Share This Page

Member Login / Sign-Up

JD Diversity Login
Strategies for Retaining Diverse Attorneys PDF Print E-mail

Recently, a senior partner in a prominent law firm explained to an Asian junior associate his thoughts on hiring minority candidates, "If something happens," he confided, "they might file a discrimination suit." He went on to express dismay over his lack of success in recruiting, but could not see his own ambivalence as an obstacle.

Had he been honest with himself, this partner might have acknowledged that the potential for EEOC complaints or discrimination suits was not the true issue. As employers often do, he had lumped all minority candidates together and prejudged them without giving them a chance. Similar unacknowledged attitudes are responsible for pushing already hired and trained minorities and women right out the door; but there are a few things employers can do to keep this from happening.

Read more...
 
7 Reasons Why Law Firm Diversity Initiatives Fail Print E-mail

Many law firms understand the importance of building a diverse workforce. The changing demographics within the United States have signaled to firms that diversity is an important goal that will affect the firm’s viability and ultimately the bottom line. In response, many firms have launched diversity recruitment efforts designed to bring more women and attorneys of color into the firm. The problem has been that within a few years of being hired attorneys that qualify as “diverse” leave the firm in search of more inclusive, diverse and culturally competent work environments. Below are some critical reasons why attempts at creating diversity have failed.

Register to read more...
 
The Functional Lawyer Resume PDF Print E-mail

Today's lawyer resumes generally fall into one of two broad categories: the chronological resume and the functional resume. The chronological lawyer resume lists all work experience from the mos recent to the least recent in reverse chronological order. The functional lawyer resume, on the other hand, focuses on the candidate's skills and experience, rather than on their chronological work history.

While the chronological resume is the most popular form of resume used by lawyers, the functional lawyer resume can be a good alternative in certain circumstances. Lawyers who may want to consider a functional format include:  

  • Experienced lawyers who want to present a unified theme in their work experience, or who want to take the focus away from their age and experience as not to appear "overqualified" or too senior for a position.
  • Lawyers who have practiced in different fields or practice areas from the type of position they are seeking (e.g. from law firm to in-house, or from litigation to corporate).
  • Lawyers who left the practice or who have gaps on their resumes (e.g. such as women who took time off to raise children, or those who have had more than a 6-months gap between positions).  

That said, unless you are in a situation where the functional lawyer resume makes the most sense (e.g. you are returning to the work for after a long hiatus), you should note that most legal employers and recruiters generally do not favor the functional resume. Most legal employers are accustomed to the chronological resume, and many online application programs do not accept functional resumes.

To be safe, you should try to create both a chronological and functional lawyer resume, present both resumes to colleagues and recruiters in your field, and see which one they feel best reflects your skills and experience. Again, before sending any resume, you need to know your audience and their expectations. You also should consider what resume format they will be most receptive to.

Here is a general template of a functional lawyer resume:

Read more...
 
The Functional Lawyer Resume PDF Print E-mail

Today's lawyer resumes generally fall into one of two broad categories: the chronological resume and the functional resume. The chronological lawyer resume lists all work experience from the mos recent to the least recent in reverse chronological order. The functional lawyer resume, on the other hand, focuses on the candidate's skills and experience, rather than on their chronological work history.

While the chronological resume is the most popular form of resume used by lawyers, the functional lawyer resume can be a good alternative in certain circumstances. Lawyers who may want to consider a functional format include:

 

 

  •   Experienced lawyers who want to present a unified theme in their work experience, or who want to take the focus away from their age and experience as not to appear "overqualified" or too senior for a position.
  •   Lawyers who have practiced in different fields or practice areas from the type of position they are seeking (e.g. from law firm to in-house, or from litigation to corporate).
  •  Lawyers who left the practice or who have gaps on their resumes (e.g. such as women who took time off to raise children, or those who have had more than a 6-months gap between positions).  

     

     

    That said, unless you are in a situation where the functional lawyer resume makes the most sense (e.g. you are returning to the work for after a long hiatus), you should note that most legal employers and recruiters generally do not favor the functional resume. Most legal employers are accustomed to the chronological resume, and many online application programs do not accept functional resumes.

    To be safe, you should try to create both a chronological and functional lawyer resume, present both resumes to colleagues and recruiters in your field, and see which one they feel best reflects your skills and experience. Again, before sending any resume, you need to know your audience and their expectations. You also should consider what resume format they will be most receptive to.

    Here is a general template of a functional lawyer resume:


    JANE B. DOE

    555 Palmer Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 222-555-5555
    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

    SUMMARY

    Chief legal officer of an industrial manufacturing company with over 20 years of practice experience in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation management, and complex commercial contracts. Experience includes attorney training, budget management, and outside counsel oversight.

    EXPERIENCE

    Transactional Experience

    * Negotiated and drafted legal documents for thousands of manufacturing projects with commercial, state, local and federal customers around the world.

    * Designed and implemented a contract review and contract administration system for a business featuring more than 5,000 active, unique contracts.

    Mergers & Acquisitions

    * Completed over 50 separate acquisitions domestically totaling more than $1 billion in aggregate purchase price.

    * Completed mergers and acquisitions internationally, in countries including France, Germany, China, Brazil and Mexico.

    Litigation Management

    * Managed a litigation portfolio of nearly 100 active lawsuits or claims in a variety of countries and legal jurisdictions.

    * Resolved complex claims and litigation, including several claims in excess of $100 million.

    Legal Department Management

    * Responsible for a legal department budget, internal and external, of approximately $20 million.

    * Hired, trained and supervised a staff of ten lawyers plus five support staff to handle the complex legal affairs of the company.

    WORK HISTORY

    Manufacturing Company, Brooklyn, NY
    General Counsel, 1999 - Present

    Law Firm, New York, NY
    Associate, 1989 - Present

    EDUCATION

    Fordham School of Law, New York, NY
    J.D., 1989

    New York University, New York, NY
    B.A., English, 1986

    BAR ADMISSION

    New York (1989)

    OTHER INFORMATION
    This is where you can list any publications, presentations, professional organizations, or activities related to your practice.

     

     

     

  •  
    JD Diversity's Tips on Excelling at Your Firm Print E-mail

    Your having been recruited to work at a law firm is a sign that members of that firm have every faith in your capabilities. The most important thing is that you also share that faith in yourself. Too many minority and female attorneys count themselves out of the success that they deserve due to a lack of confidence in their own abilities. Make sure that you know your value and exude the confidence and comfort necessary for you to perform at your highest potential!

    With that stated, let’s go on to some more specific steps you can take to ensure your success within the firm.

    Register to read more...
     
    The Foreclosure Prevention Series, Part I: Understanding the Terminology Print E-mail

    The Three Most-Used Methods of Resolving a Foreclosure
    by: Dave Dinkel

    While there are numerous ways to stop foreclosures, three are used most frequently. They are: loan reinstatement, forbearance agreement, and loan modification.

    1Loan reinstatement is where a lender has started the foreclosure process and the homeowner finds a way to pay back or "reinstate" the entire deficiency owed. The deficiency amount includes back loan principal and interest payments, accelerated interest costs, attorney's fees, assorted processing and collection expenses, and late penalty charges. This technique requires the maximum amount of money all at once. Ironically, lenders recently indicated that pre-payment penalties may be included into final judgments in the near future.

    When the homeowner's reason for the delinquency is resolved, he or she usually asks the lender to take partial payments because he or she can't get the entire deficiency amount together. However, the lender will not accept partial payments and the foreclosure will proceed if the full reinstatement amount isn't paid. The reason for this is simple, the lender knows that the homeowner's chance of getting out of, and staying out of foreclosure is less than 1 in 8. So the lender does not want to delay the inevitable, the loss of the home to foreclosure.

    Read more...
     
    Page 1 of 2