“Didn’t they teach you that in law school?”

“No. That’s not what they teach you. They teach you contracts, precedents, interpretations. Then the firm that hires you teaches procedures. Or you could go to court and watch.”

So goes the exchange between Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei) and Vinny Gambino (Joe Pesci) after Lisa bails him out for contempt of court in the 1992 classic My Cousin Vinny.

Directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Dale Launer, My Cousin Vinny tells the story of two Brooklynites heading to college (Bill, played by the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, and Stan, played by Mitchell Whitfield), who are charged with murdering a store clerk in Alabama. With no money to hire a lawyer, they turn to a family recommendation: Bill’s lawyer cousin, Vinny. 

The true nature of the narrative comes into focus when Vinny’s experience (or lack thereof) is revealed–he only passed the bar six weeks prior, after six years of trying and six attempts (it’s like he’s cursed). From that point on, we watch Vinny go through trial by fire in an Alabama courthouse, learning firsthand the importance of mentorship.

 

“I wanted to win my first case without any help from anybody.”

On first viewing, it would appear that Vinny’s main adversaries are the judge (Herman Munster–I mean–Fred Gwynne) and the prosecutor (Lane Smith). If you dig deeper, you realize that the antagonist is also the protagonist, Vinny. 

Yes, he’s his own worst enemy. At best, he turns down advice, and at worst, he outright disregards it, putting himself and his clients at risk. (The stakes for losing the case is the execution of Bill and Stan). That’s where we get one of the most significant lessons on mentorship in the film: it’s okay to accept help.

Vinny’s view on winning the case without help is neither noble nor wise. His repeated repudiation of advice leads to mistake after mistake (and quite a few contempt of court charges). It isn’t until he takes the advice, albeit reluctantly, that he begins to act “lawyerly” and make headway in the trial. When he fully admits that he needs help from others, he wins the case, but more on that later.

 

We're back again with the latest releases to Metwork. Version 1.2.1 and Version 1.3.0 are the first updates since moving the software from Beta to Live.

The updates bring a series of features and improvements facilitating communication, enhancing the sign-up process, and making collaboration even easier.

Check out a complete list of what's included in these releases. 

New Features:

• Users are now able to build a special team to focus on projects, events, and goals
  • Case-specific fields, such as client information, case status, and field of law, were removed from special teams. 
• Association managers can now build custom forms for members to fill out as part of the registration process.
• A financial report feature was made available for association stores.
• Users can now cancel their Metwork membership by clicking a button in billing.

Enhancements and Improvements:

• References to the beta version of Metwork were removed.
• Improvements were made to the attorney and paralegal credential approval process.
  • Emails and notifications were implemented to notify attorneys and paralegals about the status of credential approvals after signing up.
  • iPad Pro functionality was improved to match that of desktop screens.
• New notifications and emails were added to the referral process.
• Improvements were made to payment and billing.
  • The option to use a saved card or a new type of payment was added to check-out.
  • Payment confirmation was added to check-out, letting a user know whether their payment was successful.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that required users to click “continue” twice before payment.
• Emails that are part of the paralegal verification process now display the correct profile picture.
• The expand chat icon in Metlist was fixed to open a thread instead of triggering an error.
• Billing in the sign-up process now has a scroll bar.
• The Metlist digest email now takes users to the correct conversation and is no longer sending duplicates.

The latest updates are currently live and available to all users. Join now to discover the power of positive relationships in the legal field.

In the fast-paced, high-pressure world of law, legal associations are vital to supporting collaboration and growth in the legal field. The advocacy, networking, and information you bring to your members help to advance their careers. Growing your association offers more opportunities to shape the practice of law and empower lawyers on their journey.

Are you looking to grow your association and expand its influence but need a hand figuring out where to start? We’ve got you covered. Here are 3 tips to grow a successful legal association and attract, engage, and retain members.

1. Meaningful Content

One of the top ways to attract, engage, and retain members is through providing meaningful content. When creating (or expanding) content, focus on topics related to your association’s mission. As you share more relevant information, the legal community will see you as an authority, bolstering interest in joining.

Legal association content comes in many forms, and we suggest you experiment with the full toolkit (resources permitting). The easiest to implement is written content, including articles and blogs. Look to newsletters, forums, and your website to distribute this content. In addition to written content, webinars, video blogs, and online video meetings are perfect for engaging your audience, especially the more tech-savvy members.

A recent Forbes article stated that attorney attrition rates are at 80% by the fifth year and that law firms put in an estimated $200,000 per mid-level law associate. If your firm hires ten law associates, and only two stay on after five years, 1.6 million dollars of investments just walked out of your door.

Don’t let attorney attrition be “the cost of doing business.” We break down four main reasons why mid-level law associates leave and how leveraging Metwork, a first-of-its-kind legal software, can help reduce your churn for a minuscule amount of money ($800 a year per associate) compared to the cost of losing them. 

Reason #1: No Mentoring

One of the most significant benefits a new lawyer gains from joining a law firm is mentorship. Learning real-world knowledge from seasoned attorneys accelerates an associate’s career. (Read more about how new lawyers benefit from mentorship.)

While new lawyers aim to gain mentorship experience from within the firm, the docket doesn’t always allow the time and resources needed to help them find their footing. That’s where Metwork comes in. Our mentorship module makes it easy to connect your associates with trusted mentors to boost their experience, knowledge, and confidence without bogging down partners or senior attorneys.  

Enhance your in-house mentorship and leverage your senior attorneys’ knowledge without overtaxing their time by bringing your entire firm onto Metwork. The mentorship module facilitates fluid mentorship within your organization. Senior lawyers at your firm can mentor associates “on the go” from within the app. Easily check in with their mentees and stay up-to-date on progress whenever the time permits. Metwork offers a simple, affordable solution to ensure your associates don’t feel their mentorship is neglected.

Reason #2: Feels Alone

Lawyering is lonely. It’s a grueling industry that chews up attorneys and spits them out. A recent study found that over 60% of lawyers felt the legal profession was a detriment to their mental health. New lawyers often look to join firms to have the community and support system that is hard to find as a solo practitioner.

Law firms have many lawyers and paralegals, but that doesn’t always translate to community. With demanding cases, long hours, and siloed duties, associates often find themselves alone with no one to talk to. Lawyers left adrift see stress levels rise, loyalty suffer, and burnout increase.

While law firms cannot always control how their employees interact, offering a solution to foster a sense of community can be the difference between being one of those firms that only retain 20% of their associates and one that is known as the law firm everyone wants to join. Having a motivated and confident staff leads to better results, happier clients, and more business.

Community is vital to Metwork. Fostering a healthy legal community and leveraging the power of positive relationships push the legal field and your firm forward. All Metwork users have access to discover and join legal associations, join non-case teams to work on problems together and partake in our co-mentorship program (which is like having a gym buddy for lawyering). In addition, we’ll soon release a Community Metlist for users to come together and share knowledge, challenges, and successes together, fostering a stronger legal community. 

Reason #3: Culture Stuck in the Past

Evolving a company culture is always a balancing act. You need to grow enough to attract and retain young talent, but you can’t change so much that you alienate your senior lawyers. Thankfully, it’s not a one or the other situation.

Metwork’s co-founder is Tom Metier, a 40-year veteran of the legal community. One goal of our software is to bridge the generation gap and create a stronger legal community. We do this by leveraging feedback from lawyers from all generations. Our design team created an intuitive, sleek platform that speaks to the techie nature of younger generations while offering an easy-to-use interface anyone can quickly pick up. 

Implementing newer technologies that speak to younger generations is a significant step in moving the company culture forward and promoting an inclusive environment. 

Reason #4: Want the Chance to be a Rainmaker

Becoming a rainmaker can take years of gaining experience, networking, a lot of hard work, and sometimes the luck to be in the room. Many mid-level associates never even get the chance to flex their rainmaking muscles, leaving them feeling dissatisfied and ready to find an opportunity with another firm.

Every associate should have the tools and opportunities to become a rainmaker. Their growth is your growth. Metwork gives them the opportunity to have a seat at the rainmaker table from the comfort of their office. Metwork is uniquely suited to enable every lawyer with the means and opportunities to move from entry-level associate to rainmaker without massive overhead to your firm. 

Leverage Metwork to give your associates the means for mentorship, growth, a sense of community, and the ability to make a difference for your firm. Book a demo today to find out how Metwork can help reduce mid-level law associate churn and enable exponential growth for your firm.

One of our largest updates, Harmony, is now live and brings a list of features and functionalities that are designed to make both the user interface as well as the user experience more harmonious and ensure that the branding and quality across the application are consistent.

Metwork rolled out the new version over two updates [1.1.0 on Sept. 11 and 1.2.0 on 9/25] and is the last significant update before the software moves from Beta to Live on October 1st. The features of Harmony have been implemented across the site and are available for Attorneys, Paralegals, and Associations.

Here’s the complete list of features included in this update.

New Features:

• Implemented billing for Metwork. Users who sign up before October 1st will receive all of 2023 for free; those who sign up after will be billed immediately.
  • Users can add multiple payment options, make adjustments to current payment options, and delete options.
  • Invoice section added to billing. Users can get all invoices in one monthly statement.
  • Plan options implemented (monthly and annually).
• Additional email notifications implemented.
• New help center fully integrated into Metwork.
• Users now have the ability to unsubscribe from unwanted communications, such as specific threads on Metlist.
• Gave users the ability to cancel their membership.

Enhancements and Improvements:

• Enhanced link functionality for users.
  • This function is available across modules such as teams, referrals, and associations.
  • Users now have the ability to edit, sort, and pin links they share.
• Association members’ roles are now color-coded.

Bug Fixes:

• Profile preview now displays across the whole application upon clicking a user’s profile picture.
• Metwork connections weren’t showing for some users when on “card view.”
• Fixed a bug that prevented the “Feedback Screen” from appearing after a case was settled.
• Team names are now editable, and the name change appears throughout the software.
• Items are now purchasable through association storefronts.
• “Let’s Reflect” slider allows more finite input.
• Restored missing filters in the Referrals, Team, and Network sections.

Harmony is currently live and available to all users. Join now to discover the power of positive relationships in the legal field.

Metwork’s latest update is live. 

Version 1.0, nicknamed “Cruise Control,” is a series of features designed to give users more control over their experience as it pertains to their privacy and data. This update also gives users control over their preferences within each module alongside notifications they do or don’t receive. These additional controls are put in place in order to enhance the overall user experience.

Here’s the complete list of features included in this update. 

New Features:

• Added the ability to mute messages. This includes individual messages, team chat, and individual Metlist threads.
• Added moderation for association admins in Metlist. This allows for associations to ensure conversations within association chats are following association guidelines. 
• Added comprehensive labels to forms.
• Added option to put an expiration on a referral request to help facilitate your referral workflow.
• Added the ability to turn off notifications you're not interested in.
• Added the ability to set default settings per module.
• Added auto-complete addresses to the software.

Bug Fixes:

• User profile previews now appear if the profile picture is clicked.
• Fixed a bug where uploading a profile picture occasionally deletes the user’s phone number.

Deprecations and Removals:

• Removed compare tabs in the Network module.

Cruise Control is currently live and available to all users. Not using Metwork to enhance your legal practice? Let’s get you on our lawyer-only networking platform and you can experience the power of positive relationships.

The Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) is holding its 2023 Annual Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia, September 27-29, 2023, and the Metwork team will be there. The three-day event aims to empower attorneys specializing in litigating truck accidents with the knowledge and tools to advocate and win for their clients.

ATAA sums up the event nicely on their website: “The 2023 Symposium brings together the nuts and bolts of trucking litigation combined with intermediate and advanced topics, presented by premier trial lawyers in this specialized practice area.” The symposium will have two educational tracks that include days packed with speakers, workshops, and networking events. Tracks will be recorded and available for all participants. As an added bonus, lawyers earn CLE for attending the event. 

Amongst those speaking is Metwork’s co-founder, Tom Metier. Fresh off a record-breaking win in a liability case against Toyota, Tom will present a workshop entitled “Closing Argument Jury Charges - The Psychology of Selecting and Explaining.” You should not miss Tom's talk if you want to level up your closing arguments. 

This year’s symposium will mark the second time we have exhibited with ATAA. Metwork CEO and co-founder Jack Metier recently shared the importance of attending the event: “The ATAA Symposium raises the level of practice for the entire community by bringing people together to share their knowledge and experience in trucking law. That’s really inspiring to me because Metwork is built to do that across the entire legal industry.”

Make sure to stop by the exhibitor’s hall between sessions and connect with the Metwork team. We’re looking forward to sharing the newest version of our software and discussing the future of the legal field with you. Let’s get together and raise the bar on legal connections.

Registration for the event is still open. Register here.

There is still time to take advantage of Metwork’s free beta, but time is running out. Sign up now to explore Metwork’s career-changing possibilities.