Workplace Issues

In today's fast-paced world where efficiency is key, automation has become the new reality. From robots to artificial intelligence, workplace automation is shaking up industries worldwide, leaving no job untouched and causing significant disruption on a global scale.

When I arrived at law school, Big Law was not on my radar. Frankly, I had never even heard the term—I showed up without personally knowing a single lawyer, much less any one law firm.

Congratulations, first-year law students, you’re on the cusp of finishing your 1L year! You’ve successfully navigated vast quantities of statutes and case law, case briefing, legal writing and research, outlining, and cumulative exams with extensive (and sometimes inane) fact patterns.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere—from help desk chatbots to predictive text on our smart phones to Siri and Alexa. It’s used every day to make our lives easier, to shortcut once tedious tasks.

It’s a well-known fact that a legal education, while valuable (and essential to becoming a lawyer), doesn’t actually prepare you for a law firm career in a practical sense. Law schools largely follow very traditional curricula, with the first year of law school comprising highly theoretical subject matter; hence the purpose of law school often being described as “teaching you how to think like a lawyer.

It is an unfortunate fact of professional life that people will make mistakes and be punished for them. Depending on the severity of and intent behind the misstep, a full range of repercussions exists for on-the-job malfeasance—verbal warnings, written reprimands, reductions in pay, demotion, suspension, and termination.

The use of artificial intelligence in various industries is a hot topic at the moment, with many people left wondering about the future of their jobs. AI isn’t all bad, though.

Law school can feel out of reach for many individuals because of rising application costs as well as other barriers to access. The new Launchpad Scholars Program seeks to lower those barriers for the next generation — and you can help by getting the word out to friends and family.

Clerkships are an excellent way to begin your legal career. Taking a year or two to clerk before you work at a firm or for an agency can be a big benefit to you in the long run, both in experience and clerkship bonuses.

Mundane and boring tasks are nearly unavoidable in the modern workplace. Tasks like organizing your inbox, entering data into Excel, filling out paperwork, and sending the same email to hundreds of clients can be time-consuming, repetitive, and lacking in any satisfaction or enjoyment.

“Each generation wants new symbols, new people, new names. They want to divorce themselves from their predecessors.

We at Vault-Firsthand are pleased to announce our annual Rankings of the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The Consulting Rankings highlight the best firms in these regions across more than 40 categories and include the overall Top Consulting Firms in EMEA and Asia-Pacific, as well as the Most Prestigious Consulting Firms, the Best Consulting Firms in Each Practice Area, the Best Consulting Firms for Diversity in several categories, and the Best Consulting Firms to Work For in key employment factors, including compensation, work/life balance, corporate culture, and more for each region.

You learn a lot of things during law school, but not always about the opportunities you will have once you join a firm. One of those opportunities is what’s called a secondment.

Many companies have recently downsized their workforces, which has understandably caused a lot of employees anxiety. While some people fear that a layoff could be coming their way, others struggle with survivors' guilt as they’ve seen their valued colleagues packing up their offices with an uncertain future ahead of them.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of “generational diversity,” you’re probably not alone. For all the focus on diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, this is one form that has received far less attention.

What’s one thing the world could always use a lot more of? Candy?

You’ve procrastinated to the point the deadline is looming and you ask yourself, “Why do I keep doing this? ” Waiting until the last minute to complete a task is commonplace for some—maybe you were sidetracked by another task; maybe something personal came up; or maybe you have deadline anxiety.

Getting along well with your coworkers is crucial to your success and your team’s success. So, when a coworker is unprofessional and unpleasant to work with, it’s important to understand how to deal with them.

In a BigLaw career, much emphasis is placed on finding mentors, and for good reason. After all, building relationships is a powerful way to advance your career.

On October 3, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear arguments in a case regarding one of the most fundamental and sacred tenets of being a lawyer—the attorney-client privilege. In Re Grand Jury, a decision from the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, came before the nine justices so they could address what communications are protected by the privilege.

Stress can cause serious physical and emotional issues. When people are asked to name their biggest sources of stress, work is often at or near the top of the list.

Partnership. For many, many BigLaw associates, partnership is the holy grail of a BigLaw career.

During law school, when you think about your future career, it’s common to have aspirations of making it to the top—becoming a partner. If you are going into BigLaw, it’s even more natural to think that someday you will make partner.

As we reviewed earlier, many attorneys are behind technologically and reticent to adopt new tech tools, despite (1) ABA recommendations to stay abreast of relevant technology, (2) sophisticated clients who expect tech proficiency in their attorneys, and (3) competitors like alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) using technology to provide legal support work at lower costs. The bottom line is that law firms and lawyers need to keep current with technology because being deficient means losing business—or going out of business.