Ever since the Gen Y and Millenniums entered the legal work force the term “work life balance” started popping up in law firm hallways.

For the most part, the term has been met with snickers, skepticism, and rejection. You could almost hear the snarky tone of the senior partners when they sputtered out the term “work life balance.” For the most part, “work life balance” seemed to be code for “”lazy,” “good for nothing,” “unwilling to put in their dues” associates.

Yet, with the current economic conditions, whole practices lacking in business, firms and partners on the brink of failure, law firm layoffs, deferrals, salary reductions, etc. “flexible schedules” are now being introduced:

Addleshaw Goddard has rolled out a flexible working scheme after 95% of fee earners voted in favour of the plans.

The scheme, which started on 1 July, will run for a 12 month period and will see the firm putting some fee earners onto a four day week in return for 85% of pay. It is understood that the majority of fee earners in Addleshaws’ real estate group are already working four day weeks.

Other flexible working initiatives include sabbaticals and buying additional holiday. Fee earners can take additional leave in blocks of four, eight, 12 and 26 weeks at 30% of salary during the time off.

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Addleshaws’ HR director, Judith Hardy said: “These decisions were not straightforward, but they were a necessary and appropriate response to the continuing market conditions.” (emphasis added).

She added: “The fee earner support for the flexible working changes we think are essential to the short-term management of our costs has been overwhelming and gives us a really positive mandate to manage capacity better in areas where we are not busy. Their co-operation has been fantastic and their buy-in will help us to keep our talent together and respond positively to the current downturn.”

As more firms try to manage the downturn, keep their talent in-house, and prepare for when the economy turns about, I wonder how many of these fee-earners will begin to appreciate a certain amount of “work-life balance?” How many of these fee-earners will learn to welcome that extra day off, or a vacation where they are really on vacation? How many kids will see their parents more? We know that the legal profession is hard on marriages. How many relationships will be rekindled??

One of Jordan Furlong’s predictions is that the big partner salaries of the late 90s and early 2000s will not return with an up tick in the economy.

Can it be that many of these partners will come to appreciate what those young associates have been telling us all along? A work-life balance and personal life are key to individual fulfillment?

Oh, we’re all quick to point out the law firm layoffs, the end of lock-step salaries, the postponement of OCI programs, and more job deferrals (all brought to you by Orrick).

But there are actually some companies out there trying to help.

LexisNexis recently rolled out their Lend-a-Hand Program which includes:

While not a perfect program, it is a beginning and definitely a step in the right direction.

I asked Dave Danielson, VP and Managing Director Small Law Client Development, LexisNexis, a few questions about the program, Cooler-style:

Q. Why is the program limited to firms with 50 or more attorneys?

A: The LexisNexis Lend-a-Hand program is available to all U.S.-based attorneys who recently worked for a law firm with more than 50 attorneys and are currently unemployed. We decided to offer it to this group of attorneys as large law firms have been most affected by the economic downturn in terms of layoffs. We decided it was important for LexisNexis to help this group of attorneys at this time.

Q. Are you planning on doing anything for the 2009 law school grads who have been “deferred” until next year … and whom I am hearing through the grapevine, will be subsequently fired.

A: Well, we certainly hope your grapevine sources are not correct on this but, to answer your question, Yes, LexisNexis launched a program entitled, “Associates Serving Public Interest Research Program (ASPIRE),” which provides complimentary LexisNexis access to deferred fall associates pursuing public interest work (non-profit or charitable). Complimentary LexisNexis access will be provided throughout these graduates’ public interest employment periods, up until September 2010. More information for interested graduates can be found here.

Q. What about the Class of 2010. Their job prospects are minimal as well.

A: We are hopeful that next year will indeed be a new year and things will have turned around. However, I think LexisNexis will always try to do what they can for our customers in need and we have demonstrated that with the ASPIRE program and Lend-a-Hand program.

I think most firms are beginning to accept that the economy (and the work load) will not simply “pick up” next year.

With more firms delaying the start dates of their 2009 first-year associates into 2010 and beyond, I hope that LexisNexis continues to see what they can do to assist these young men and women whom I have heard dubbed the “lost generation” of lawyers. With no jobs to speak of, yet mounting law school debts, these young lawyers will not have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to begin their legal careers.

I really enjoyed Jordan Furlong’s post Time Bomb. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, please do. In this post, he summarizes The Economist’s special report on aging populations, A slow-burning fuse.

One thing all law firms – mega, small, solos and boutiques – have in common is that the “product” we cultivate and sell is the intellectual capital of the firm, namely the lawyers.

Lawyers are the commodity that we marketers package. Lawyers are the commodity they themselves sell. The lawyers bring in the money, and the lawyers spend the money.

Yet, according to The Economist, the aging population is going to tax not only the government, but the workforces as well. And law firms will not be exempt. I just wonder how many are preparing for it?

Jordan does a great job in laying out how he sees the aging population affecting the legal industry. I have taken the liberty of shortening each bullet point, so go read the full post for the details:

1. Get ready for the end of retirement, warns The Economist: “few governments, employers or individuals have yet come to terms with where retirement is heading: the end of the whole concept. Whether we like it or not, we are going back to the pre-Bismarckian world, where work had no formal stopping point.” …. Active lawyers in their 70s and 80s will become commonplace ….

2. Four generations in one firm will not be unusual ….

3. The massive partner incomes of today could well be considered relics of a bygone era, reminiscent of how we now think of railway barons’ fortunes. Partly, this will be because the revolution in the legal services marketplace will take billions of dollars away from law firms, as outsourced practitioners and sophisticated technology snap up formerly lucrative lower-end lawyer work. But it’s also because there will simply be far fewer working-age adults ….

4. Unfunded pension liabilities could crush some firms well before 2050. Those employees (staff as well as lawyers) who do eventually retire are going to live longer, and their numbers will multiply as the Boomers finally slide out of working life ….

5. Say goodbye to a lot of law schools. If the coming wave of legal education reform hasn’t already knocked many law schools out of the game, they can expect to be finished off by a simultaneous drop in both the supply of law students and the demand for new law graduates ….

So, what implications do you see the aging population having on law firms and the legal industry?

In the short term, I see great opportunities for the younger Boomers and Generation X as they move into more senior positions within the firms. There will be a void of intellectual capital that these people can fill, both internally in firm leadership positions, and as client service partners. However, firms that ignore and do not prepare for these changes will suffer internal frictions that could become insurmountable.

What I find most exciting about Web 2.0 is the effect it has had on how we approach marketing and business development, especially for lawyers and law firms.

I like to quip that Google killed the Martindale-Hubbell Rankings as we knew them (I said “quip,” it’s more complicated than that).

Because of Google, a general counsel no longer needs to pull a book down from his shelf to find the lawyer he is looking for; he just needs to Google the attorney or firm, or search on a key term. Coupled with law firm Web sites, a GC is, in many cases, able to find that specialist that they need, without depending on referrals.

But I digress.

I have found that Web 2.0, specifically blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, has changed the way we get to know, like and trust people in business.

Back in the day, I would coach an attorney to always try and meet with his or her client in their office rather than in a conference room. This would allow the client (or the attorney if they are at the client’s office) to take a look around. Look at the pictures, the knick-knacks, the awards. What magazines are sitting out? This personal setting would allow the client (or the attorney) to get a feel for who the attorney was as a person.

I encouraged attorneys to have personal items of interest in their office: A wine magazine; a photo of the attorney on the NCAA Championship basketball team; pictures of the family on vacation. (I also had them remove anything questionable or offensive.)

The overall goal was to to coach the attorney to look for common interests, things that they can touch on and start to build a personal relationship with the client, because we know, with all things being equal, clients hire attorneys they know, like and trust.

At a recent conference, in the midst of a Tweetup (a gathering of Twitter users), we started talking about how back in “the day,” you would meet someone AND THEN you would get to know, like and possibly trust them.

Web 2.0 has changed this.

In today’s world of social media and social networking, we get to know, like and trust someone BEFORE we ever get to meet them face-to-face, have a telephone conversation, or even exchange e-mail.

Think about your personal experiences getting to know me.

  • Many of you have seen personal pictures of me (who can forget 80s Hair Weekend on Twitter) and my family.
  • You know my personal opinions on many topics, both professional and personal.
  • We have uncovered personal connections (Vivian Hood is married to Darl, my grandmother’s name is Vivyenne Darl – go figure), and hidden commonalities (Girl Scouts, anyone??).

You have, in many cases, already determined whether or not you know, like and trust me. And while most of us will never meet face-to-face, you have already formed an opinion of who I am.

In fact, it can be months, even years, before you FINALLY meet the person you are networking with online, yet those bonds have already been established and built upon, (Jamie Mulholland, I’m talking about you!)

The same is true for the attorney/client/referral source relationships.

Through social networking tools, attorneys are identifying hidden relationships via LinkedIn; they are showcasing their knowledge through blogging; they are allowing the personal side of their personality to come through on Facebook; and, yes, they are building relationships that are turning into referrals and new business on Twitter.

No shock here, but I like law firm internship/fellowship/apprenticeship programs.

Clients like these programs.

Recent law school grads without a job like these programs.

And while we as a society find it perfectly acceptable for a young doctor to graduate a top-ranked medical school, $100,000 plus in debt, and go directly into an internship program at a minimal salary, to learn the trade, for some reason it is unacceptable for lawyers?

I never really expected universal acceptance of law firm internship programs, and believe that it will take years for them to take off industry wide, but I hope that one day they will become the norm.

With that in mind, I have to admit that I was quite “shocked” to read the following comments in this ABA Journal article from Carter Phillips, managing partner of Sidley Austin’s Washington, D.C. office:

“If you’re a top-flight law student and you talk to one firm offering $80,000 or $100,000 to take extra classes and then you talk to another firm offering $160,000 to do work you can bill to a client, I don’t see that as much of a choice,” he said.

Really. $160,000 jobs. Which firms are still offering these?? And what job offers, let alone multiple job offers? From what I’m reading, most “biglaw” firms, including Sidley, are offering deferrals and reduced salaries, in addition to the weekly layoffs.

As far as I can tell, a job secured in October 2009 is much better than one promised in … well … January 2011.

According to a May 8, 2009, Above the Law post (with copy of firm e-mail):

New associates heading to Sidley Austin, on the other hand, got “optional deferral” news. The firm e-mailed incoming associates yesterday announcing the “Pro Bono Assistance Program:” a January 2011 start date with a $75,000 stipend attached.

I’m going to pull out my little crystal ball here and make a prediction:

These young men and women who complete these law firm internship programs will be highly successful attorneys. They will continue to practice law in greater numbers over time, while their peers become dissatisfied with their careers and leave the law.

These young attorneys will be better business developers, and will be counted amongst their firms’ rainmakers. They will be better suited to the work that they perform, and will be more satisfied.

Why?? Because they will be better prepared, trained, mentored and educated in the practice, and business, of law.

I started a Facebook fan page for The Legal Watercooler. Why? Not sure yet. But, I started a blog, not knowing why. I joined LinkedIn, not knowing what to expect. I joined Twitter, really not having a clue what to expect.

Part of what I need to do, as a legal marketer, is understand how social media and social networking can be adapted and best used by the legal industry. Call me a mad scientist, or just plain cautious, but I seem to experiment on myself first before bringing to my firm.

What can a Facebook fan page bring me? Right now, I’m not too sure. I know that they are highly indexed by Google, so I’m starting there.

Ask me the question again in a few months and I am certain I’ll have a better answer for you.

The only other thing I know is that I need 100 fans before I can get a vanity URL, so, do me a favor, and become a fan of The Legal Watercooler! I’ll “fan” you back!

I subscribe to Fortune Magazine for two issues: “The Fortune 500 “and the “Best advice I ever got” issue, which came over the weekend. As we start what is going to be a slow week for many of us as we look forward to the upcoming holiday weekend (or are already on vacation), why not take time to reflect on the advice we have received over the years?

Here are a few from Fortune Magazine that I found fitting for those of us in the legal industry. Click on the link for the back story.

  • Mort Zuckerman, Chairman, Boston Properties; chairman, editor-in-chief, U.S. News and World Report: Do what you love

For me, the best piece of advice I received was the worst piece of advice: Do a good job and they’ll notice you. I wrote about it here.

The next best piece of advice I received, and the foundation for most everything in my life, was not in words, but in the actions of my father: If it is worth having, it is worth working for.

My immigrant grandfather built a garment manufacturing business right out of Outliers. I remember spending a couple summers working in our clothing factory “bagging and tagging” alongside everyone else. My father insisted I begin work when the factory bell rang. I took my breaks when the bell rang. And, I left work when the bell rang … just like everyone else. I remember the shock on the faces of the factory workers that my father expected the same out of me as he did out of them. The factory owners’ granddaughter was no better, and no worse, than they were.

What I realized years later is that my dad was setting the foundation for what was to come. Put in the hard work, and you will see results – Treat everyone with kindness and respect –
If it is worth having, it is worth working for.

On the outside I looked like every other spoiled Westside brat. I drove a hot convertible. I wore designer clothes. I ate lunch out every day.
Yes, my dad bought me a car, but I was expected to get a job to pay for the gas, insurance and upkeep. I worked to pay for the “upgrades” in my wardrobe from Levis to Guess! And while I received a monthly stipend from my parents during college, I was expected to work my way through to pay for everything else (including tuition and books), just like my immigrant grandfather.

And, while I resented this growing up, I appreciate it so much today.

Over the years, I have always come to rely on myself. I never have a problem rolling up my sleeves to get the job done. I admit that I can take this to an extreme, but I don’t think there’s anyone out there who wouldn’t say that “the job ALWAYS gets done” if I’m on the team.

Over the years, I have had to learn to step back and hand some “control” over to others … but, for the most part, I am “here” due to the best advice my dad taught me.

What about you?? What’s your best advice you ever got??

I came across this post, I Tweet, therefore I am, by Jeffrey Gitomer on Twitter that I found interesting. Take the time to read the whole post, but Jeffrey has great advice on what we should be including in our Tweets:

Here are a few of my ideas for future tweets: (Feel free to use them, or alter the strategy to suit your situation.)

  • Post a daily sales tip.
  • Give information as to my travels and where people can register for my public events and see my live seminars.
  • Post information regarding new ideas.
  • Post personal recommendations of every sort – from restaurants to books, from people to places, from shops to hotels. Maybe even airlines. Maybe.
  • Ask for information and help when I travel to a new city.
  • Create local gatherings.

I would add:

  • share links to what you are reading
  • post personal (but not “TMI”) information on YOU
  • never hesitate to ask for help

What is Twitter to me? It’s a chance to deliver short personal messages to business connections and friends to let them know what you’re thinking and what you’re doing.

Like today, I tweeted: Sunday. A day to reflect on what was, what is, and what will be. Gitomer.

What are you thinking about today? What are you writing about today? What are you blogging about today? What are you tweeting about today?

As I prepare for the Los Angeles County Bar Association Small Firm and Solo Practitioner Conference, beginning today, I’ve come across some great information and statistics for my presentation, Social Networking for Lawyers: A Roadmap to Success, which I’ll share with the readers of The Legal Watercooler on Thursday.

The panel, which includes Adrianos Facchetti, Gordon Firemark, H. Scott Leviant, and Victoria Pynchon, will be discussing their experiences, successes and missteps as they embarked on their social networking and social media marketing plans.

You can follow the conference on Twitter via #lacba and #solo09.