Your Brain on Stress
By Mia Kontnik
March 2024
Are there benefits to stress? How does stress impact the legal profession? What can we do to manage stress better?

Words from a NALP Late Bloomer
By Rashida West
February 2024
Current Board member Rashida West discusses her initial reluctance to become actively involved in NALP and describes how she felt re-energized in her professional life after she accepted the challenge.

AI for All: Practical Tips for Using Chatbots in Legal Recruitment
By Chira Perla
December 2023
Chira Perla examines how candidates and recruiters can use artificial intelligence as well as some potential pitfalls.

When Well-Being & AI Collide: Why the Future of Law Is Human
By Paula Davis, JD, MAPP
November 2023 (from PDQ)
Paula Davis argues that the conversations around technology tools such as generative artificial intelligence present the opportunity to balance profit-centric and money focused messages with designing the future of the profession in a way that promotes well-being and valuing lawyers and legal professionals as human beings first.

Unlocking the Power of Sleep to Thrive
By Kendra Brodin and Dr. Jagdeep Bijwadia
October 2023
From the moment we start working in our positions in law schools or law firms, sleep often becomes a casualty. Kendra Brodin and Dr. Jagdeep Bijwadia provide strategies to prioritize and improve our sleep and our well-being.

DEI Is Not Dead
By Courtney Carter
September 2023
NALP Vice-President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Courtney Carter provides tips for considering how to move forward with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Neurodiversity in the Legal Profession: Demystifying Disability with Author Emily Ladua
By Melissa Berry, Rachael Bosch, and Robin Thorner
July/August 2023
NALP’s Neurodiversity in the Legal Profession Task Force hosted internationally recognized disability activist and writer Emily Ladau, in a March 2023 webinar for a conversation about her life and her book Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally. Here are some of our takeaways from the conversation with Emily for thinking, talking, and asking about disability.

Findings on First-Year Salaries from the 2023 Associate Salary Survey
By Danielle Taylor
June 2023
NALP’s Director of Research, Danielle Taylor, reports on the prevalence of $215,000 first-year associate salaries by firm size and city in this Bulletin+ article. The article also includes trends in first-year associate salaries by firm size from NALP’s Associate Salary Survey.

Links Between Social Connectedness and Mental Health in Well-Being Initiatives
By Jessie Spressart
Bonus Article — May 2023
Jessie Spressart outlines four ways organizations can help people connect and engage with each other, even in a hybrid environment.

Let's Get NALP-y
By Michael Nguyen and Clara Solomon
May/June 2023
NALP Nominating Committee members outline ways that all NALP members can get involved in the association.

Cracking the Code on Well-Being in Law: Applying Research and Experience to Advance an Essential but Elusive Priority
By Patrick Krill
May/June 2023
Patrick Krill outlines research on lawyer well-being and offers ten practical suggestions for advancing mental health and well-being.

Start Now, Benefit Later: Retirement and Succession Planning for You and Your Team
By Betsy Armour
April 2023
It’s never too early to learn the ins and outs of retirement and succession planning for you and your team.

Your Next Station Is the NALP Annual Education Conference in Vancouver
By Jennifer Lau
April 2023
Final tips from the Conference Planning Team for getting to and around Vancouver.

The Illusion of Inclusion
By Ray English and Kourtney James
March 2023
Diversity and inclusion are often used interchangeably when they are not the same. This article explains how to identify DEI traps, including high turnover and lack of diverse leadership, and offers tips for embracing uniqueness, recognizing implicit bias, listening, and building trust.

An Insider's Guide to Vancouver
By Pamela Cyr
March 2023
NALP's 2023 Annual Education is drawing near. The event takes place April 25-28 in Vancouver, and the Conference Planning Work Group has recommendations for activities while you are in town.

How Teams Can Help Address Burnout in the Legal Profession
By Paula Davis, JD, MAPP
January 2023 (from PDQ)
While burnout is often positioned as a well-being topic, it is a challenge that will become more powerfully solved when it's also addressed as a leadership issue — also intersecting with the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) and talent retention conversations — for which teaming and systems-focused principles are the main source of help and remedy.

The Role Nutrition Plays in Your Well-Being
By Kristin Rowell
December 2022
How do you know if you need to take a closer look at your blood sugar levels? This article explains the role of insulin and offers tips for lowering and maintaining your blood sugar.

Pro Bono: More Than a Diversity Recruitment Tool
By Lauren R. Jackson
November 2022
Why legal employers should embrace a model that gives all work — including pro bono opportunities that help the greater good — equal treatment and value.

Revised ABA Standards 303 (b) and (c) and the Formation of a Lawyer’s Professional Identity, Part 3: Cross-Cultural Competency, Equal Access, and the Elimination of Bias, Discrimination, and Racism
By Louis D. Bilionis and Neil W. Hamilton
November 2022 (from PDQ)
Exploring the ramifications of revised ABA Standards 303, specifically focusing on subsection (c), which includes cross-cultural competency, equal access, and the elimination of bias, discrimination, and racism in the professional identify formation of lawyers.

New Executive Director Is Focused on NALP's Core Mission
By Karl C. Riehl
In the November From the President column, NALP's Board welcomes Nikia Gray as the new Executive Director for the association and outlines some early goals. Learn more about Nikia Gray, NALP's new Executive Director.

Being Anti-Racist Starts with 5 Action Steps
By Ray English
October 2022
Being anti-racist begins with examining your own actions and beliefs, listening to others, participating in events designed to combat racial injustice, discussing racism, and seeking diversity.

The Reshuffling of the Legal Profession, Part 2
By Marcia Pennington Shannon
October 2022 (from PDQ)
This second of a two-part article series explores real-life stories about legal professionals at law schools and firms changing jobs during the pandemic and asks if the Great Reshuffling is a better way to describe the current state of the legal profession instead of the Great Resignation.

Honing the Hybrid Life
By James G. Leipold
October 2022 (from PDQ)
Members of the PDQ Advisory Group share their real-life experiences about remote work and adjusting to a hybrid work schedule as a result of the pandemic.

The Reshuffling of the Legal Profession, Part 1
By Marcia Pennington Shannon
September 2022 (from PDQ)
Lawyers, PD and recruiting professionals, and law school advisors have made and continue to make major career transitions in greater numbers than ever before. Several factors have led so many people to change positions, careers, or quit altogether. These factors are here to stay and if not recognized, an organization could find itself unable to attract and retain its best talent over the long run. This two-part article explores these factors through the personal journeys of more than 20 people.

Looking at Leadership: Perspectives from American Law School Deans
By Jeff Allum and Katie Kempner
September 2022 (from PDQ)
Analysis of trends in the American Law School Dean Study that have emerged from the pandemic, including American deans spending a lot more time on crisis management, DEI, budget/financial management, and student life/conduct issues.

The Work that Lies Ahead: Belonging
By James G. Leipold
July/August 2022
Reflecting on the American Lawyer’s 2022 Diversity Scorecard, NALP’s Executive Director notes that legal organizations “can strive to create ever-more inclusive environments where a greater number of people feel that they belong.”

A Fresh Look at Existing Info: Analyzing 30 Years of Law School Graduate Employment Data
By Judith N. Collins
July/August 2022
Exploring NALP’s graduate employment data from law schools across 30 years to identify patterns in large U.S. cities related to job density, population fluctuations, and job opportunities.

Book Review: Let's Coach All the Lawyers
By Milana L. Hogan
June 2022 (from PDQ)
Key takeaways from the new NALP-published book, Let’s Coach All the Lawyers: An Essential Primer for Professionals Developing Legal Talent, by Jessica Natkin and Jessica Hernandez.

Anti-Trans and Non-Binary Legislation, Part 2: Language and Its Impact
By Rafael Langer-Osuna, Melanie Rowen, and Molly Stafford
June 2022
Part 2 of the article series on recent legislation targeting anti-trans and non-binary individuals by members of the Task Force on Supporting Gender Non-Binary Individuals in the Legal Profession.

Revised ABA Standards 303(b) and (c) and the Formation of a Lawyer’s Professional Identity, Part 2: Action Steps for Law Students, Law Schools, and the Legal Profession
By Neil W. Hamilton and Louis D. Bilionis
June 2022 (from PDQ)
The second of a two-part series about revised ABA Standards 303(b) and (c).

Revised ABA Standards 303(b) and (c) and the Formation of a Lawyer’s Professional Identity, Part 1: Understanding the New Requirements
By Neil W. Hamilton and Louis D. Bilionis
May 2022 (from PDQ)
The first of a two-part series about understanding the new requirements under ABA’s revised Standards 303(b) and (c) for students, law schools, and the legal profession.

To Keep Making Noise: Self-Care Is Critical to Dismantling Racism and White Supremacy in the Legal Profession
By Alison Ashe-Card, Molly Stafford, and Nicole Netkin-Collins
April 2022
Self-care is an essential and often-overlooked element of fostering a fair and equitable work culture for BIPOC lawyers, law students, and legal professionals.

Accessibility Without a Disadvantage: Supporting Neurodivergent Lawyers and Law Students
by Angela Sordi
March 2022
Q&A with Simon Margolis, a Disputes Associate at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Toronto, Canada, about the challenges and opportunities for legal employers related to neurodiverse lawyers and law students.

What Does a Lawyer Look Like?
by Nikki Harris
February 2022
Is it time to update legal employer grooming policies to be more inclusive for today’s norms of natural hair, tattoos, and piercings?

Work, Wellness, and Meaning: Reimagining Legal Education and the First 10 Years of Law Practice
by Janet Thompson Jackson
January 2022
Washburn University's Janet Thompson Jackson explores the changes needed to address mental health trauma and burnout that lawyers can experience in their first decade in the profession.

A New Day for NALP: Gratitude in the Midst of Change
by Traci Mundy Jenkins
December 2021
NALP's President reflects on the opportunities ahead for the association with the recent announcement that Executive Director Jim Leipold is retiring next fall.

A New Day for Jim
by James G. Leipold
December 2021
Friends, after nearly 18 years I have made the decision to retire as NALP's Executive Director in October of next year and I want to use this space to share some thoughts with you about my decision.

Mx. Is Not a Mistake
by Amy Kimmel, Nicholas Martinez, and James G. Leipold
December 2021
Exploring the use of Mx. as an honorific for legal employers and law schools in the recruiting process.

Are We Still Making Noise? The Backlash to Black Lives Matter and Its Effects on the Legal Profession
by Alison Ashe-Card, Molly Stafford, and Nicole Netkin-Collins
December 2021
Extending a series of articles on dismantling racism by looking at the ongoing experiences of BIPOC law students and lawyers and the decline in support among white individuals for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Order now:
Let's Coach All the Lawyers

New Book Preview: Let's Coach All the Lawyers
by Jessica Natkin and Jessica Hernandez
November 2021
Coaching’s efficacy rests on fostering deeper, more productive conversations. As a result, the use of coaching concepts in legal talent development is particularly powerful. In this book, the authors describe how to employ coaching skills to work through common topics that arise in the legal workplace. Learn More

Well-Being in Law: Bringing a National Movement to Your Organization
By Erin McClernon
November 2021
Want to learn more about the well-being movement that is fundamentally changing the legal profession? This article explores the lessons learned at Ogletree Deakins from the 2021 Well-Being Week in Law, which takes place annually in May.

Anti-Trans and Non-Binary Legislation, Part 1: What NALP Members Should Know
By Rafael Langer-Osuna, Melanie Rowen, and Molly Stafford
October 2021
Members of the Task Force on Supporting Gender Non-Binary Individuals in the Legal Profession look closer at key facts about recent legislation across the United States targeting transgender and non-binary individuals.

Neurodiversity: A Primer
By Paul Johnson and Angela Sordi
September 2021
Co-chairs of NALP's Task Force on Neurodiversity provide an overview of neurodiversity through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion as it applies to recruiting, hiring, and training at legal employers.

Intersectional Non-Binary Perspectives on "Professionalism"
By Courtney Carter, Rafael Langer-Osuna, Nicole Netkin-Collins
June 2021
Examining how law firms and legal professionals should consider gender non-binary individuals when it comes to rewriting some of the unwritten rules of professionalism based on heteronormative patriarchal cisgender norms.