The topic is enormous, but I have pulled together 16 posts from this blog that inform us a bit about intelligence. Should general counsel try to hire the smartest lawyers they can find? Intellectual elitists regard a fine mind to be the most important determinant of success (See my post…
A few large law departments have an internal recruiter dedicated to its needs, ideally one who is familiar with the legal market. They follow up on referrals by in-house lawyers (still the most effective source of hiring good people) and unsolicited resumes. In addition, in a big law department they…
An earlier metapost pulled together some thoughts on contract lawyers (See my post of July 17, 2008: contract lawyers with 12 references.). Also important are temporary lawyers (See my post of Aug. 5, 2005: temporary vs. contract lawyers; and April 9, 2006: differences between contract lawyers hired on their own…
Part of being a commended leader is being perceived as a role model. For all general counsel, those around you in the legal department as well others who interact with you aspire to be like you (See my post of March 21, 2006: Mike Dillon going without an office; June…
The suggestions for how to improve interviews of job applicants come from Money, Vol. 37, Sept. 2008 at 52. I have added two more at the end. 1. Send candidates ahead of time a profile of the company and the law department. 2. Allow enough time for the interview discussion…
Should a manager in a law department rely on Myers-Briggs descriptions of staff? Objections to the widely-used personality assessment, as stated and rebutted in an article in Talent Mgt., May 2007 at 23, are fourfold. (1) “The tool isn’t scientifically sound,” yet it was revised carefully in 1998. (2) “The…
Typical methods for communication within a legal department include group e-mail lists, intranet sites, bulletin boards, staff meetings, town hall meetings, and periodic conferences or retreats. Other ways to communicate are less usual (See my post of March 25, 2008: hypersonic sound.). Here are three. Newsletters, delivered in hard copy…
Frank Furedi, Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone: Confronting 21st Century Philistinism (Continuum 2004) at 38-41, discusses the differences between professionals and intellectuals. “The mental work of the professional is focused on the provision of services, not the promotion of ideas.” Ideas become instrumental, means to a solution, rather than…
This blog has been around and around on job rotations in law departments. A trio of law departments have been cited for their specific practices (See my post of Feb. 16, 2007: Philips and recruitment; April 13, 2006: rotations from specialist positions to generalists at Philips; and Dec. 28, 2006:…
I reviewed the various components of compensation earlier but realized that I have additional posts on general counsel, attorneys, paralegals, and other levels (See my post of Aug. 21, 2008: compensation components with 19 references; and March 15, 2005: comp surveys depend on levels, but some law departments don’t match…