Category: Wegman Partners

Recruitment Trends in the Legal Field

In the dynamic and ever-evolving legal landscape, recruiting top talent has become a paramount challenge for law firms and legal organizations. As the demand for skilled legal professionals continues to rise, the competition to attract and retain the brightest minds in the field intensifies.

Wegman Partners reviews the intricacies of legal field recruiting, exploring the strategies, trends, and challenges faced by law firms in their quest to assemble exceptional legal teams. From the changing expectations of new graduates to the importance of diversity and inclusion, join us as we navigate the complexities of legal recruitment and uncover the keys to building a successful and resilient legal workforce.

Technology is becoming the driving force behind business innovation, leading to more hybrid workers and the financial benefits that come with them; starting salaries are also rising, and counteroffers are not as readily accepted.

Top 3 Recruitment Trends in the Legal Field

Let’s examine the top 3 recruitment trends in the legal field below.

Technology Matters Increasingly
Salaries For Starting Employees Are on the Rise
Counteroffers Are Not Easily Accepted

Next, we’ll analyze what is meant by each of these trends to better understand what prospective employees and hiring managers alike should keep in mind.

Technology Matters Increasingly

From e-filing to conferences conducted entirely through video chats to online subscriptions, technology is becoming one of the critical ways to cut down on costs for legal firms. When it comes to candidates for these jobs, it is important to realize that the top contenders are those who are technologically savvy.

Nowadays, legal teams are considering hiring those who go above and beyond in terms of technological skill as well as the many other advantages that could be listed on a resume.

Salaries For Starting Employees Are on the Rise

Making an offer to a potential candidate should be competitive. Without making sure that the candidate feels wanted and valued ahead of time, it is easy to lose very skilled potential employees to more generous competitors.
This hiring principle is important to keep in mind when realizing that the starting pay for legal professionals has done nothing but increase in recent years. Be generous to get the best results.

Counteroffers Are Not Easily Accepted

Finally, another important trend to be made aware of has to do with associates who are leaving a team for one reason or another. It is usually more financially stabilizing and strategically advantageous to simply let that associate go rather than make an expensive counteroffer.

Remember, replacing an employee who is leaving will be costlier as starting salaries rise, and it is often easier to award loyal employees with more money over time than pay more to one that is already dissatisfied.

In Conclusion

The top three recruitment trends in the legal field show that technology is not only very important to the industry but drives every aspect of the business. Additionally, the salaries for employees just starting in the legal field are competitively high. Finally, counteroffers for employees that are leaving is no longer a viable recruitment strategy.

Staying on top of these trends is an important way for prospective legal associates to get into the business competitively, while legal teams can compete with their rivals for the best employees using the top strategies.

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The Role of Paralegals in the Industry

Paralegals are an invaluable resource for lawyers, and the profession has expanded to fill positions in banks, insurance companies, and more. What is the role of a paralegal in the legal industry?

Wegman Partners explains that paralegals are commonly thought of as assistants to lawyers. Essentially, they perform tasks that an attorney would otherwise have to do. No two days look the same for a paralegal, but the role commonly includes tasks such as legal research, client interviews, administrative duties, and preparing documents and correspondence.

Below, we’ll investigate the role of a paralegal in the legal field in more depth.

Notable Duties

Under the supervision of an attorney, paralegals perform many tasks to assist their superiors and the clients they represent. A few of their most notable duties are outlined below.

Legal Research

Legal research and fact-checking is perhaps the most notable and helpful role a paralegal will fill in a law firm. A lot of research is required to decide how to handle a case and then gather all of the evidence to support the argument.

Paralegals will double-check the facts of the case, identify laws that are relevant to the argument, and peruse old cases and judicial decisions to find a precedent.

All of these services will help an attorney decide how best to handle the case, and the evidence will later be used to support their argument. The type of law that is being practiced will influence the exact parameters of the research, but every paralegal will become familiar with the process pretty quickly.

Client Interviews & Communications

Although paralegals are not legally allowed to offer clients legal advice, they are still responsible for most of the communication with clients and will often conduct interviews alongside a supervising lawyer. Their duties are to make notes of the initial interview and then conduct any further interviews down the road. They will then draft a memo for their attorney that summarizes the testimony.

Administrative Duties

In addition to their legal tasks, paralegals are responsible for many of the administrative duties that help run a law firm. These tasks include filing papers, organizing files, answering phones, scheduling meetings, and more. They may even be asked to arrange travel plans.

Administrative duties may not be the most rewarding tasks for a paralegal to perform, but they are still an important part of the job and can ensure organization and limit the amount of wasted resources, including the attorney’s time.

Draft Correspondence and Documents

One of a paralegal’s greatest skills is in written communication. A significant component of their job is to draft various documents and correspondence, including subpoenas, legal briefs, pretrial notices, and more. They are only permitted to sign documents that indicate their non-lawyer status. Oftentimes, their supervising attorney will sign as the author after the paralegal has put in the time to create the document.

Wrapping Up

Evidently, paralegals shoulder a lot of responsibility. Their efforts contribute to the betterment of the legal industry and should not go overlooked. The addition of paralegals to law firms can help make legal services more affordable for clients, streamline the casework, and produce a number of other significant benefits for both sides of the lawyer-client relationship.

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News from the World of IP Law

The United States’ ever-changing intellectual property law continues to impact many sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and technology, and we’re already seeing its effects in 2022 on these industries and more.

Wegman Partners explains that the United States Supreme Court will be a major player this year in terms of patents because it will decide whether to reconsider the American Axle decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This could potentially expand patent-ineligible subject matter to include certain conventional approaches to using mechanical devices.

Copyright law is also evolving, with US appellate courts attempting to apply the Supreme Court’s decision in Google v. Oracle tackling fair use in more traditional copyright settings.

Here’s a complete picture of IP law in 2022.

Will the Supreme Court Restrict Patent Eligibility?

The restrictions of Section 101 and subject-matter qualifications remain a contentious issue. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice in 2014, federal district courts and the Federal Circuit are still struggling to determine the best approach to satisfying Alice’s two-part test. Fortunately, the Supreme Court has demonstrated a willingness to revisit this issue in the case of American Axle & Manufacturing Inc. v. Neapco Holdings.

The Federal Circuit determined that claims about a method of fabricating a shaft assembly of a drive-line system were simply an application of natural law. The claims specifically call for “tuning at least one-liner” for mass and stiffness and dampening certain vibrational modes by putting the liner into a drive shaft.

Despite American Axle’s claims that adequately tuning the liners required far more work, the Federal Circuit did find this to be a simple application of Hooke’s law. Chief Judge Kimberly Moore argued that the majority decision expanded Section 101 law and asked whether the majority’s stance should instead be based on enablement.

In May, the Supreme Court permitted the solicitor general to submit a brief about the case’s petition for certiorari, indicating that they may be willing to revisit the issue and provide additional assistance.

The ‘Purpose’ of a Work and its Transformative Use

The Supreme Court ruled in Google v. Oracle that Google’s use of 11,500 lines of declaring code was fair use, emphasizing the “purpose” of the use. However, as recent circuit court decisions have demonstrated, determining the “purpose” of artistic works may be more difficult than determining the “purpose” of software.

The Second Circuit ruled in March in The Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith that courts “should not assume the role of art critic” before deciding whether Andy Warhol’s use of a photograph of the musician Prince was eligible to make a series of works of art featuring the musician.

While the Supreme Court was concerned with the purpose of using Google’s software code, the Second Circuit stated that purpose is a less useful metric. Instead, their focus is assessing the transformative nature of works of visual art that, at a high level of generality, share the same overarching purpose (i.e., to serve as works of visual art).”

The dividing line between visual art and software code and the ability to identify the purpose of one versus the other should be kept in mind. The Warhol Foundation’s petition for writ of certiorari could result in the Supreme Court trying to clarify whether these various works must be examined differently.

Conclusion

As you can see, there have been some significant developments in the intellectual property world. From patent eligibility developments to fair use developments in more traditional copyright settings, 2022 is shaping into a significant year. We expect more developments in these crucial cases as we move closer to 2023.

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Wegman Partners On How to Become A Paralegal

Today, the paralegal field is one of the fastest-growing professions in the United States. Recently, the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that the number of paralegal and legal assistants is expected to grow by 15 percent before 2026, a much higher rate compared to other professions. For many years, Wegman Partners, one of the nation’s leading full-service legal recruiters, has helped thousands of law firms hire the most accomplished and professional paralegals in the US. Wegman Partners hopes to encourage those considering entering this dynamic field, and below, will provide the steps needed in order to obtain a position as a paralegal.

Paralegal Educational Requirements

There are no federal regulations in place for paralegals, and only a few states require applicants to have completed certain requirements. For this reason, most law firms will hire paralegals with at minimum an associate’s degree in paralegal studies; however, some law firms will ask that applicants possess a bachelor’s or master’s degree in legal studies.

Associates Degree: On average, it takes roughly two years to obtain an associate’s degree in paralegal studies. However, within the legal community, a growing number of employers require paralegals to possess a four-year degree. For this reason, Wegman Partners encourages those considering becoming a paralegal to look at paralegal programs at the bachelor level.

Bachelor’s Degree: Receiving a bachelor’s degree in legal studies will allow applicants to apply for the majority of available paralegal positions. According to the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, law firms and legal employers are now predominantly looking for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a law-related field.

Master’s Degree: Those who have already received a bachelor’s degree should consider continuing their education and entering a master’s program. A master’s degree in legal studies will allow applicants to study more complex legal topics such as intellectual property law, employment law, trial advocacy, and legal writing. With this additional experience, applicants are more likely to obtain a paralegal position at some of the top law firms in the country.

Complete a Paralegal Certification (Recommended)

While most employers will only ask that applicants meet educational requirements, some employers also ask that applicants have received their paralegal certification. There are a number of different paralegal certifications available through different professional organizations; however, the most well-known certifications include the Professional Paralegal certification from NALS, and the Certified Paralegal certification from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Finally, applicants can also obtain the Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP) certification, also from NALA.

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Wegman Partners On Should Big Law Staff Have to Return to the Office Post-COVID

Although more office spaces have begun to open thanks to the growing number of vaccinated Americans, not all employees are eager to return to the office. Whether it be the reduced commute, concerns regarding health risks, or rusty social skills, many office workers are less than thrilled to give up their at-home offices. However, many companies have already begun to welcome workers back, with one study reporting 24.2 percent of employees have already returned to the office within the ten biggest cities in the United States. For many law offices, returning workers to the office is a complex and challenging decision. Wegman Partners recognizes the complexity of this decision and hopes to aid the many law offices struggling to reach a resolution. Below, Wegman Partners will review the most common pros and cons of in-office and remote work.

Increase in Productivity

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many managers were concerned that allowing employees to work remotely would drastically affect productivity. However, numerous studies that have been conducted during the pandemic have found that working remotely actually increases productivity. According to one study, remote employees work 1.4 more days per month than their office counterparts or three additional weeks of work per year. One of the most effective ways for individuals to stay productive over long periods of time is to take frequent breaks throughout the day. As shown in the Pomodoro Technique, workers who take a moment to decompress and refocus are much more productive than their colleagues.

Issues with Communication

For many companies, the most challenging aspect of remote work has been consistent communication. Many managers are worried that teams are not spending enough time communicating and that this may be negatively affecting team projects. According to a study performed by the Harvard Review, however, one of the most successful ways of human communication is through “bursts.” Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many law teams have started using burst communication, or periods of high communication followed by little to no communication. Research has shown that these periods of silence actually increase productivity and individual thinking among team members. By cutting down on unnecessary contact, team productivity can actually increase.

Anxiety Over In-Office Environment

According to a recent study published by the American Psychological Association, nearly 49 percent of working Americans feel anxious about returning to an in-person work environment once the pandemic ends. The study found that vaccination status did not affect this unease, as 48% of vaccinated participants said they too felt uncomfortable with in-person interactions. Experts believe this is primarily due to new strains of COVID-19 present in various countries and concerns over the COVID vaccine’s effectiveness past six months. For law office managers, this unease should be taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to have staff members return to the office full-time.

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Wegman Partners on the Traits of an Exceptional Paralegal

Ask any attorney, and they will say that paralegals are the powerhouse of the law firm. A paralegal’s job can be complex, taxing, and often includes juggling more than a few tasks at once. With such a difficult position, finding someone who is both up to the job and a good fit for your team can be challenging. Luckily, Wegman Partners knows a thing or two about finding exceptional paralegals and the process of matching them to their perfect law-firm. During Wegman Partners more than fifteen years of business, Colby Wegman and his team have helped hundreds of firms find their ideal paralegal candidate by creating by pre-screening candidates and accepting only the most promising paralegals. Wegman Partners’ lawsuit paralegals are known internationally for their expertise and proficiency within the workplace. Below, Wegman Partners will discuss the traits they most look for in a paralegal candidate.

Writing/ Editing Skills

While law often emphasizes the importance of speech in the courtroom, within a law firm, writing is king. Documentation, research summarization, and the other everyday tasks of a paralegal require outstanding writing skills. Their writing cannot only parrot information but must convince the reader of a well-thought argument or concept. For this reason, when identifying a strong paralegal candidate, look for an English background or previous writing experience.

Research Skills

The process of locating information quickly and documenting it without error is essential to any legal team. Researching a subject, especially in the context of law, is a skill set that not all possess. However, research must come easy for a paralegal professional as many research assignments will be given with a time constraint.

Organization and Time Management

As touched on earlier, a paralegal is rarely afforded the time to focus exclusively on one task. They must instead juggle various cases with different task deadlines and prioritize certain aspects of a case above another’s. Keeping track of a large number of work requests is no easy feat; however, it is the first mark of a good paralegal. By asking candidates about any previous experience dealing with a high volume workload, you may better understand their ability to organize and manage their time.

Team Player

There is a reason legal teams are referred to as teams. A paralegal candidate can excel in all fields mentioned previously; however, if a candidate isn’t personable, their attitude may affect the team. Paralegals spend a large amount of time paired with an attorney, and while this dynamic can accomplishes great things, they must be able to communicate and remain on good terms to excel at their jobs.

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Wegman Partners Discusses Traits of a Successful Law Firm

Wegman Partners knows from working with their vast client base that every law firm is looking to increase their amount of success and every lawyer is looking to join a firm built for sustained success. This can make one wonder what the criteria is of a successful and dynamic law firm. Today, Wegman Partners will begin breaking down the most important characteristics of a thriving law firm.

It is not a surprise to say the best law firms have driven lawyers who are committed to the success of their clients. However, when a firm is made up of single practices under one roof that do not actually interact, it can lead to in-fighting and unhealthy competition. Successful firms look to highlight their ability in a specialized area. It’s a lot tougher to compete as a general practice. Switching from a full-service mentality to a singular focus will also make marketing the firm that much easier.

A commitment to evolving is important for a law firm. Not only is it not okay to rest on the fact that the last case was successful, it is not advisable to allow technology at the firm to grow outdated. The best way to tract a firm’s commitment to evolving is to survey employees within the organization anonymously. Employees can provide feedback on the types of technological advancements that will help them do their jobs most effectively. Not only is internal feedback great, but it’s a great idea to get feedback from clients. There’s no greater marketing than word-of-mouth referrals. Every successful firm is committed to the happiness of their client base. Even in a losing effort, how a client is treated will speak volumes in how they talk about the firm they acquired.

There’s an old saying that ‘iron sharpens iron.’ It is certainly true that being around great lawyers can make a lawyer better at their job. It’s also true that this idea only works if every lawyer within a firm is a team player. People need to be willing to share their ideas and remain committed to the success of every member of the law firm. Wegman Partners sees that most employees who are loyal to a firm are more willing to buy-in to a team mentality. Loyalty within a firm is earned through trust, respect and transparency from ownership. Getting lawyers to buy in to a vision is possible when they feel like they are part of said vision.