This is How to Get a Job at a Small Firm

April 22nd, 2013 → 3:40 pm @ Ari Kaplan

I spoke with Samantha Williams, the Director of Employer Relations at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she focuses primarily on small firm outreach and employer development. Williams is the co-author (with Linda Calvert Hanson) of Small Firms, Big Opportunity (LawyerAvenue Press, 2012), which provides readers with practical steps to identify where jobs are, how to get hired, and how to succeed in the new legal economy.

Williams shared tips on why law students and recent graduates should be focusing on smaller firms as potential employers, the best resources for those seeking employment with small firms, and the single most important concept to be aware of when looking for job opportunities with small firms.

Learn how to get started by listening to our interview below:

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Reinventing Executive Recruiting

March 7th, 2013 → 6:04 am @ Ari Kaplan

I spoke with David Netzer, the founder of the legal industry job site, LitigationSupportCareers.com, where companies, including law firms, litigation support providers, e-discovery vendors, and government agencies, among others, advertise open positions for the legal vertical. It also offers a searchable resume database, as well as resources for career development.

We discussed the genesis of LitigationSupportCareers.com (created in 2008), how it is distinct from other “niche” job boards, the costs of use, and its potential for reinventing the executive recruiting field.  Netzer advised that in addition to expanding its robust resume database, LitigationSupportCareers.com is developing partnerships with other job sites, adding multi-lingual features, and launching on different human resources platforms and applicant tracking systems.

Listen to our interview below:

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The Naked Constitution: What the Founders Said and Why It Still Matters

January 14th, 2013 → 4:32 pm @ Ari Kaplan

I spoke with Adam Freedman, author of The Naked Constitution: What the Founders Said and Why It Still Matters (Broadside Books, 2012) and The Party of the First Part: The Curious World of Legalese (Henry Holt and Co., 2007), as well as the host of the Legal Lad: Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Lawful Life.

We discussed his career as a lawyer/writer, how his views on constitutional interpretation would affect modern politics, and the advantages of holding an amending convention.

Listen to our interview below:

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Reinvention Through Storytelling

June 14th, 2012 → 7:15 am @ Ari Kaplan

I read this story on the home page of a Chicago law firm and thought it was a great introduction to the culture of the organization:

In 1944, during World War II, Chicagoan Arthur Goldberg was deployed on a mission to North Africa for the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA. He knew that his old friend, Carl Devoe, was stationed in Cairo also doing intelligence work. Goldberg contacted Devoe, and the two men agreed to meet in Casablanca during Goldberg’s layover there. Soon after they met, there was a blackout in the city. Undeterred, Devoe and Goldberg went to the roof of a nearby building, sat down near the edge of a parapet and stared out into the darkness. They began to talk about their future-if they managed to live through the war. Before the night was over, the two men had agreed to start a law firm.

Storytelling really engages the reader and encourages you to learn more.  I had the honor of interviewing famed author, Seth Godin, a few years ago for an article on this topic.  Among other points of great advice, he noted:

The best way to be remarkable is to do something worth talking about, not to do something because you are panicked or to show off, but do something unique, insightful, helpful and over-the-top brave.  The beauty of the legal profession is everyone is an entrepreneur …  All of the successful ones didn’t get there by following instructions.  They got there by doing stuff they believed in and doing it in a way that people talked about.

Listen to our 4-minute interview below:

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Blogging Best Practices in Professional Services

May 30th, 2012 → 1:55 pm @ Ari Kaplan

Back in the late 1990s, I started freelancing soon after I began practicing law.  I had the opportunity to co-author a column for the Journal of Commerce with a remarkable lawyer, but as the Internet started becoming more popular, I began pitching ideas related to the convergence of technology and the law.  One of the earliest outlets I contacted was a website known as Prairielaw.com (acquired by Lawyers.com) and it was kind to publish this piece.

In 2003, its founder, Kevin O’Keefe, went on to create LexBlog, which has become one of the largest and most successful platforms for blogging and social media in the legal industry, boasting 6,000 lawyer authors.  I had the chance to interview Kevin at Avvo‘s recent Avvocating conference in Seattle and we discussed the evolution of how professionals are raising their profiles, techniques for leveraging technology to build a reputation, and proven methods for enhancing relationships.  Among many other great points, he noted that “Content is not the most important thing; listening is the most important thing.”

Watch our interview below:

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Reinventing the Job Interview

April 17th, 2012 → 7:05 am @ Ari Kaplan

I had a chance to interview Todd Moster, the director of recruitment & placement for Moster Legal Placement in Beverly Hills, about his new book, The Underground Guide to Job Interviewing (CreateSpace, 2011), which he describes as “entertaining and funny as a teaching device to keep the reader’s attention.”  He notes that “there is no silver bullet; the main rule is preparation in job interviews.”  His tips include:

• Think about whether you want to make a job move and if it is appropriate.
• Find out as much information as possible about the position, e.g., day-to-day responsibilities, what happened to the last person in the role, and the reporting structure, among other elements.
• Practice articulating highlights of your experience in a way that should be clear to the interviewer.
• Think about questions to ask; not having questions could be fatal.  That is a one-way ticket down the elevator shaft without an elevator.
• Know the questions you should not ask, including what the position pays or the amount of training involved.

Listen to our interview below:

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The Art of Wasting Time

April 10th, 2012 → 7:26 am @ Ari Kaplan

Interesting infographic from the team at OnlineCollegeCourses.com about who wastes the most time, how they do it, and why.

Brought to you by: Online Courses Resource

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Lessons From Three Decades in One Profession

April 4th, 2012 → 3:03 pm @ Ari Kaplan

I recently read “10 Lessons From 30 Years in the Law” by Mike Maslanka, the managing partner for the Dallas office of Constangy, Brooks & Smith and the author of Work Matters, a popular blog focused on labor and employment issues.  Mike happens to be a lawyer, but his advice is just as relevant for accountants, architects, financial planners, and any other individuals who provide professional services.  His ten lessons include:

• Get the Facts
• Stay in the Moment
• Show, Don’t Tell
• The Law is a Grind
• Express Gratitude
• Trust Actions
• Hierarchy Kills
• Do Not Fight the Frame
• Be Gracious
• Recognize the Limits of Control

You can read his full discussion in the Texas Lawyer here.

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Strengthening Litigation Support Career Opportunities

February 8th, 2012 → 1:10 pm @ Ari Kaplan

At Legal Tech NY 2012, I had the chance to speak with David Netzer, the President of LitigationSupportCareers.com, which he describes as “an alternative to Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com.”  In a continuing trend of leveraging the web to pursue local opportunities, Netzer created LitigationSupportCareers.com to provide a portal for the industry to specifically advertise legal technology and litigation support positions.  He notes that it builds efficiency by increasing the number of qualified applicants while reducing the amount of resumes that employers ultimately need to evaluate.  Job seekers can also proactively search for positions by location, category, and employer type.  Watch our interview below:

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