Training

See also Professional development.

Lawyers' Professional Development, Ida O. Abbott

NALP, 2002. This comprehensive handbook for professional development administrators includes discussion of lawyer training.
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The Effective Associate Training and Development Program, 2nd Edition

American Bar Association, 2005. This practical manual covers all aspects of developing and maintaining an in-house associate training program.
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Teaching for Better Learning: Adult Education in CLE, ALI-ABA

ALI-ABA, 2004. This guidebook takes what is known about how adults learn best and tells presenters, and those who coach presenters, how to apply adult learning principles to their own programs. Targeted to law firm CLE staff and faculty, this book is also a useful tool for those designing programs in the law school environment. After explaining basic adult learning principles, it describes the elements of good program design and delivery, outlines techniques for enhancing program presentation, and highlights key questions to consider when planning to use technology in program delivery.
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Training for Impact: How to Link Training to Business Needs and Measure the Results, Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson

Jossey-Bass, 1989. Although not specifically law related, this book remains a classic on developing results-oriented training that links training programs to business needs, problems, and opportunities. It explains step by step how this approach can be implemented to address performance gaps, achieve organizational goals, and give people the knowledge and skills needed for success. An excellent resource for those seeking to learn more about the basic theories underlying training. This book can be purchased through your favorite bookseller.

Performance Consulting: Moving Beyond Training, Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1996. This is another classic in the field of training, though not specifically law related. The book's title is based on the authors' assertion that the traditional role of trainer is being replaced in today's corporate world by the role of performance consultant. They provide both a conceptual framework and practical guidelines for succeeding in performance consulting -- that is, in training that is tied to performance gaps and performance needs. Topics addressed in this comprehensive volume include developing partnerships with management, identifying the performance required to meet business goals, contracting with management to take all actions needed to enhance performance, and transitioning from a focus on training delivery to a focus on human performance improvement This book can be purchased through your favorite bookseller.

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Women in the Legal Profession

See also Diversity

For the latest NALP research on women and minorities, see Research & Statistics > Diversity & Demographics > Minorities & Women.

After the JD Monographs on Women in the Legal Profession

The After the JD (AJD) study is a longitudinal study of the career choices and subsequent career progression of a nationally representative sample of lawyers who were first admitted to the bar in the year 2000. The study was designed and is overseen by an interdisciplinary group of scholars and funded by multiple institutions, among them NALP, the NALP Foundation, and the American Bar Foundation. It is the first research effort of its kind to examine the early careers of a cohort of more than 4,500 newly certified lawyers. NALP Senior Social Science Researcher Gita Wilder, who is a member of the AJD Executive Coordinating Committee, has written a series of four monographs based on the first wave of AJD findings. Two of these monographs relate to women in the profession: Are Minority Women Lawyers Leaving Their Jobs (2008) and Women in the Profession: Findings from the First Wave of the After the JD Study (2007). Both monographs are available free of charge for viewing or download as PDFs at Research & Statistics > After the JD Monographs.

Women on Top: The Woman's Guide to Leadership and Power in Law Firms, Ida O. Abbott

West, 2010. Ida Abbott, a popular speaker at NALP conferences, directs this book to women who want to be leaders in their firms, offering in-depth advice on how women can make the most of their personal strengths, build critical alliances, and overcome the obstacles in the way of achieving leadership goals. In explaining how women can become more effective leaders, Abbott has also created a tremendous reference for law firm administrators, providing insights into the nature of law firm leadership, factors affecting women, and the types of strategies most likely to open the door to law firm leadership for women. This book is also likely to win a readership among men who aspire to law firm leadership roles but experience generational or other challenges. A recognized leader and author in the field of lawyer professional development, Abbott is co-founder and Director of the Hastings Leadership Academy for Women at the University of California Forum.
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Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Law Firms

American Bar Association, 2006. The findings of this study by the ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession suggest that "women of color are leaving large law firm practice in droves because they are the victims of an uninterrupted cycle of institutional discrimination." Building on NALP Foundation studies of attrition, this ABA study quantifies the degree to which women of color report missing out on desirable assignments, not having access to client development and relationship opportunities, and not having sufficient mentoring opportunities. The study also examines experiences of harassment and discrimination and includes recommendations for law firms. (For information on follow-ups to this report, see www.abanet.org/women.)
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Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women's Success in the Law, Lauren Stiller Epstein

Thomson/Legalworks, 2006. Based on years of research and hundreds of interviews with women lawyers, this book focuses on institutions impediments and challenges to women's success in the practice of law. Rikleen addresses numerous aspects of law firm life, including firm management, the assignment process, billable hour demands, business generation, compensation, mentoring, attrition, and work/family issues. Recommendations for change are also featured, including concrete actions law firms can take.
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A Career in the Law: A Guide for Women Law Students

Catalyst/NALP, 2001. Based on Catalyst's report Women in the Law: Making the Case, this 32-page booklet outlines obstacles to women's success and offers five important strategies for overcoming those obstacles.
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The Road to Independence: 101 Women's Journeys to Starting Their Own Law Firms

ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, 2011. At once inspirational and practical, this book is a collection of 101 letters from women who have created their own law firms, either as solo practitioners or with others. Brimming with business-savvy tips for starting and growing a practice, the letters also address the larger themes of becoming a business woman, choosing a practice area true to one's passion, and controlling not only one's days but one's destiny.
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Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters, 2nd Edition

American Bar Association, 2009. Subtitled Words of Wisdom from Multicultural Women Attorneys Who've Been There and Done That, this book provides mentoring from multicultural women attorneys through their letters to sisters and daughters, offering practical advice and inspiration for anyone in the legal profession.
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Empowerment and Leadership: Tried and True Methods for Women Lawyers

American Bar Association Commission for Women in the Profession, 2004. Based on the results of focus groups as well as additional research, this 47-page guide offers information about institutional and individual approaches that can help women lawyers progress into positions of power and leadership at law firms and corporations. This guide will be particularly helpful to women who are just starting their careers (or aspiring to start their careers) in mid-sized or large law firms.
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National Directory of Women-Owned Law Firms and Women Lawyers

National Association of Women Lawyers, annual. This directory gathers in one place the names and specialties of hundreds of women-owned law firms and women lawyers, indexed by firm name, individual name, location, and practice area.
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Women-at-Law: Lessons Learned Along the Pathways to Success, Phyllis Horn Epstein

American Bar Association, 2004. This book shares real life experiences, advice, and wisdom from women lawyers. The women featured share accounts of how they have taken "time outs" from their careers to raise children, moved from one city to another, or tried an alternative career track. In addition to discussing what women lawyers do every day to juggle their careers and lives, the women featured talk about how to decide whether a part-time schedule is a viable option.
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Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose, Kathy Caprino

Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2008. Though outwardly successful, many professional women find themselves in the midst of crisis according to Caprino. She addresses specific challenges women face and offers many exercises and case studies to help readers break through the challenges. As one might guess from the "passion, power, and purpose" subtitle, this book may be viewed by some as too "touchy-feely," but those who find exploring "self-empowerment" meaningful will find a wealth of advice from Caprino's experience as a life and executive coach. This book can be purchased from your favorite bookstore or online bookseller.

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Work/Life Balance

Solving the Part-Time Puzzle: The Law Firm's Guide to Balanced Hours, Cynthia Thomas Calvert and Joan C. Williams

NALP, 2004. Dissatisfaction with work/life balance has been documented as a major cause of associate attrition, and many associates cite the lack of viable, non-stigmatized balanced hours options as a significant factor. This handbook presents the business case for balanced hours programs; describes methods of analyzing the effectiveness of current part-time programs; and provides clear advice on implementation of a balanced hours program.
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Law and Reorder: Legal Industry Solutions for Work/Life Balance, Retention, Promotion & Restructure, Deborah Epstein Henry

ABA, 2010. Law & Reorder is really two books in one.  Part I focuses on the needs of legal employers, providing solutions for the changes facing the legal industry.  These include the threat to the billable hour, the rise of new models of practice, the morphing of large law firms, the development of talent management strategies, and the creation of work/life and women-friendly employment settings.  Part II is directed to lawyers and law students and provides a roadmap for how to navigate today’s (and tomorrow’s) changing legal environment.  Author Deborah Epstein Henry has been a frequent speaker at NALP conferences.
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The Lawyer's Guide to Balancing Life and Work, George W. Kaufman

ABA Law Practice Management Section, 1999. Subtitled "Taking the Stress Out of Success," this book's sections focus on identifying lifetime patterns of behavior, evaluating current career status, and analyzing "how the law fits inside you, not how you fit inside the law." Written for those who wish to stay in the legal profession as well as those looking for a change, The Lawyer's Guide to Balancing Life and Work points out the signs of burnout and offers solutions for prevention or cure.
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The Happy Lawyer: Making a Good Life in the Law, Nancy Levit & Douglas O. Linder

Oxford University Press, 2010. The Happy Lawyer begins by taking a look at research on career satisfaction in the legal profession: Are lawyers satisfied with their chosen field? What makes lawyers happy or unhappy? Unlike Kaufman's book, which is more of a work/life balance handbook for the individual lawyer, this book is addressed as much to law firms and others who want a better understanding of career satisfaction issues in the legal profession. There is, in fact, a chapter on what law firms can do to make lawyers happier. For would-be lawyers there is also advice on such topics as choosing a law school, the role of the law school years, preparing while in law school, and understanding earning potential (with NALP's bimodal salary distribution chart included in the explanation of entry-level salaries). Although would-be lawyers who delve into the advice in these pages may benefit greatly, the readers most likely to be attracted to the overall content of the book are those interested in what creates career satisfaction in the legal profession.
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