| Something Different
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November 2009
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Welcome to the November issue of Something Different! In the spirit of November and Thanksgiving, this newsletter features several "thankful" law firms that offer creative and different benefits to associates and staff as a way to express the firms' gratitude and appreciation.
The 6Ps of the Big 3: Using Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter in Your Job Search
In other November news, I continue to speak about using social networking sites in your job search. In October, I presented at St. John's University School of Law, Michigan State University College of Law (MSU) and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM). The Greater Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association co-sponsored the program at UDM and practicing attorneys as well as students attended. The press release for the event contains more details and is in the UDM logo link below. The second image below is the poster designed by the creative team at MSU Law.
I spent last week in New York presenting live at Hofstra Law School and Rutgers School of Law - Newark and via webinar to Wayne State University Law School. I am pleased to see students interested in the social networking sites and even more pleased see them using the sites successfully.
Something Different: Getting Stay-at-Home Lawyer-Moms Back into the Workforce
During my visit to New York last week, I also taught a two-hour class on social networking at Pace Law School's New Directions Program. If you aren't familiar with this program, it is the perfect example of a law school offering something different to help stay-at-home lawyer-moms re-enter the workforce. The program is not limited to lawyer-moms; it's open to any attorney who took a detour and is now looking to return to practice. The program provides substantive law updates, practical experience and professional skills such as my class on how to use social networking in your job search. Below is a clip from a recent news segment about moms going back to work and Pace's New Directions program is featured. The program was also profiled in a New York Times article, "Mom? Lawyer? The Ambivalence Track," and on The Glass Hammer's website.
The 6Ps of the Big 3: Using Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter to Connect with Clients
I traveled to San Francisco this week to present The 6Ps to the San Francisco office of an AmLaw firm. The focus of this program was using the big three social networking sites to connect with clients since many attorneys are using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to better communicate with clients and to gain an understanding of their clients' business relationships.
As always, I welcome your comments and questions.
Amanda |
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All The Thankful Law Firms
by Amanda C. Ellis, Esq. |
Negative headlines such as layoffs, salary cuts and deferred start dates continue to dominate the legal news as 2009 winds down. One might begin to wonder if law firms actually care about their associates and staff. Many firms do care and one way firms express their gratitude and appreciation to associates and staff is by offering certain benefits or perks. You are probably aware of the benefits and perks offered by large firms. In fact, the Texas Lawyer recently outlined benefits/perks provided by the largest law firms in Texas. The two firms profiled below, however, offer something different - both firms offer benefits to their associates and staff that were designed not only to accommodate the needs of their associates and staff but also with their clients and the community in mind.
Flexible Fridays
Regina Adams is an associate at a small public finance/real estate development firm in Houston and also a close friend. Over the past year, I noticed that Regina did not work much on Friday afternoons; rather, she used her Friday afternoons to book appointments she couldn't book on the weekends, to get a head start on weekend travel plans or simply to ride her bike through Memorial Park. Regina is able to enjoy her Friday afternoons because her firm closes at 1 p.m. each Friday. I recently exchanged emails with the firm's administrator, Charles Cressy, to obtain more details about the benefit:
Benefit: Firm closes at 1p.m. on Fridays
Firm: Johnson Radcliffe Petrov & Bobbitt PLLC
Size: 9 attorneys, 14 staff
Location: Houston, TX
Website: www.publiclaw.com
Amanda: When did the firm begin closing early on Fridays and why?
Charles: We began closing at 1:00 pm on Fridays in June 2007 primarily for two reasons. Many of the other consultants servicing clients in our practice area had the same or similar schedule, so our employees were often limited as to what they were able to accomplish on a Friday afternoon. But most importantly, given the schedule our employees keep throughout the week meeting our clients' obligations, we felt giving everyone Friday afternoons off was one way in which the Firm could sincerely express its appreciation for everyone's hard work throughout the week while giving a benefit that is meaningful to both its employees and their families.
Amanda: How does it work?
Charles: The Firm operates on a 39 hour work week - from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on Friday. Employees take an hour for lunch Monday through Thursday and no lunch on Friday. We have not skipped a beat on productivity, and weekly absences are reduced as employees are able to schedule many doctors and personal appointments on Friday afternoons.
Casual Day for Charity
One benefit offered by many firms of all sizes is a business casual dress code. However, one large firm in the Pacific Northwest found a creative way to accommodate its employees' request for casual Fridays while also giving back to the community. I exchanged emails with Michelle Baird-Johnson, the firm's Director of Recruiting & Professional Development, to obtain more details:
Benefit: Casual Day for Charity Firm: Miller Nash LLP
Size: 123 attorneys, 139 staff Location: Portland, and Central Oregon/Seattle and Vancouver, WA Website: www.millernash.com
Amanda: What is Casual Day for Charity & how does it work?
Michelle: All firm personnel -- attorneys and staff -- can pay $5 any Friday to wear casual clothes, including jeans. Or, they can buy a quarterly "pass" for $30 to have the privilege of participating in every Friday in that quarter. The money collected is donated to local charities within the firm's markets, and those charities are selected each quarter by a vote of the employees.
Amanda: When did the firm begin the program and why?
Michelle: Casual Day for Charity began in Spring 2008 after several employees requested being allowed to wear jeans on Fridays. The firm has a business casual dress code which ordinarily does not include jeans.
Michelle: Casual Day for Charity has helped boost morale and is consistent with the firm's long-standing commitment to the community. Also, wearing jeans tends to bring people out of their professional boxes a bit which enables everyone a chance to get to know each other better.
Small Benefits = Huge Difference
I tapped my network of contacts when trying to select firms to profile in this newsletter. I solicited information from friends by posting a status update on Facebook seeking comments. I also tweeted the request and posted the request on several LinkedIn Groups' Discussion Boards to elicit information from legal professionals I don't know. It's worth noting that the most appreciated benefit/perk is actually quite small in terms of cost and effort.
Associates and staff who responded appreciate free soft drinks more than any other benefit. From canned soft drinks at small firms to fully-stocked kitchens with fountain-style soft drinks (including crushed ice) at large firms, the drinks appeared to be #1 on attorneys' lists of favorite benefits.
Flexible work arrangements ranked second. The degree of flexibility varies by firms but this does appear to be one benefit that firms of all sizes can offer. For example, many associates at small firms commented that they are able to leave during the day to attend their children's programs at school while associates at some large firms enjoy on-site daycare.
Wellness initiatives ranked third. Again, this is another benefit that firms of all sizes can offer in some degree. Specific comments ranged from paid gym memberships to monthly B-12 shots.
Finally, perhaps the most unusual response I received (but one certainly interesting enough to note) was from an associate at a small firm that provides (1) a fixed clothing allowance to attorneys for clothing to be worn to court; and (2) a car to attorneys, including all expenes associated with the car such as gas, insurance and registration.
It's refreshing to hear law firm employees talk about their favorite firm benefit/perk. Associates and staff are quick to identify benefits for which they are thankful and there are plenty.
Law students & job seekers: Don't ignore the small firms that offer big benefits or the large firms that take a standard benefit and customize it to fit their firm and the community. Inquire about the firm's benefits when interviewing.
Law firm management/leadership: Note the benefits associates and staff appreciate the most and continue to thank your employees by offering such benefits. Discuss the benefits when recruiting attorneys and staff; they are just as important as compensation. Sometimes, it really is the little things that make a huge difference. |
| ABOUT US |
 Amanda Ellis Legal Search was founded by Amanda C. Ellis, a former practicing bankruptcy attorney and an accomplished attorney recruiter. Amanda was previously with Special Counsel, the largest provider of legal staffing services to corporate legal departments and law firms nationwide, where she was the top producer for direct hire attorney placements. Amanda formed Amanda Ellis Legal Search to implement a focused approach to legal recruiting. Amanda Ellis Legal Search focuses on the placement of bankruptcy attorneys in law firms nationwide.
Inspired by the idea of doing something different or new each month in 2009, Amanda Ellis Legal Search launched Something Different in January 2009. The monthly newsletter outlines a new or different service or resource available to legal professionals in each issue.
Contact us:
www.aellislegal.com
214.361.0070 |
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© 2009 Amanda Ellis Legal Search.
This material may not be reproduced, republished or redistributed in whole or in part
without the expressed written permission of Amanda Ellis Legal Search.
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