If you have already volunteered as a supervising attorney with the UNC School of Law’s Cancer Project, you know how meaningful advance directive documents can be in bringing peace of mind to individuals facing daunting and difficult medical situations. If you have not had the chance to volunteer in this role, you are invited to participate now!
To learn more about this program, and about the substantive law which it provides, please register to attend the UNC Cancer Pro Bono Legal Project CLE, to be held at the UNC School of Law on January 26 at 9 a.m. This CLE will provide an overview of substantive law helpful to attorneys participating in the UNC Cancer Pro Bono Legal Project, a collaborative project sponsored by the UNC School of Law’s Pro Bono Program, N.C. Cancer Hospital, and Legal Aid of North Carolina. The CLE also will include a review of changes to the law surrounding advance directives documents, new for 2018.
While this CLE is provided free of charge — in hopes that you will volunteer (or continue to volunteer!) as a supervising attorney through the program — you will be responsible for paying your own CLE fee to the state bar ($3.50/hour).
Picture this: You’re about to file a Motion to Dismiss. You filed one last month, too. But was that in Guilford County . . . or Mecklenburg County? You can’t remember. When do you have to file a Notice of Hearing? How do you submit a calendar request?
Sound familiar? Attorneys practicing in North Carolina state courts often lament the disparities among various counties’ local rules and practices. Nevertheless, knowledge of each county’s requirements for civil practice is crucial to the effective representation of your clients.
In this three-part blog series, we asked Trial Court Administrators (“TCAs”) in several of the most populated counties in North Carolina to discuss attorneys’ common mistakes and frequently asked questions, and to give advice for attorneys practicing in their respective counties.
For our first installment, we highlight our discussions with TCAs in the Triad and Sandhills regions of North Carolina: Guilford, Forsyth, and Cumberland counties. We created the five rules below based on these discussions.
Rule No. 1: Know Your Local Rules and Rules of Civil Procedure
First and foremost, attorneys should familiarize themselves with the local rules of the county in which they are practicing. This might seem like a no-brainer, but as Craig Turner, the TCA for the 18th Judicial District (Guilford County), stated: “Most mistakes occur because attorneys are just not well-versed in submitting the necessary paperwork for their case with the court.” Moreover, Mr. Turner has found that attorneys are not familiar with civil procedure, in general, which creates even more mistakes. Overall, attorneys should thoroughly read the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, mediation rules, and the local rules of each county in which they are handling cases. If you only follow one rule—follow this one.
Rule No. 2: Utilize the County’s Online Resources
Attorneys should take advantage of the online resources each county has to offer, specifically, forms and calendars. Multiple TCAs noted that they spend significant time and resources updating their judicial district’s content on the North Carolina Court System website. Reviewing the calendar online, which specifies dates for motions for the entire year, will eliminate a common question received by Mr. Turner: “When can my motion be put on the docket?” Further, once your motion is calendared, according to the TCAs, it is imperative that attorneys track their motions for each case to avoid missing deadlines, filing delinquent administrative responses, and submitting late filings to the Court.
Rule No. 3: When Rules No. 1 and No. 2 Fail, Contact the TCA or TCC
Communication is key. After reading the local rules and reviewing the online resources, if attorneys still have questions they should reach out directly to the TCA or Trial Court Coordinator (“TCC”) of that judicial district. As noted by Cecelia Gordon, the TCA for 21st Judicial District (Forsyth County), attorneys should “never assume,” rather they should call the office if they are unsure of something, such as what type of calendar request is required by that judicial district. Communication, of course, is a two-way street. Attorneys should always promptly respond to questions from court administrators. Too often, Mr. Turner relayed, attorneys fail to respond in a timely manner, which leads to “unnecessary delays and duplication of work.”
Rule No. 4: Actually File for Secured Leave
The process for attorneys to obtain secured leave is provided by Rule 26 of the General Rules of Practice for the Superior and District Courts. However, as Ellen Hancox, the TCA for the 12th Judicial District (Cumberland County), noted, many attorneys do not file designations of secured leave.
The secured leave procedure exists for a reason: to provide for “the heightened level of professionalism that an attorney is able to provide when the attorney enjoys periods of time that are free from the urgent demands of professional responsibility and to enhance the overall quality of the attorney’s personal and family life[.]” Sounds like a goal we can all get behind.
Failing to properly file for secured leave in each county in which the attorney has a pending matter can cause scheduling headaches for the TCAs. Err on the side of caution and file for secured leave whenever you know you will be unavailable to appear in court for personal reasons. Prior to filing, remember to check each county’s form bank and use the proper secured leave form.
Relatedly, if a scheduling conflict arises because of an attorney’s conflicting engagements in different courts, Ms. Hancox noted that attorneys must refer to Rule 3.1 of the General Rules of Practice to determine the priority of each matter. Once the matter’s priority is established in accordance with Rule 3.1, refer to our Rule # 3, above, and let the TCA know about the conflict.
Rule No. 5: Don’t Assume that the TCA has the Same Information as the Clerk’s Office
North Carolina state courts have not implemented an electronic filing system at the trial-level (yet). Therefore, as a general matter, both the county clerk’s office and the TCA or TCC (if the judicial district has one) are charged with collecting case documents and managing each case in accordance with their respective responsibilities. Ms. Hancox warned, however, that attorneys should not assume that the TCA’s office has all of the same file materials as the county clerk’s office. For example, in Cumberland County, Local Civil Calendaring Rule 1.9 provides that “all papers filed in civil [superior court] actions . . . shall include as the first page of the filing an original plus one copy of the appropriate cover sheet[.]” The reason for this rule, Ms. Hancox stated, is to provide both the clerk’s office and the TCA with at least a cursory description of every document filed and the identity of the filer. If a party neglects to file the requisite cover sheet and copy of the cover sheet (as many have in the past) then the TCA will not be aware of that filing—or, with respect to the filing of an Answer or Notice of Appearance, the TCA might not be aware of your involvement in the case at all.
Therefore, do not assume that everything you file with the clerk’s office has necessarily made its way into the TCA’s hands, and pay particular attention to rules requiring that two copies of certain documents be provided. In all likelihood, one of those documents is for the TCA.
Stay tuned for the next two installments of this series, where we discuss what your TCA wants you to know in the Eastern and Western regions of the state.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2017-12-14 11:10:362017-12-14 11:10:36What Your Trial Court Administrator Wants You to Know, Part I: Triad and Sandhills
The 4th U.S. District Court of Appeals has been relatively quiet as of late, at least with respect to employment law, but there are two fairly recent decisions worth flagging. On Nov. 28, 2017, in a published decision, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the Western District’s grant of summary judgment in Penley v. McDowell County Board of Ed., No. 16-2034 (http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/162034.P.pdf). Penley, the plaintiff below, was a teacher at McDowell County High School (“MHS”). After Penley allegedly made an inappropriate comment to his students, MHS suspended him in April 2013. MHS investigated the allegation and recommended that Penley be dismissed. Penley, in turn, brought action against MHS’ principal, superintendent, and board of education, alleging that MHS’ decisions were in retaliation for Penley’s political speech, which was his participation in political campaigns. Judge Cogburn found no credible evidence connecting Penley’s participation in political campaigns to his termination and granted summary judgment. Circuit Judges Wilkinson, Duncan, and Thacker affirmed the decision.
Arbitration and Reducing a Suspension Under the No Fault/No Significant Fault Tests
In 2014, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and the MLB Players Association (the “MLBPA”) agreed to a joint drug prevention program aimed at strengthening the detection and enforcement against players’ use of prohibited recreational and performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”).[1] As part of the agreement, MLB incorporated a “no fault/no significant fault” tests, whereby an arbitration panel may vacate a player’s mandatory suspension for testing positive to the use of banned substances if the player can demonstrate that “the presence of the Prohibited Substance in his test result was not due to his fault or negligence,” or reduce the length of the suspension if the player can provide “clear and convincing evidence that he bears nosignificant fault or negligence.”[2] For instance, Raul Mondesi Jr.’s eighty-game suspension for a first time violation of MLB’s drug policy in 2016 was reduced to fifty-games after Mondesi was able to demonstrate that his positive test of a banned substance was inadvertent and the result of taking an over-the-counter cold and flu medicine he had bought while in the Dominican Republic.[3]
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2017-12-11 12:42:502017-12-11 12:42:50The Kissing Defense: Professional Athletes, Drugs and the 'No Fault/No Significant Fault' Tests in Arbitration
In late June 2017, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation revising the Lien Agent statutes. Because these changes involve upgrades and changes to the www.LiensNC.com website, the effective date for the new law is October 1, 2018. So, what’s new?
44A-11.1(f) now provides for a designated lien agent to accept renewals and cancellations of Notices to Lien Agents. What should catch your attention is the fact the original statute did not provide for either renewal or cancellation of such notices.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2017-12-08 14:44:112017-12-08 14:44:11House Bill 707: What's New With Lien Agents?
During the 2017 long session, the General Assembly enacted laws making two major changes to business Annual Reports filed with the Secretary of State (SOS). The short version is that effective on January 1, 2018:
ALL corporate Annual Reports must now be filed directly with the Secretary of State’s office, and
Annual Report forms will be changed to include voluntary reporting of small business ownership by veterans and service-disabled veterans.
For a more in-depth explanation of these big changes, please continue reading below. Thank you to Ann B. Wall, Secretary of State’s General Counsel, Cheri Myers, Business Registration Division Director, and Keith West, Annual Reports Supervisor, for their contributions.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2017-12-07 17:04:332017-12-07 17:04:33Secretary of State News Flash: Big Changes to Business Annual Report Laws
“There is no greater challenge and no greater honor than to be in public service.” — Condoleezza Rice
The words of Condoleezza Rice ring true when speaking with the North Carolina House Speaker’s Chief of Staff Bart Goodson. In a political environment that is seen as incredibly polarized, Goodson’s stabilizing demeanor and passion for the people of North Carolina is both noticeable and enviable.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2017-12-07 11:51:182017-12-07 11:51:18Bart Goodson: N.C. House Speaker’s Chief of Staff on Serving the Public
North Carolina maintains deep economic ties with the Republic of Korea. In fact, the State of North Carolina maintains a trade-facilitation office in Seoul that is designed “to support export activity” and “to facilitate foreign direct investment into North Carolina.” This article provides you with a primer on recent developments regarding the renegotiation of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer formally notified Korea in July that the U.S. requested a special Joint Committee meeting under KORUS to start the process of negotiating to remove barriers to U.S. trade and consider amendments to the agreement. USTR’s action was consistent with the Trump Administration’s stated objective of reducing the trade deficit. KORUS entered into force in March 2002 and, from 2011 to 2016, the U.S. trade deficit in goods with Korea more than doubled from $13.2 billion to $27.6 billion.
Remember the good old days when healthcare benefits were provided at a premium level for a small additional cost to the employer? Many of us have not been around long enough to enjoy that recollection!
Today, healthcare costs are a major line item in most law firms’ budgets and these costs are growing at an alarming rate, motivating firms to work hard to find ways to reduce rates. Healthcare costs are also an important consideration for recruiting and hiring. New employees are scrutinizing a firm’s offered healthcare benefits during their job decision-making process. Let’s face it, most mid-size law firms pay attorneys and staff within a similar range. So, many firms are trying to attract the same top talent, and those candidates take a careful look at not only salary, but also at other financial benefits of their employment such as the existence of a 401K, bonus potential, and, importantly, the cost to them of healthcare coverage.
https://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.png00NCBARBLOGhttps://ncbarblogprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Blog-Header-1-1030x530.pngNCBARBLOG2017-12-06 14:06:442017-12-06 14:06:44Our Firm Let Insurance Providers Compete and Wound Up Saving 13% On Our 2018 Healthcare Costs
The UNC Cancer Pro Bono Legal Project Needs You!
Health Law SectionIf you have already volunteered as a supervising attorney with the UNC School of Law’s Cancer Project, you know how meaningful advance directive documents can be in bringing peace of mind to individuals facing daunting and difficult medical situations. If you have not had the chance to volunteer in this role, you are invited to participate now!
To learn more about this program, and about the substantive law which it provides, please register to attend the UNC Cancer Pro Bono Legal Project CLE, to be held at the UNC School of Law on January 26 at 9 a.m. This CLE will provide an overview of substantive law helpful to attorneys participating in the UNC Cancer Pro Bono Legal Project, a collaborative project sponsored by the UNC School of Law’s Pro Bono Program, N.C. Cancer Hospital, and Legal Aid of North Carolina. The CLE also will include a review of changes to the law surrounding advance directives documents, new for 2018.
While this CLE is provided free of charge — in hopes that you will volunteer (or continue to volunteer!) as a supervising attorney through the program — you will be responsible for paying your own CLE fee to the state bar ($3.50/hour).
Click here to register for the CLE program.
What Your Trial Court Administrator Wants You to Know, Part I: Triad and Sandhills
Litigation SectionPicture this: You’re about to file a Motion to Dismiss. You filed one last month, too. But was that in Guilford County . . . or Mecklenburg County? You can’t remember. When do you have to file a Notice of Hearing? How do you submit a calendar request?
Sound familiar? Attorneys practicing in North Carolina state courts often lament the disparities among various counties’ local rules and practices. Nevertheless, knowledge of each county’s requirements for civil practice is crucial to the effective representation of your clients.
In this three-part blog series, we asked Trial Court Administrators (“TCAs”) in several of the most populated counties in North Carolina to discuss attorneys’ common mistakes and frequently asked questions, and to give advice for attorneys practicing in their respective counties.
For our first installment, we highlight our discussions with TCAs in the Triad and Sandhills regions of North Carolina: Guilford, Forsyth, and Cumberland counties. We created the five rules below based on these discussions.
Rule No. 1: Know Your Local Rules and Rules of Civil Procedure
First and foremost, attorneys should familiarize themselves with the local rules of the county in which they are practicing. This might seem like a no-brainer, but as Craig Turner, the TCA for the 18th Judicial District (Guilford County), stated: “Most mistakes occur because attorneys are just not well-versed in submitting the necessary paperwork for their case with the court.” Moreover, Mr. Turner has found that attorneys are not familiar with civil procedure, in general, which creates even more mistakes. Overall, attorneys should thoroughly read the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, mediation rules, and the local rules of each county in which they are handling cases. If you only follow one rule—follow this one.
Rule No. 2: Utilize the County’s Online Resources
Attorneys should take advantage of the online resources each county has to offer, specifically, forms and calendars. Multiple TCAs noted that they spend significant time and resources updating their judicial district’s content on the North Carolina Court System website. Reviewing the calendar online, which specifies dates for motions for the entire year, will eliminate a common question received by Mr. Turner: “When can my motion be put on the docket?” Further, once your motion is calendared, according to the TCAs, it is imperative that attorneys track their motions for each case to avoid missing deadlines, filing delinquent administrative responses, and submitting late filings to the Court.
Rule No. 3: When Rules No. 1 and No. 2 Fail, Contact the TCA or TCC
Communication is key. After reading the local rules and reviewing the online resources, if attorneys still have questions they should reach out directly to the TCA or Trial Court Coordinator (“TCC”) of that judicial district. As noted by Cecelia Gordon, the TCA for 21st Judicial District (Forsyth County), attorneys should “never assume,” rather they should call the office if they are unsure of something, such as what type of calendar request is required by that judicial district. Communication, of course, is a two-way street. Attorneys should always promptly respond to questions from court administrators. Too often, Mr. Turner relayed, attorneys fail to respond in a timely manner, which leads to “unnecessary delays and duplication of work.”
Rule No. 4: Actually File for Secured Leave
The process for attorneys to obtain secured leave is provided by Rule 26 of the General Rules of Practice for the Superior and District Courts. However, as Ellen Hancox, the TCA for the 12th Judicial District (Cumberland County), noted, many attorneys do not file designations of secured leave.
The secured leave procedure exists for a reason: to provide for “the heightened level of professionalism that an attorney is able to provide when the attorney enjoys periods of time that are free from the urgent demands of professional responsibility and to enhance the overall quality of the attorney’s personal and family life[.]” Sounds like a goal we can all get behind.
Failing to properly file for secured leave in each county in which the attorney has a pending matter can cause scheduling headaches for the TCAs. Err on the side of caution and file for secured leave whenever you know you will be unavailable to appear in court for personal reasons. Prior to filing, remember to check each county’s form bank and use the proper secured leave form.
Relatedly, if a scheduling conflict arises because of an attorney’s conflicting engagements in different courts, Ms. Hancox noted that attorneys must refer to Rule 3.1 of the General Rules of Practice to determine the priority of each matter. Once the matter’s priority is established in accordance with Rule 3.1, refer to our Rule # 3, above, and let the TCA know about the conflict.
Rule No. 5: Don’t Assume that the TCA has the Same Information as the Clerk’s Office
North Carolina state courts have not implemented an electronic filing system at the trial-level (yet). Therefore, as a general matter, both the county clerk’s office and the TCA or TCC (if the judicial district has one) are charged with collecting case documents and managing each case in accordance with their respective responsibilities. Ms. Hancox warned, however, that attorneys should not assume that the TCA’s office has all of the same file materials as the county clerk’s office. For example, in Cumberland County, Local Civil Calendaring Rule 1.9 provides that “all papers filed in civil [superior court] actions . . . shall include as the first page of the filing an original plus one copy of the appropriate cover sheet[.]” The reason for this rule, Ms. Hancox stated, is to provide both the clerk’s office and the TCA with at least a cursory description of every document filed and the identity of the filer. If a party neglects to file the requisite cover sheet and copy of the cover sheet (as many have in the past) then the TCA will not be aware of that filing—or, with respect to the filing of an Answer or Notice of Appearance, the TCA might not be aware of your involvement in the case at all.
Therefore, do not assume that everything you file with the clerk’s office has necessarily made its way into the TCA’s hands, and pay particular attention to rules requiring that two copies of certain documents be provided. In all likelihood, one of those documents is for the TCA.
Stay tuned for the next two installments of this series, where we discuss what your TCA wants you to know in the Eastern and Western regions of the state.
Recent Fourth Circuit Decisions
Labor & Employment LawThe 4th U.S. District Court of Appeals has been relatively quiet as of late, at least with respect to employment law, but there are two fairly recent decisions worth flagging. On Nov. 28, 2017, in a published decision, the Fourth Circuit affirmed the Western District’s grant of summary judgment in Penley v. McDowell County Board of Ed., No. 16-2034 (http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/162034.P.pdf). Penley, the plaintiff below, was a teacher at McDowell County High School (“MHS”). After Penley allegedly made an inappropriate comment to his students, MHS suspended him in April 2013. MHS investigated the allegation and recommended that Penley be dismissed. Penley, in turn, brought action against MHS’ principal, superintendent, and board of education, alleging that MHS’ decisions were in retaliation for Penley’s political speech, which was his participation in political campaigns. Judge Cogburn found no credible evidence connecting Penley’s participation in political campaigns to his termination and granted summary judgment. Circuit Judges Wilkinson, Duncan, and Thacker affirmed the decision.
Read more
Of Interest: Fantasy Sports Legalization, Tax Reform, Kaye v. Cartoon Network
Sports & Entertainment Law SectionMembers of the Sports & Entertainment Law Section found the following recent third-party articles to be of potential interest to the Section.
Read more
The Kissing Defense: Professional Athletes, Drugs and the ‘No Fault/No Significant Fault’ Tests in Arbitration
Sports & Entertainment Law SectionArbitration and Reducing a Suspension Under the No Fault/No Significant Fault Tests
In 2014, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) and the MLB Players Association (the “MLBPA”) agreed to a joint drug prevention program aimed at strengthening the detection and enforcement against players’ use of prohibited recreational and performance-enhancing drugs (“PEDs”).[1] As part of the agreement, MLB incorporated a “no fault/no significant fault” tests, whereby an arbitration panel may vacate a player’s mandatory suspension for testing positive to the use of banned substances if the player can demonstrate that “the presence of the Prohibited Substance in his test result was not due to his fault or negligence,” or reduce the length of the suspension if the player can provide “clear and convincing evidence that he bears no significant fault or negligence.”[2] For instance, Raul Mondesi Jr.’s eighty-game suspension for a first time violation of MLB’s drug policy in 2016 was reduced to fifty-games after Mondesi was able to demonstrate that his positive test of a banned substance was inadvertent and the result of taking an over-the-counter cold and flu medicine he had bought while in the Dominican Republic.[3]
Read more
House Bill 707: What’s New With Lien Agents?
Construction Law SectionIn late June 2017, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation revising the Lien Agent statutes. Because these changes involve upgrades and changes to the www.LiensNC.com website, the effective date for the new law is October 1, 2018. So, what’s new?
44A-11.1(f) now provides for a designated lien agent to accept renewals and cancellations of Notices to Lien Agents. What should catch your attention is the fact the original statute did not provide for either renewal or cancellation of such notices.
Read more
Secretary of State News Flash: Big Changes to Business Annual Report Laws
Paralegal DivisionDuring the 2017 long session, the General Assembly enacted laws making two major changes to business Annual Reports filed with the Secretary of State (SOS). The short version is that effective on January 1, 2018:
For a more in-depth explanation of these big changes, please continue reading below. Thank you to Ann B. Wall, Secretary of State’s General Counsel, Cheri Myers, Business Registration Division Director, and Keith West, Annual Reports Supervisor, for their contributions.
Read more
Bart Goodson: N.C. House Speaker’s Chief of Staff on Serving the Public
Government & Public Sector“There is no greater challenge and no greater honor than to be in public service.”
— Condoleezza Rice
The words of Condoleezza Rice ring true when speaking with the North Carolina House Speaker’s Chief of Staff Bart Goodson. In a political environment that is seen as incredibly polarized, Goodson’s stabilizing demeanor and passion for the people of North Carolina is both noticeable and enviable.
Read more
KORUS Renegotiation Update
International Law & PracticeNorth Carolina maintains deep economic ties with the Republic of Korea. In fact, the State of North Carolina maintains a trade-facilitation office in Seoul that is designed “to support export activity” and “to facilitate foreign direct investment into North Carolina.” This article provides you with a primer on recent developments regarding the renegotiation of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer formally notified Korea in July that the U.S. requested a special Joint Committee meeting under KORUS to start the process of negotiating to remove barriers to U.S. trade and consider amendments to the agreement. USTR’s action was consistent with the Trump Administration’s stated objective of reducing the trade deficit. KORUS entered into force in March 2002 and, from 2011 to 2016, the U.S. trade deficit in goods with Korea more than doubled from $13.2 billion to $27.6 billion.
Read more
Our Firm Let Insurance Providers Compete and Wound Up Saving 13% On Our 2018 Healthcare Costs
Featured PostsRemember the good old days when healthcare benefits were provided at a premium level for a small additional cost to the employer? Many of us have not been around long enough to enjoy that recollection!
Today, healthcare costs are a major line item in most law firms’ budgets and these costs are growing at an alarming rate, motivating firms to work hard to find ways to reduce rates. Healthcare costs are also an important consideration for recruiting and hiring. New employees are scrutinizing a firm’s offered healthcare benefits during their job decision-making process. Let’s face it, most mid-size law firms pay attorneys and staff within a similar range. So, many firms are trying to attract the same top talent, and those candidates take a careful look at not only salary, but also at other financial benefits of their employment such as the existence of a 401K, bonus potential, and, importantly, the cost to them of healthcare coverage.
Read more