Law Employment Research: Professional Development

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Professional Development
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Arizona Association for Justice
Promoting a fair civil justice system and uniting trial lawyers to support that cause.

Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice
Dedicated to protecting the legal rights of individuals within the criminal justice system, and supporting cooperation and connections among attorneys.

Arizona Black Bar
Promoting public recognition of the contributions of African American lawyers in Arizona, and offering social and charitable events.

Arizona LGBT Bar Association
Fostering the professional growth of legal professionals in the LGBT+ communities.

Arizona Women Lawyers Association
AWLA promotes the success of women in the legal profession and provides opportunities to connect with members and establish professional connections.

Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association, Phoenix
Promoting the success of legal professionals in the local Latino community.

Maricopa County Bar Association
A voluntary group for lawyers in the Phoenix area providing opportunities for networking, social events, and charitable giving.

Meetup: Lawyers in Arizona
Lists specialized groups for attorneys to mingle, network, and mentor others.

Eventbrite: Networking in Arizona
A searchable list of upcoming networking events for professionals including attorneys.

State Bar of Arizona Calendar of Events
Lists public meetings and events for Arizona attorneys, with information on special events such as an annual convention and discounted marathon race registration.

Student Organizations at Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
A list of specialized groups for law students at Arizona State University, with opportunities to meet legal professionals working in relevant fields.

Young Lawyers Professional Development Calendar
The State Bar of Arizona provides opportunities for law students and recent grads to mingle with practitioners, with events in Phoenix generally happening the second Thursday of each month.

In the Law Library Catalog, you can find more advice on landing jobs and performing legal work by searching for keywords such as Law -- Vocaltional guidance -- United States and Practice of Law -- United States.

Becoming a Lawyer: Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona (Toni Jaeger-Fine, 2019) (West Academic login required) 
Self-development tips to maximize your professional success include time management skills, learning the business of law, developing an understanding of the professional legal persona, and effectively communicating with others.

Excellence in the Workplace: Legal and Life Skills in a Nutshell (Kay Kavanaugh & Paula Nailon, 2018) 
This holistic guide to professional development addresses the art of networking, workplace social graces, research, writing, giving presentations, conduct during meetings, time and stress management, ethics, job seeking strategies, and salary negotiations. Also available on West Academic (login required).

Flying Solo: A Survival Guide for the Solo and Small Firm Lawyer (William Gibson, ed., 2014)
This guide provides a variety of perspectives on who should be considering branching off into solo practice, the financial issues involved, promoting the business, and the logistics of setting up an efficient office with systems for research and filing work product.

The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career (Ari L. Kaplan, 2016) (West Academic login required)
A guide to gracefully attracting a mentor, self-promoting, networking, publishing your research, raising your profile, and giving back to others who need your guidance in the legal community.

Swimming Lessons for Baby Sharks (Grover E. Cleveland, 2016) (West Academic login required)
Do: Set yourself up to get and do legal work early on to make yourself indispensable. Do: Understand the business of law. Do: Manage your life along with your clients' needs. Do: Manage pressures to keep solid working relationships with opposing counsel. Don't: React poorly to critical evaluations.

Bloomberg 

• Litigation Intelligence Center 
  Gathering judicial opinions, court dockets, and court filings such as pleadings and motions, along with litigation analytics tools. The Practical Guidance Library includes resources on how to perform at stages of litigation, with sample documents and practice guides on related topics such as setting fees, transferring venue, and conducting investigations.
• Transactional Intelligence Center
  Providing resources to analyze industries, companies, and deals, as well as guidance on drafting agreements. Also gathering information on regulations and news updates that may inform ongoing transactions.
• Business Intelligence Center
  Customizable hub of information concerning businesses, including breaking news, financial and legal data, and analysis of company mergers and equity offerings.
• Practitioner Tools
  Practice Centers include areas such as antitrust, banking & finance, e-discovery, environmental & safety, patents, tax, tech and trademarks. Chart builders display differences in law between jurisdictions, and trackers provide updates on developing issues within legal practice areas.
• EDGAR
  Searchable database of companies’ files such as prospectuses and inventories of securities holdings along with documents such as articles of incorporation and contracts.

Lexis Courtlink (Lexis password required)
This resource compiles docket information and court document searchable by judge, attorney, or law firm to provide insight into potential employers’ history and ongoing efforts.

Lexis Practice Advisor
In Lexis, click on the tic-tac-toe box at the top left and navigate to “Lexis Practice Advisor.” Here you will find five main tabs:

1. Practice Area: Gathers resources that attorneys in particular fields, such as Corporate and M&A Law and Tax will often need to use. Each area offers up-to-date guidance, news, and information on legal developments.
2. Content Type: Enabling users to browse for resources such as practice notes or forms.
3. Jurisdiction: Includes the states, territories, and District of Columbia.
4. Industry: Compiles legal resources related to established and booming industries, such as financial services and cannabis.
5. Tools and Resources: Additional resources such as state law comparisons can also improve attorneys’ accuracy and efficiency.

Practical Law 
In Westlaw, click on “Practical Law” under “Content Types” on the homepage, or click on the black circle with the white arrow nest to the name “Westlaw Edge” to navigate to Practical Law. Here, you will find three main tabs:

1. Practice Areas: Gathers resources for various legal practice areas, such as antitrust or international arbitration. Each link leads to key information specific to each area, such as market data, news, and common topics.
2. Resource types: Enables users to browse compilations of resources, including customizable Standard Documents, resource compilations known as Toolkits, and State Q&As that enable users to compare and contrast the laws of different jurisdictions.
3. Jurisdictions: Includes all states, the District of Columbia, and national/federal entries.

Westlaw Edge Profiler
Search for biographical information on attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals throughout the U.S.