access to pre-screened, pre-trained workers with niche skills, who can get to work quickly and stay on only for as long as they are needed. And, as a company’s needs change, an external workforce can be scaled up or down quickly.” If companies readjust and optimize talent management strategies to sync with these hiring trends, they can reap great benefits.

Source: http://www.cio.com/article/3037004/careers-staffing/hiring-trends-for-2016-welcome-to-the-gig-economy.html

Talent Retention- It’s Not Just Promotions They Want

Today’s traditional flat organizational structures were set in place to save costs for companies, but research purports that it may actually do the opposite– at up to $25,000 per employee. Because organizational structures have flattened and companies have removed positions to save money, promotion opportunities have decreased over the last ten years, and individuals spend roughly three years longer at each job-level than in 2010, resulting in much turnover.

What can companies do to mitigate this turnover? Encourage employees to move across functions, so that individuals do not feel so stagnant and itching to move. Employers need to simply develop a relationship with their employees and provide an open source of communication for the employee to be able to express his or her desires and how individuals want to continue to grow and improve their skills within the organization. Motivate employees with personal growth, experience, and new skill-learning opportunities to increase their capabilities, so that they can still value and enjoy their career development even if it does not mean being promoted quickly. Steve Bruce, writer for Recruiting Daily Advisor, cites these strategies can decrease turnover by 33%, saving an organization with 10,000 employees $7.5 million per year.

Source: The Vast Majority of Employees Want for Career Opportunities

Obstacles to filling in-house vacancies

The struggle for corporate legal departments to fill in-house vacancies is real. According to a survey done by ACC, only about 30% of in-house lawyers reported willingness to make a lateral move within the in-house sector, and even only 62% would reportedly consider moving jobs to advance their career.

Not only are the ideal candidates hesitant to make moves to fill the vacancies, but companies are also hesitant to hire those without in-house experience, and it is rare that employers will hire on a fresh graduate, as they would rather exhaust the market of seasoned candidates before resorting to that.

These two combined trends result in in-house legal departments struggling to fill vacant positions, with many candidates failing to fit the bill and low desire for lateral in-house moves.

Source: Global Legal Post

Your Next Career Move: Big or Small Law Firm?

Working for a small law firms and large law firms each have their positives and negatives, and the decision of which is better for an individual has more to do with personal style than anything.

A Canadian recruiting firm (R.Johnson) outlines some of the benefits and challenges to working in both small and large firms, and some of the major differences lie in:
-the work atmosphere
-levels of competition
-management structure
-room and pace of career advancement
-benefits
-client interaction
-billable hour requirements
-scope
-type of work

Check out the full article on the major differences to consider here.

When you are looking to make the next step in your career as a law firm attorney, it is imperative that you truly do your research and take all of the moving parts into consideration before making the jump one way or the other.

Source: http://rjohnsoncorp.com/a-lawyers-guide-to-working-for-small-vs-large-law-firms-36-tips/

New Strategies to Narrow Big Law Gender Gap

The latest report from the National Association of Women Lawyers came out last week, showing that the gender pay gap among equity partners has widened.

. Some of the key findings include:

-Women equity partnership ranks have barely risen in 10 years.

-Men far outnumber women among lateral equity partners.

-The gender gap in pay for equity partners has widened.

-Women logged more hours but got paid less.

-Among firms that provided data about the gender of the top 10 highest revenue generators, only 12% were women.

Although women are still underrepresented in the executive level of the legal industry, an article in The American Lawyer contends that partners and practice heads are eager to seek out strategies to alleviate this gap. Teams are going to work together in a new strategy, a hackathon– to come up with proposals to “better recruit, advance and retain experienced women in midsized and large law firms”. The top three ideas will be awarded cash prizes by Bloomberg Law, and the winning partners will donate to a nonprofit that advances women in the legal profession.

This is not only important for societal reasons, but relevant for companies to ensure they are attracting more than just a fraction of desired talent.

Source: http://www.americanlawyer.com/id=1202740896546/Women-in-Big-Law-Are-Losing-Ground?cmp=share_twitter&slreturn=20150930112144

Advocating for Yourself in the Workplace

Outside of hiring and review processes, negotiations between colleagues and bosses still exist, just informally. It is important to be able to advocate for yourself without being deemed as someone who is not a team player. The Harvard Business Review outlines a strategy that you can use to deal with these everyday negotiations. The structure they suggest is to:
recognize, prepare, initiate, and navigate.

1. Recognize. Negotiation opportunities are not always obvious, but some situations call for it. You also must be careful to pick your battles, though. The decision to recognize when or when not to negotiate should be made with a sense of what end game is in mind.
2. Prepare. Even with informal negotiations, being prepared is crucial. The more you know about what others have asked for and been granted at work, the more comfortable you’ll feel crafting your own negotiation. Position yourself in a way that highlights your interdependence, and how your work enables your colleague and others to succeed. Make sure you prepare some alternate solutions to be able to present.
3. Initiate. Be able to shift a normal interaction into a collaborative negotiation without coming across as combative. Make your value visible and try to bring it up organically and be clear.
4. Navigate. Go into the conversation with an open mind. Be willing to develop a plan that can work for everyone. Use ‘what if’ and circular questions, and mention if-then scenarios. These ensure that the conversation is collaborative, rather than adversarial.

Everyday negotiations tend to pull us out of our comfort zones, but are entirely worth the effort for both the individual and the organization.

Source: https://hbr.org/2015/11/be-your-own-best-advocate?utm_campaign=Socialflow&utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet