Professional Skills

Audio Only Web Programs

Released on: Oct. 5, 2011

Please note: There will be NO CLE Credit for this FREE On-Demand Web Program. Taken from the briefing Dodd-Frank Mortgage Reform Update recorded October, 2011. A JD, bar admission, and successful interviews got you into the firm. Now the real work of building your career begins.  Getting off on the right foot involves a variety of non-legal skills.  The first few years of practice can jump-start or undermine a lawyer’s ...

Released on: Dec. 30, 2011

Please note: CLE Credit is not available for this on-demand web program. After a few years in a law firm, some associates begin to stand out. At this point, promising associates are developing areas of particular legal expertise while simultaneously building up their professional networks. For many, this period coincides with increasing family responsibilities or other out-of-office commitments. Not surprisingly, the mid-level associate ...

Released on: Jan. 27, 2012

There will be NO CLE available for this FREE briefing. Taken from the briefing Changing Jobs in the New Legal Environment: Tools, Tips and the Inside Scoop for Associates recorded January, 2012. We’ve all read about how the current legal environment has changed, and its impact on young lawyers. Still, there are many good opportunities for talented lawyers in a variety of practice areas and locations. In this Briefing, Executive Search ...

Released on: Apr. 13, 2012

There will be NO CLE available for this Audio-only On-Demand Program. Taken from the briefing Changing Jobs in the New Legal Environment: What Partner Candidates Should Expect recorded March, 2012. The American Lawyer recently reported that after several down years, lateral hiring of partners is back to pre-recession levels. But in many ways, the landscape has changed significantly. In this briefing, Executive Search Consultants Stephen Nelson ...

Released on: May. 9, 2012

Please note:  CLE credit will not be offered for this program. Taken from the briefing What Is CI?: An Introduction to Competitive Intelligence in the Law Firm Environment - Part I recorded April, 2012. As librarians we know how to find information, but historically we have been asked to provide raw data rather than an analytical report with business projections and actionable conclusions. Lecture Topics  [Total Time: 01:09:10] This ...

Released on: May. 23, 2012

CLE credit is not offered for this program. Taken from the briefing What Is CI?: An Introduction to Competitive Intelligence in the Law Firm Environment - Part II recorded May, 2012. As librarians we know how to find information, but historically we have been asked to provide raw data rather than an analytical report with business projections and actionable conclusions. This briefing, featuring instruction from experts in competitive ...

Released on: Jun. 21, 2012

Please note:  There is no CLE credit for this Audio Only On-Demand Web Program. Taken from the briefing Intelligence Driven Business Development and Strategy recorded June, 2012. Despite record revenues over the last several years, the legal profession finds itself in the midst of it's most complex period in history.  Buyers of legal services are forcing law firms to change their billing model, increase their efficiency, and above ...

Released on: Jul. 2, 2012

Please note: There is no CLE credit available for this program. Law firms require leadership at many levels - on cases and matters, in practice groups and offices, and in general firm management.  But what does it take to be a leader of other lawyers and earn your corner office?  Young lawyers need to understand the ways in which leaders are different from other lawyers as well as the reasons why law firm leadership is different from ...

Released on: Jul. 3, 2012

Taken from the briefing Hype or Help? How Can Alternative Fee Arrangements Add Demonstrable Value to Your Practice and Your Clients? recorded June 2012. The discussion of AFA's (aka alternative fee arrangements or value-based fees), is no longer a discussion of "alternatives" as much as it is a discussion of "appropriate" fee arrangements: namely, legal pricing and cost models that focus on finding and focusing on the value ...

Released on: Jul. 13, 2012

Taken from the briefing Writing for Lawyers: A Whirlwind Tour of Legal Writing Fundamentals recorded June 2012. In the age of email communication, legal writing remains a critical skill for attorneys in all practice areas. Whether you are drafting a quick email or an appellate brief, your written work product must be clear, concise and confident.  But in the rush of life and work, even good writers often stray from the basics of strong, ...

Released on: Aug. 1, 2012

Taken from the briefing Engagement Letters: Addressing Conflicts and Other Thorny Issues Before They Arise recorded July, 2012. During difficult economic times, when lawyers and their firms feel a particularly strong urge to develop new business, great care must be taken to identify and manage present and potential future conflicts.  Careful preparation of the opening engagement letter is the first and typically the best way to manage ...

Released on: Aug. 14, 2012

Please note:  CLE Credit is Not Available for this Briefing. Taken from the briefing A Millennial Makeover: How Millennials May Change the Way We Do Business recorded July, 2012. Law firms, like many business services organizations, work under an “apprenticeship” model.  Junior staff spend years learning their craft in the shadows of senior partners.  Historically, this structure has often resulted in a focus ...

Released on: Aug. 21, 2012

Please note:  CLE credit is not availabe for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Nitty Gritty of Negotiating Flexible and Reduced Hours and Making it Work recorded August, 2012. If you think you want to work flexible or reduced hours but you don’t know where to start, listen in to learn how to create a flexible arrangement that works.  Deborah Epstein Henry of Law and Reorder, a Division of Flex-Time Lawyers LLC will ...

Released on: Sep. 20, 2012

Please note:  CLE credit is not available for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Business Development Plans for Lawyers: More Important than Ever recorded September, 2012. As competition in the legal market continues to become more fierce, lawyers at all levels need to be focused on business development activities.  An important starting point is a written business development plan.  And that applies not only to lawyers ...

Released on: Oct. 15, 2012

Please note: There will be no CLE credit for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Law Firm Finance 101 - Understanding the Numbers that Matter recorded September, 2012. Law firm leaders operate with a financial view of the firm at the center of every decision.  To achieve your goals, you need a strong foundation in what makes - and keeps - your firm profitable.  Learn to speak the language your firm's decision makers understand. This ...

Released on: Oct. 18, 2012

Please note: There will be no CLE credit for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Business Development for Aspiring Partners in Today's Legal Economy: Strategies and Techniques 2012 recorded December 2012. In this briefing, our faculty – a mix of partners and associates heavily involved in business development – will share their experience and insights into business development in today's legal market.  They will discuss ...

Released on: Oct. 30, 2012

Please note: There will be no CLE credit for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Opening and Running Your Own Law Practice: Hanging Out a Shingle in 2012 recorded October, 2012. So you’re thinking of starting your own law firm but you don’t know the first thing about owning a business.  How can you find space? Do you need your own staff or can you hire per-diem help? What kind of computer equipment and software do you ...

Released on: Oct. 31, 2012

Taken from the briefing Tips for Attorneys to Communicate Logically: The Written Word, the Spoken Word recorded October, 2012. Being able to communicate effectively - both in writing and in speech - is perhaps the most important skill that an attorney can possess.  Although we are taught, before attending law school and throughout law school, how to convey our ideas, the practice of law demands continued refinement of our skills. We must ...

Released on: Nov. 8, 2012

Taken from the briefing Women Partners: Lessons Learned on How to be a Leader and Still Have a Life recorded October, 2012. A group of women partners, drawing on their own varied experiences, will address challenges faced by women in the legal sphere.  The nature of these challenges has not been static in our changing world.  We will discuss a variety of traditional and emerging issues.  The session will address two core issues - ...

Released on: Nov. 15, 2012

Please note:  There will be no CLE credit for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Practicing Law in a Globalized Economy: Cultural Competency and Other Skill Sets for Success recorded November, 2012. Globalization is increasingly the norm in the legal industry. Research suggests that most U.S. lawyers work with multi-national colleagues or clients. To build relationships, attract business, and represent clients in the globalized ...

Released on: Dec. 11, 2012

There will be no CLE credit for this Audio Only On-Demand Web. Taken from the briefing Making a "Marriage" Work - Ensuring Lateral Success with Partner Acquisitions recorded November, 2012. The Legal Industry has changed dramatically over the years and, quite frankly, will never be the same again. The old glory days of choosing a law firm where you will spend your career or choosing a lawyer who will retire from your firm is an ...

Released on: Dec. 17, 2012

Please note: There will be no CLE credit for this Audio Only On-Demand Web. Taken from the briefing Courageous Counsel: Conversations with Women General Counsel in the Fortune 500 recorded December, 2012. Despite all of the advances in the number of women graduating from law school over the past three decades, it remains that only roughly 20% of the General Counsel positions in Fortune 500 companies are filled by women.  Listen ...

Released on: Feb. 22, 2013

Taken from the briefing Third Party Litigation Finance: What Is It and What Are Its Implications? recorded February, 2013. With the dramatically increasing use of third party funding arrangements, lawyers and law firms are facing the issue of how to manage these relationships, as well as how to potentially increase legal business for their practices, or even compete with those who are doing so. Lecture Topics [Total Time: 01:08:00] How ...

Released on: Mar. 18, 2013

There will be no CLE credit for this briefing. Taken from the briefing Mentoring: The Best Kept Secret to Success in the Recovery recorded March, 2013. Mentoring has not been a priority in many law firms during the recent years of economic turbulence and rapid change. Yet it is an essential investment in legal talent because firms cannot function or survive without well-prepared and confident associates to meet current and future client needs, ...

Released on: May. 1, 2013

Please note: LPM credit can be awarded for NYS.Taken from the briefing iPad in One Hour: Tips for Using a Tablet in Your Law Practice recorded April, 2013.In the three years since the iPad was first introduced, we have seen it transform from a toy to browse the web, play games, or watch movies, to a serious work productivity device. Every day, lawyers are learning new ways to put the iPad to work in their law practice, to access client information ...