THE JSL MONTHLY
JURISolutions' April Employee Newsletter
A WORD FROM OUR CEO
Last month, myself and a few other JURISolutions team members were fortunate to attend WBENC’s annual Summit and Salute. This is one of my favorite events each year because it not only celebrates successful women-owned businesses, but it also pays tribute to corporations with world class supplier diversity programs. Thanks to these companies, their supplier diversity programs and the professionals who run them, the playing field for women- and minority-owned businesses is being leveled across all industries, including law. I’m thrilled to say that a number of our clients were among those being celebrated at the Summit and Salute this year.
We thank you for your business and for giving us the opportunity to compete and provide innovative and cost-effective legal solutions. You have our commitment to pay it forward through our own Diversity Vendor Program and our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives both internally and for our clients (http://www.jurisolutions.com/diversity/).
OFFICE UPDATES
Meet Our Team
Each month, we will feature one of our fantastic JURISolutions team members so that you can get to know us a little better! This month, we would like to introduce you to Rachel (Homa) O'Hara, Director of Client Services with JURISolutions.
Q. How long have you been with JURISolutions and what are your primary responsibilities?
A. This coming June, I will have been with JSL for 6 years. I’ve worn many different hats during my time here, but currently I spend most of my time on business development. In my role, I have the pleasure of managing relationships with current clients and serving as a consultant to new and prospective clients interested in exploring new ways of tackling their legal needs and doing more for less. I also represent the company at conferences across the country, manage our inside sales operations, oversee our marketing efforts, and collaborate with the Attorney Development Team to provide clients with access to top legal talent.
Q. What is one of the biggest “pain points” that your corporate clients have shared with you this year?
A. As we’ve seen for the past several years, a continuing pain point with our corporate clients seems to be the contracts management function. While some companies rely on their law department to handle their contracts, others have moved to a more decentralized model and have given individual business units ownership of their own contracts. Regardless of the structure, there always seem to be the same issues—bottlenecks in the contracts workflow, a backlog of less critical contracts, the need to standardize terms and conditions or update data privacy language across a high volume of contracts, etc. When my clients are dealing with these types of concerns, I work with them to design a custom solution that meets their specific needs—sometimes that might be to provide them with a dedicated secondment attorney for a few months, while other times it might be to establish a bench of pre-vetted, go-to project attorneys that are available as their contracts work ebbs and flows. In my experience, JSL’s model of providing high-quality legal talent within a flexible, cost-effective framework increases clients’ internal efficiencies while reducing overall spend—which, most times, is just what the doctor ordered!
Q. Having represented JSL at many diversity-related events, such as the WBENC 2016 Summit & Salute last month, can you share any insights about corporate commitment to supplier diversity that might be relevant to the legal industry?
A. To put it bluntly, there was a time in the not so distant past when corporate legal departments didn't really pay much mind to supplier diversity. That makes sense though because the purpose of a law department is to manage risk and handle day-to-day legal matters, so historically, as long as the work was getting done and the company was protected, little consideration was given to diversity—and cost was often overlooked as well. Additionally, supplier diversity tends to be driven by corporate procurement and sourcing teams, and traditionally, “Legal” has operated outside of procurement and sourcing initiatives. That being said, I am thrilled to report that the landscape is changing. In-house lawyers are becoming increasingly involved with their corporate Diversity & Inclusion programs, are joining organizations such as the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) whose mission is to promote diversity in the legal industry, and are starting to partner with their internal procurement groups to explore ways of increasing the use of minority and women owned legal services and legal support firms. While diversity initiatives are important no matter what the industry, this recent shift in perspective is especially exciting within the very traditional legal industry, which is still struggling to close the diversity gap.
WBENC 2016 Summit & Salute
"Marketing Meets Technology" Workshop
In this "Marketing Meets Technology" workshop, Sommer discussed how to quickly gauge the effectiveness of your online presence, and how it compares to those of your competitors. The digital marketing landscape changes so quickly that it's hard to know exactly what to focus on and whether you're doing the right things. Brittany took diligent notes that will hopefully help to further JSL's digital reach in the near future.
Congratulations to Kolethia Clements!
Have you reached a personal or professional milestone that you'd like to share with us?
Is Your Resume A Wrinkled Suit?
"Your resume is your written audition. Crafted in the right manner, it should make employers want to know more about you and ultimately result in you being seated across from them in an interview. If it is wrinkled, it will go straight to the circular file – better known as the trash can. There won’t be a second chance."
This month, JSL's Darlene Sistrunk dispenses invaluable advice regarding the structure of a resume and how yours might be hurting your chances of landing the job of your dreams. Learn more about what your resume should and shouldn't include in Darlene's article, "Is Your Resume a Wrinkled Suit?" right here.
Darlene Sistrunk is the lead recruiter for JSL's government contracting service line. In her role, she focuses on identifying, vetting and recruiting skilled legal professionals for the company's government clients in D.C. and nationwide. Darlene holds both an MBA and a BA from Rosemont College.
The JURISolutions Behaviors Program - Part 11
This month, Bob Peterson, Esq., Senior Recruiter for Attorney and Paralegal Development at JURISolutions, introduces Part 11 of The JURISolutions Behaviors Program, where he explains behaviors 21 and 22. Our Behaviors Program is an initiative we implemented more than a year ago to help promote the behaviors that we feel are key to the success of our organization. We invite you, a JURISolutions team member, to join us in sharing JSL's vision and help us continue striving for excellence.
To read about our Behaviors Program, visit our blog and use the password, "Behaviors".
The 411 with Leigh Novack
Episode 12: Thank You Letter
Leigh Novack has been a leader within JSL's recruitment team for more than 15 years. In her role, she focuses on attracting, sourcing, and identifying top legal talent throughout the United States. Leigh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Policy & Administration from the Pennsylvania State University.
Join us each month to get the latest job seeking tips from one of the industry’s finest recruiters. You can contact Leigh at lnovack@JSL-HQ.com with any recruiting-related questions or feedback you may have, and who knows? Maybe your comments will end up on the next episode of The 411 with Leigh!
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Health and Wellness Corner
World Health Day: Beat Diabetes
Each year, World Health Day focuses on a different health-related topic and this year's theme is all about fighting diabetes around the world. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and, over time, leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
In 2014, 9% of adults 18 years and older had diabetes. In 2012 diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths. More than 80% of deaths caused by diabetes occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Make sure you know all that you can about diabetes, including what it is, how you can prevent it and how you can manage your symptoms by using these resources:
Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
The incidence rate of testicular cancer has been increasing in the United States and many other countries for several decades. The increase is mostly in seminomas. Experts have not been able to find reasons for this increase. Lately, the rate of increase has slowed. Testicular cancer is still fairly rare, but it helps to know the facts and what you can do to catch this type of cancer early on so you can get the treatment that you need.
National Cancer Control Month
HOT OFF THE PRESS
About JURISolutions
Website: jurisolutions.com
Location: 1600 Market St, 38th floor Philadelphia, PA 19103
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Jurisolutions
Twitter: @JURISolutions