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5 Simple Answer to Your Questions About the “Ban the Box” Laws

5 Simple Answer to Your Questions About the “Ban the Box” Laws
admin | Law Firm Marketing, Popular Post, , ,

5 Simple Answer to Your Questions About the “Ban the Box” Laws

Is your hiring process legal? Here are five simple answers to questions about “ban the box” legislation.

1. What is “the box”? The “box” refers to any question on a job application that asks about a candidate’s criminal history. Many application forms ask candidates to check a box if they have ever been convicted of a crime.

2. Why is “the box” banned? According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), questions about criminal history have a greater impact on minorities. Banning the box gives all applicants a chance to discuss their skills and qualifications without an automatic rejection due to criminal history.

3. Where has “the box” been banned? As of March 2016, over 100 cities and counties have enacted “ban the box” legislation. Also, 21 states have passed “ban the box” legislation for public employers. Seven states prohibit private employers from asking about criminal history on job applications. Be sure to check state and municipal laws for your location.

4. When can I ask about an applicant’s criminal background? In locations with “ban the box” laws, you cannot ask about criminal background on an application form or during an initial interview. Your job ads should not contain any language stating that applicants are not considered for employment if they have criminal records.

An employer can ask questions regarding criminal background after making a job offer. EEOC guidance suggests that an employer can withdraw the job offer depending on the gravity of the offense, the time that has passed, and how the nature of the offense relates to the specific job.

5. Are there exceptions to “ban the box”? Certain positions may require that applicants have no criminal records. Examples are law enforcement, corrections, the judiciary, homeland security or emergency management. State or municipal laws, rules, and regulations may define positions that require a criminal background check.

If you have questions regarding this topic, or would like to learn more about the HireMeLegal.com platform, please feel free to contact us. We’re dedicated to making your legal experience, whether it is to hire or be hired, as simple as possible.

A Perfect Way for Attorneys to Bolster Their Reputation in the Online Community

Attorneys to Bolster Their Reputation in the Online Community
admin | Law Firm Marketing, Popular Post, ,

Attorneys to Bolster Their Reputation in the Online Community

Today’s market is seeing more and more industries turning towards the online community to showcase their products, services or companies to the ever growing internet based marketplace. It’s no wonder that the internet is becoming the haven for every bit of information about any given industry: from taxi services to grocery’s, from finding a health professional to searching for your next place to eat: business people of every profession are taking to the web to solve their professional’s needs. The world of litigation is no longer solely relying on word-of-mouth referrals or random inquiries: people are researching before they even contact a potential attorney.

There are several ways that a business-minded legal professional can begin to use the power of the internet to their favor, and here at HireMeLegal.com: we know a thing or two about setting yourself apart from the competition.

Presence

An online presence is a cornerstone of any successful online business. Your website is an extension of your business and has the potential to reach hundreds of people wishing to engage your firm to help represent them with any part of their litigation. Somethings to always include in your website:

  • Contact Information
  • Social Media Links
  • An ‘About Us’ Section
  • Static content about your area of expertise
  • A regularly updated blog
  • Reviews/Testimonials

These elements are standard for anyone wanting to excel in the online marketplace, garnering steady attention from large search engines like Google and Bing; as well as allowing more and more opportunities to link back to your website from social media and affiliate sites.

Marketing

For those wanting to take their online presence to the next level: a solid marketing strategy is key. Plenty of websites offer listing capabilities for legal professionals to register their firm on an online directory, and many of them offer the opportunity to feature your business ahead of your competition; of course, that comes at a price.

If you plan on being your marketer, figuring out the means by which you’d like to market and your budget are instrumental to success in the online market. Affiliate sites, PR articles, social media ads, Google and Bing advertisements, remarketing, etc… are all avenues by which you can begin marketing.

The beginning is always the most difficult part because you have to tailor your ads towards your audience; and if you don’t know who to target, the trial-and-error process can be a little daunting; but once a successful audience has been discovered you can begin focusing on regular engagement.

Social Media

Social media is the means by which the public can directly communicate with companies to voice complaints/concerns/inquiries/reviews/compliments to their favorite or least favorite businesses. It’s a fickle platform that can either garner you tremendous success or instant mockery. That’s why it’s always important to research other in your area first, before jumping into your chosen social media. Take note of important topics, regular content, interactions between clients and legal professionals and start to form your own ‘voice’ for your professional profile.

As with anything online regularly updated content is key to staying relevant in the fast moving social media communities: this goes hand in hand with response to any comments, questions, reviews, etc… that you receive on your profile.

Testimonials/Reviews

Once you’ve garnered the attention of potential clients, it’s important to show them that you have experience in your area of specialization. An easy way to do this is by asking satisfied clients to leave a review on your website and various professional profiles. People are becoming more and more adept at deciphering between obviously fake reviews and legitimate ones, so don’t leave yourself an overly flowery review because that can hinder your credibility more than anything.

Online, you have the opportunity to reach hundreds of potential clients and engage them instantly and seal the client/lawyer relationship immediately. HireMeLegal.com is designed to take everything that leads to success online in one easy to use platform for both clients and legal professionals.

HireMeLegal.com allows for lawyers to create a free profile that they can tailor to geographic location, price range, an area of specialty, links to professional profiles and websites. Once the profile has been created, HireMeLegal.com sends regular correspondence on potential cases that may interest you and any cases that have been specifically sent to you by a client.

From there, lawyers have the opportunity to engage with a client in every way possible, from sending confidential correspondence and documents, to accepting payment for hours worked: HireMeLegal.com is the one-stop-shop for finding legal work and help. If you’d like to learn more about this innovative platform, contact us anytime, and we would be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Is Gender Bias Holding Back Female Attorneys?

gender bias in law firms
admin | Survey

Drunk dialing, inappropriate comments, and lesser pay are some of the things female attorney’s face in the legal profession, according to a recent survey by the Florida Bar.
There were about 400 respondents from the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar to the survey that had Bar’s president promising not to ignore the responses.

gender bias in law firms

There is no doubt that this presents a very sobering picture for our profession,” said Ramón A. Abadin, President of The Florida Bar. “The takeaway from this survey lies in the comments – 90 pages of eloquent, often troubling, personal accounts, and opinions – that make clear this is not an issue to be ignored.”
Some of the responses included:
“After making partner, I learned that male attorneys were paid more out of law school than female attorneys with the same qualifications.”

“All instances involved other lawyers in a large law firm or opposing counsel: drunk dials from senior partners (sometimes during normal business hours), assumptions that I have no life because I’m not married and have no children, etc. I was once asked, “What are you doing this weekend?” I said I was attending a friend’s out-of-town wedding. The partner responded, “No, I mean things you have to go to.” He proceeded to make me work the whole weekend – from the office. Another partner started almost every interaction with me by saying: “Now, don’t go calling the gender police on me.” The managing partner once said (in front of several other lawyers) that the firm should’ve vetted me more carefully when I couldn’t get a particularly slippery bottle of water open at a function (I was carrying his beer and two plates of food as well).”

“As to gender bias, it has often been assumed that I am a court reporter, and not an attorney, by opposing counsel. I’ve also been referred to by a judge in the trial as my boss’s “assistant,” when I was sitting with my client and my boss at counsel’s table.”
In total, 43 percent of the people that responded to the survey experienced gender bias with most of the respondents experiencing more than one serious example of gender bias.

“It was disheartening. I was not expecting those sort of results with it being 2016,” said Gordon Glover, president of The Florida Bar’s Young Leaders Division. “I didn’t personally think that a lot of the issues that showed up in the survey are taking place, and they are. I was extremely surprised.”

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2016/02/26/florida-bar-gender-bias-holding-back-female.html