December 2019

After the 2019 recruiting cycle and before their November meeting, NALP’s Board members conducted outreach calls to members across the country. They asked members to respond to several questions about the recent recruiting cycle. Click here to read the summary of this outreach (PDF).

November 2019

NALP’s Board of Directors held its fall meeting along with a strategic planning session November 13-16, 2019.  The Board reviewed and took action on several matters:

• Agreed to add a series of questions to the NALP Directory of Legal Employers to gather information about employers’ use of mandatory arbitration and non-disclosure agreements with associates, summer associates, and other non-partner lawyers.  Read the approved new questions here.
  
  
• Approved questions proposed by the NDLE/NDLS Working Group on law firm and law school recruiting policies for both of NALP’s Directories.  They have also added some alumni relations questions to the NDLE that were requested by the Legal Employer Alumni Relations/Programs Section.
  
  
• Discussed the results of member outreach on the recruitment process for 1Ls and 2Ls and agreed to compile a summary of that outreach to share with the NALP membership.  Summary and synthesis will be forthcoming.
  
  
• Agreed to seek out guidance on the federal judicial clerkship hiring process for the class of 2022.
  
  
• Reviewed a handout prepared by the JD Career Advisors Section in collaboration with the Recruiting Section on Sexual Harassment and Recruiting Conduct: Considerations for Law Firms and Law Schools which will be released shortly. 
  
  
• Agreed to engage in a dialogue with EJW about the implications of allowing 1Ls to apply for interviews in their October Career Fair.
  
  
• Adopted a new Board policy on anticompetitive risks and behaviors:

  BOARD POLICY 114: SUBJECT:  ANTICOMPETITIVE RISKS AND BEHAVIORS
  As members of a professional trade association, NALP members should always bring a heightened awareness of antitrust and anticompetitive risks and behaviors to professional gatherings.  NALP’s law school members compete with one another and NALP’s employer members compete with one another. Accordingly, NALP’s members should avoid entering any sort of agreement or understanding with competitors related to any aspect of competition. However, it is appropriate for NALP members to discuss information that is not competitively sensitive, such as industry trends, best practices, or general opportunities and challenges that arise in the legal careers profession.

• Continued a review of NALP’s Investment Policy with input from NALP’s Investment Advisor.
  
  
• Agreed to continue conducting an annual financial audit.
  
  
• Heard an update from the NALP Foundation on current research projects, including the Alumni Study on Employment and Career Satisfaction, the Associate Attrition Study, Women of Color Study, the Study of Incivility in Law Firms, and the Cost Per Hire study.  
   
• Approved a $10K donation to the NALP Foundation for FY2021.
  
  
• Heard from Board Liaisons about the work of Sections, Work Groups, Committees, Advisory Groups, and Task Forces.
  
  
• Reviewed background information about two new industry initiatives: the Move the Needle Fund and Jurdu.
  
  
• Engaged in a reflective self-evaluation process at the end of the meeting.

The Board also engaged in a productive two-day strategic planning session which will culminate in a new strategic plan for NALP in 2020.  In preparation for the strategic planning session, Board members reviewed the reports from Sections and regions, the results of the member survey, and the input gathered from a series of one-on-one interviews.

July 2019

NALP's Board of Directors held their summer meeting July 18-19, 2019. The Board reviewed and took action on several matters.

2020 Fiscal Year Budget - The Board adopted a $4.7 million budget for the 2020 fiscal year.

2020 Membership Dues - The Board set the calendar year 2020 dues rates:

2020 Annual Education Conference Fees - The Board also set the base member early-bird registration rate for the 2020 Annual Education Conference in Montreal, QC, Canada at $850.

2019-2020 Educational Programming Dates and Fees

• 2019 Public Service Mini-Conference - October 17, Washington, DC. Base fee: $150
• 2019 Canadian Diversity Summit - December 2, Toronto, ON. Base fee: $75
• 2019 Canadian Winter Meeting - December 3, Toronto, ON. Base fee: $125
• 2019 Professional Development Institute - December 5-6, Washington, DC. Base fee: $745
• 2020 Legal Recruiting Summit - January 30, 2020, New York, NY. Base fee: $550
• 2020 Newer Professionals' Forum - February 20-22, 2020, Portland, OR. Base fee: $595
• 2020 Annual Education Conference - April 28 - May 1, 2020, Montreal, QC, Canada. Base fee: $850
• 2019-2020 Webinars - A series of webinars will be offered during the coming year. Watch future issues of the NALP Bulletin and NALPnow! for additional information.

Updates to Future Editions of the NALP Directory of Legal Employers

Board members approved several updates to the NALP Directory of Legal Employers commencing with the 2020 edition:

• Recruiting Policies - there will be a new field for employers to provide a link to their recruitment policies and procedures
• Gender Identity - the lawyer gender demographics category will be expanded to include men/women/non-binary/choose not to identify
• Racial and Ethnic Reporting - NALP will continue to follow a modified EEOC reporting scheme with an added text box which will allow members to provide further explanation or breakouts as they prefer
• Mandatory Arbitration Agreements and Non-Disclosure Agreements - NALP will add fields to collect information on firms' policies regarding mandatory arbitration agreements and non-disclosure agreements and other workplace policies

Board members also:

• Agreed to participate with a joint task force with the ABA looking at the impact of disabilities in the job search and recruitment processes.
• Reviewed preliminary FY19 year-end financials.
• Reviewed the feedback from members provided through Director outreach calls and Regional Resource Council member reports.
• Reviewed several resource guides prepared by members for posting to the website.
• Heard an update from the NALP Foundation on current research projects, including the Alumni Study on Employment and Career Satisfaction, the Associate Attrition Study, Women of Color Study, the Study of Incivility in Law Firms, and the Cost Per Hire study. The Foundation is also planning a fourth Hiring Partner Summit for 2020 at McDermott Will & Emery in Miami.
• Reviewed several of the documents used by the Nominating Committee to educate the membership about leadership positions.
• Reviewed and updated Board policies, including the fiscal policy.
• Reviewed the evaluations for recent conferences including the Annual Education Conference and the Emerging Legal Careers Summit.
• Heard from Board Liaisons about the work of several Sections, Work Groups, Committees, Advisory Groups, and Task Forces.
• Agreed to establish a formal liaison role with the ABA's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs.

April & May 2019

NALP’s Board of Directors met immediately prior to the April Annual Education in San Diego and again briefly at the end of Board Orientation in May. The Board reviewed and took action on several matters:

The Board approved use of funds from NALP’s Strategic Reserves to undertake a new knowledge management initiative aimed at updating and upgrading NALP’s user-content and online resources. The Knowledge Management Implementation Work Group will work with NALP staff and a team of consultants to assess next steps and work towards the orderly implementation of identified initiatives.

The Board reviewed and approved the 2019-2020 Business Plan as presented by 2019-2020 NALP President Georgia Emery Gray. In addition to a full complement of Sections and Groups, the plan includes five strategic work groups:

• Strategic Planning Advisory Group
• 50th Anniversary Commemoration Commission
• Developing the Professional Lawyer Work Group
• Knowledge Management Implementation Work Group
• NDLE/NDLS Work Group

In May, the Board approved a modest increase in PSJD Subscription fees for the 2019-2020 program year commencing July 1.

The Board reviewed NALP’s finances, which are in good shape, despite the unpredictable market.

The Board also approved updated signatories to the banking and investment accounts and approved a parliamentarian for the business year.

The Board is preparing to engage in strategic planning and will be working with individual sections, task forces, and work groups on this project throughout the year. The Board has engaged a consultant to facilitate the process.

The Board also extended their welcome to two new staff members who have joined NALP since the beginning of the year – Claire Nash as Member Services Coordinator and Danielle Taylor as Director of Research. Judy Collins has moved into the new position of Senior Research Associate for Special Projects in a part-time status.