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Building a Better Legal Profession

12/8/2008 7:53:00 AM EST

Building a Better Legal Profession—On the Road

Posted by BBLP

This fall, with generous support from LexisNexis, Building a Better Legal Profession (BBLP, http://betterlegalprofession.org/index.php) launched its first National Tour. In three short months, we traveled coast to coast, and presented BBLP’s message of transparency and reform at over fifteen of the nation’s top law schools. At each stop, we spoke to crowded rooms of interested students. At every campus, by the time we left, we were saying goodbye to a newly established BBLP local chapter.

Between September and November we visited the following campuses: Columbia Law School • Emory Law School • George Washington University Law School • Georgetown Law Center • Harvard Law School • New York University School of Law • Northwestern University Law School • Stanford Law School • UC Davis School of Law • University of Chicago Law School • University of Pennsylvania Law School • University of Texas School of Law • University of Virginia School of Law • University of Washington School of Law • Vanderbilt University Law School • Yale Law School

We had our hopes for the tour. We were hopeful for example that students would be eager to empower themselves by learning more information about the differences between major law firms. And our hopes were met. Everywhere we went, students’ eyes widened at the sight of our website. They were thrilled to learn that this type of information was available to them – not to mention in a user-friendly format.

We also had our fears. We feared that as the economy worsened, students would be less willing to acknowledge the differences between firms – instead accepting whatever offers came their way. But this has not happened. In fact, the economy has strengthened our movement. Law firms are still hiring law students in huge numbers, and as news outlets such as the New York Times begin to focus on changes in the legal profession, students can no longer ignore our premise that not all firms are the same. Why, for example, do some firms collapse while others are growing? More than ever, students are looking for clear, accessible, and trustworthy information about the differences between employers.

We also learned a lot on our tour. A little over a year ago we shook up the profession by assigning firms a letter grade based on their commitment to promoting a diverse workplace. We have learned that one of biggest issues impacting not just the retention of attorneys – but also the lifespan of law firms in general – is the explosion of non-equity partnership. In the near future, our website will include information comparing the number of equity v. non-equity partners at the nation’s top law firms – as well as various paths to partnership.

The tour also presented Lexis Nexis’ latest website – the Lexis Hub for New Attorneys. BBLP and the Hub complement each other perfectly. Among other goals, both websites seek to help young attorneys make a more successful transition between law school and their legal career by empowering them with information that they may not otherwise get in law school or over their summer associate/clerkship experiences. The Hub has links that help young attorneys educate themselves about differences between practice areas; presents opportunities to network with other attorneys; boasts a comprehensive news feed that helps attorneys keep apprised of what’s happening this instant in the legal world; and includes pod casts to help new attorneys take on basic tasks – such as how to take their first deposition. BBLP provides you with the information a new attorney needs to pick the right firm, and the Lexis Hub helps you become as successful as possible upon arriving at your chosen firm.

BBLP will next be making the rounds to promote our new book—Building a Better Legal Profession’s Guide to Law Firms. This book – the first of its kind – provides students with a candid account of the on-campus interviewing process, as well as a detailed account of how to distinguish between firms on the issues that mater most. If you are interested in hosting us on your campus, please e-mail President Davida Brook at davida.brook@betterlegalprofession.org.

The career choices we make as law students will determine the next several years—or decades—of our professional life. By founding a BBLP chapter at your school, you can build a network of support for your colleagues that can help bridge the transition from law school to a successful legal career. And who knows, along the way, we might just build a better legal profession.

BBLP would like to once again thank Lexis Nexis for their generous support, as well as the students from across the country who invited us to speak on their campuses and served as our hosts while we were there.

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