The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/480238
PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 70 About the Author James G. Leipold is the Executive Director of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), a position he has held since 2004. Prior to joining NALP, he worked at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for over five years and was the director of admission at Temple University School of Law Jim speaks and writes frequently on trends in legal employment for recent law school graduates. Contact him at jleipold@nalp.org. About the Author Randi Mayes is the Executive Director of the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) and oversees all operational aspects of the professional association. Prior to her employment with ILTA, Randi held technology management positions in law firms. A member of the American Society of Association Executives and the Texas Society of Association executives, she has spoken and written on topics related to leadership development and association management. Contact Randi at rmayes@iltanet.org. ASK THE EXPERT that are caused by, as we've mentioned, economic and globalization pressures. Firms are responding to these pressures with a stronger focus on traditional business dimensions like pricing, technology, marketing, global alliances, client communications and business development activities. Of particular interest for our group is the emerging role of the pricing professional that we envision will continue to develop over the next several years. Jim: On both sides of the house, our members are involved increasingly as active educators. So on the law school side, the role of the career counselor now involves teaching of some sort — either putting together a professionalism curriculum or teaching law student professional development skills in for-credit or not- for-credit courses. Similarly, law firms are putting more resources into training and development at every level — not just for new associates, but for mid-level associates, junior partners and even senior partners. In particular, business development and mastery of the underlying client business operations are essential skills, so our members are drafting curricula, taking on teaching roles and defining the particular competencies required at each stage of professional development. For those aspiring to leadership, what professional development will be required to meet the demands of emerging careers? Betsi: Legal organizations do an excellent job educating professionals in our core competencies, but we can do more to develop leadership qualities and attributes. Leadership is bestowed based on who you are and what you do, and it's revealed by what you inspire and what you enable. I believe we can provide more education around these points, so legal professionals are better equipped to lead their firms in the changing times to come. Jim: People require a professional network they can draw on to stay current. It's impossible to work in the silo of one law firm or one law school and hope to maintain a current skill set. Aspiring leaders should be plugged into a professional association, have a ready network of colleagues to call on and pursue continuing education through online learning, reading and attending conferences. And everyone has to understand how law firms operate as businesses in this changing economy to figure how and where they can add value. Oliver: A higher level of both formal and experiential education in areas such as strategic planning and the implementation of strategies will be required. Leaders will also need a much deeper understanding of accounting and financial issues and how those play into pricing. In addition, there's a lot of discussion about the need for project management skills. Many firms are looking at Lean Six Sigma approaches to identify inefficiencies within the overall processes and structure of the firm, so having people ask the expert with an understanding of how those approaches work and how to implement those kinds of changes in the firm is critical. Randi: I've always felt good talent and experience in communications skills, a sharp mind toward the business side of the law firm, and strong leadership traits can be mixed and reformulated any number of ways to meet every employment opportunity. So to anyone aspiring to upward mobility, I recommend redoubling your efforts around writing and speaking, with a real focus on engagement. Know your audience, and connect with them. Learn Law firms are putting more resources into training and development at every level — not just for new associates, but for mid-level associates, junior partners and even senior partners.