I’ll tell you a secret – the pandemic may not be over, but you can still be networking. Even when networking is primarily done in a virtual way, the substance of it has not changed; only the platform.

So what does that mean when it comes to networking? Continue Reading 7 of My Favorite Networking Tips – Yes, Even in a Pandemic

Bear with me as I tell you a short story, of a baby blogger named Lindsay. She was four years into her career in the legal industry, still learning by doing, and didn’t think she had much, if anything, to say. A new social media platform called Twitter had launched in 2006, and she joined two years later, finding it a fun community to engage with other legal professionals around the world. It was also a fantastic way to learn – they shared articles and news and had in-depth conversations around them. Almost like sitting together in a room discussing them, only behind a computer screen. Continue Reading Happy 12th Blogiversary to Zen & the Art of Legal Networking!

Join us for our latest episode of the Law Firm ILN-telligence podcast!

Jim Giszczak is the Chair of the Litigation Department, Co-Chair of the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group, and he serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee at McDonald Hopkins, a member of the International Lawyers Network, where he is also co-chair of the ILN’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Specialty Group. In this week’s episode, Lindsay and Jim talk about the issues facing firms and companies in cybersecurity and data privacy during the pandemic, why they should be even more of a priority now, and some practical tips to take away.

Tune in below!

The ILN is proud to announce our latest firm of the month, Salaberren & López-Sansón Abogados, Argentina!
SyLS is the leading legal & tax boutique in business law in Argentina. The cross-border approach of the Firm, the partners’ broad experience in assisting international clients, and a very personal and dynamic approach, are some of the main values of the Firm.

Continue Reading ILN Firm of the Month – Salaberren & López-Sansón Abogados, Argentina!

Join us for our latest episode of the Law Firm ILN-telligence podcast!

Lowell Lifschultz is a board member a various for-profit and non-profit organizations and is the ILN’s founding partner, now retired from the formal practice of law. In this episode, Lindsay and Lowell discuss what clients are looking for from their law firms, how the practice of law has changed (and how it hasn’t), and the benefits of mid-market law firms.

This afternoon, I had a lovely chat with my friend, Brian Gorman, who is part of a mastermind group that I’ve been working with this year. Here’s what Brian, who is also a coach, says on his website about change, which is something I think we can agree we’ve all had more than enough of in the past year. Continue Reading Lawyers: Two Networking Questions You May Be Missing

The ILN is proud to announce our latest firm of the month, Goodwins Law Corporation, Singapore!
This year is a special year for Goodwins, as it is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the legal industry. Being a commercially-minded law firm, with a deep understanding and appreciation of the realities in the commercial world, Goodwins focuses on the things that matter to its clients, which is reflected in its culture of Client Care and Quality Control.

Continue Reading ILN Firm of the Month – Goodwins Law Corporation, Singapore

This afternoon, I have the great fortune to be sitting in on a program by the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession on “Deconstructing Racial Bias.” Their first speaker was Sharon Jones, the CEO of Jones Diversity Inc. and author of Mastering the Game: Strategies for Career Success. She had many brilliant and sobering things to share with the audience, but the one that she left us with was the idea that firms and companies shouldn’t be striving for color-blindness. You may be familiar with this idea as  people saying “I don’t see color,” or “the ideal world is where we don’t recognize color.” But what we should be striving for instead is color-inclusion.

How do we do this? Sharon has four recommendations:

  • Require diverse legal teams and track the hours that diverse lawyers spend to ensure that they’re working an equal number of hours.
  • Require search firms to provide you with a diverse slate, and don’t make hiring decisions until you’ve seen a fully diverse slate.
  • Be willing to look at the data that you have on diversity, and if it’s not becoming more diverse in your firm or company, ASK WHY. Ask the hard questions and don’t accept the flimsy excuses that Black and brown people are getting multiple job offers (this is false), that they want to only practice certain types of law (ask them) or that you can’t find them (you’re not looking).
  • Make sure that lawyers of color have powerful and influential sponsors.

Here is the written paper that the program is based on, and the agenda for today. The replay of the program is well worth watching, and I’ll share the link as it’s available.

Almost ten years ago, I attended a general counsel panel about achieving greater collaboration and the clients who participated shared their top takeaways for lawyers and law firms. I’m not sure whether it speaks to the constancy of the legal profession that this advice holds true for today, or we are just still not getting it, but while there are definitely some sophisticated clients needs in the market today, the basics remain the same: Continue Reading Lawyers – What do Your Clients Want? Hint: It Hasn’t Changed

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David Gitlin is a partner with Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld, a business law firm with an entrepreneurial spirit in Pennsylvania and a member of the International Lawyers Network. In this episode, Lindsay and David talk about the impacts of the pandemic and a changing profession on how young lawyers are trained and educated, the tension between culture and remote working, and how he’s managed to find time to pursue passions even while working more than ever.

Tune in below!