Are You in the Next Round of Lay-offs? Coping in the Time of Covid-19

By Chere B. Estrin It's happening all over the U.S., the world and yes, even in the legal field. Lay-offs. That ugly, depressing, stress-ridden word. I am usually a very upbeat, positive person. Yet, along with the rest of us, witnessing this world crisis is something that is impossibly hard to get your arms around. It's like living in a Kafka scene. I am not facing fear, rather, dread. I...

Has Ghosting Hit Your Career?

Ghosting: The act of not showing up. It happens all the time in the dating world but a new phenomenon has hit the job market. The new Beige Book from the Federal Reserve Bank now contains this millennial slang to describe a rising trend in the workplace.  The mention in the Fed publication, formally known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions, gives us  a...

The Next Illegal Question…..

Don't Get Asked and Don't Reveal..... As of January, 2018, California employers will no longer be allowed to ask candidates for their salary histories. That’s right. You will no longer be required to disclose your current or past salary to get a job offer. A new law, AB 168, goes into effect designed, in part, to eliminate wage disparity in...

About 1/3 of Law Firms Plan to Hire in 2012

Well, here's a breath of fresh air.  According to the Denver Business Journal, a Robert Half Survey found that 1/3 of law firms surveyed are planning on increasing their attorney and non-attorney staff in 2012.  Of course, the Negative Nellies can interpret that to say that two-thirds of law firms surveyed do not plan on increasing staff in 2012.  Is the glass...

New Survey Shows Paralegal Salaries Going Down

  Not so good news out here in the paralegal world. The new 2010 Salary Guide from Robert Half Legal just published, shows that paralegal salaries are dipping. The salary guide is a review of actual starting salaries in 2009 and an extrapolation of these trends into 2010.  Salaries have dropped from between .02% and 3.7% nationwide.  Senior Paralegals (7+ years) are...