Lateral hiring returns

Plus: Legal risk grows as ADA website accessibility suits rise

Raise The Bar

03 Apr 2025 • 6 min read

This week has been a real roller coaster, as our round-up of the serious and somewhat silly news you need to know suggests. Come for the details on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, stay for the breast milk ice cream! 🤢

While you are here, check out the new true crime podcast hosted by Steve Buscemi and Raise the Bar’s interview with the attorney-turned-venture-capitalist who knows a thing or two about risk. Plus we’ve got the latest lateral hiring data, a look at why AI is underwhelming and some tips for making your website ADA accessible.

I scream, you scream, we’re all screaming because we know there’s a legal team out there that had to approve this breast milk ice cream.

Law student/farmer/reality TV contestant. A Washington University law student is looking for love on this season of the FOX reality show “Farmer Wants a Wife.”

No nepotism here. The Onion has an inspiring video on the young exec striving to create his own style of hostile workplace.

Hero stuff. This public defender performs CPR in court.

That’s one way to get out of jury duty. At least this potential juror quoted on the @overheardcourthouse Instagram account was being honest.

From law to venture capital: How one attorney is changing the startup game

If you think all venture capitalists are tech bros in half-zip fleece, think again. Attorney Richelle Martin, founder of the Winnow Fund, is breaking stereotypes and busting down barriers to entry as she invests in pre-seed (pre-revenue or early revenue) stage companies. -Emily Kelchen

What inspired you to go into this line of work?
A couple of years post-law school, I was leading an office that negotiated research contracts with industry partners on behalf of the University of Wisconsin. It was clear to me that funding was the biggest hurdle campus entrepreneurs faced when making the leap from development to commercialization, but that wasn’t in my job description. Then a chance meeting with a venture capitalist at a nonprofit event made me realize it could be. I founded the Winnow Fund to fill that gap.

It’s kind of wild that a chance meeting put you on this path!
Yes, someone completely outside my network. It’s one of the reasons I’m very intentional about changing the constraints networks create in startup ecosystems. A company’s fundraising success often correlates to how well networked that company’s founders, executives, board members, investors and advisors are. This is why the demographics of successful founders closely mirror the demographics of the majority of decision-makers in investment firms. It puts a lot of promising companies and founders at a disadvantage. I collaborate on a program with a non-profit called Doyenne that is trying to change this by diversifying the pool of angel investors.

Broadening the investment pool and the portfolio of companies you are investing in has to come with some risk. Aren’t attorneys supposed to be risk-averse?
The pre-seed phase of investing is actually considered one of the riskiest! At this stage, elements important to predicting success, like product-market fit—for example, will people buy what you’re selling for the price you’re selling it?—are yet to be tested. So one of the things we look at is whether the company has solid legal foundations, like appropriate articles of incorporation and bylaws, and agreements in place to address potential management problems. As an attorney, I know those documents are easier to negotiate when everyone is on good terms.

Yes! I think we all remember those horror stories from Biz Ass. class. You’ve got to get those foundational documents drafted ASAP, and you better have an exit strategy.
That is actually where there is some tension between investors and companies. Sometimes company counsel may feel that they need to protect the founders, especially less experienced founders, from investors. But at the end of the day, we are all taking risks, and we all want the company to succeed.

2024 was a hot year for lateral hires

The latest data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) is out, and it shows a 14% increase in law firm lateral hiring in 2024. This increase comes after two years of declining rates and is more in line with the pre-COVID era. New this year, NALP asked about remote work policies and found 51% of firms have policies against hiring fully remote laterals.

Why this matters: Getting a sense of what is going on in the broader market can help you evaluate how your firm is doing. It’s worth clicking through to see what the survey results were in your region or city. For example, Seattle saw an 80% decrease in lateral partner hiring, while Charlotte saw a 225% increase. (National Association for Law Placement)

AI is kind of meh

Professor, author and New York Times columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom has a compelling essay on the “midness” of AI. While Cottom uses examples from academia to make her point that AI is over-hyped, you can apply everything she says to the legal world. (And yes, we're saying this on the heels of ALM's Legalweek, the big legal tech conference.) She points out that AI is great at combing through large amounts of data and identifying potential next steps, but the only way for that to happen is for someone with expertise to ask the right questions and know how to analyze what the algorithm spits out.

Why this matters: AI isn’t going to replace attorneys any time soon. But we need to take a cue from Cottom and explain why our education and experience gives an edge over the robots and the people who went to the YouTube School of Law and are now getting an LLM via LLM. (New York Times)

Small-time criminals make the Big Time

While we all appreciate the serious conversations sparked by true crime standouts like “Serial” and “In the Dark,” sometimes you want a little bit of a lighter listen. Enter “Big Time,” a new podcast from Apple that is hosted by actor Steve Buscemi. “I think a lot of people, myself included, are fascinated by folks who look at the rules and think, ‘No, I’ve got a better idea.’ 'Big Time' isn’t just true crime—it’s a carnival of chaos, and I’m excited for listeners to tune in,” said Buscemi.

Why this matters: True crime and Steve Buscemi? Sign us up! The first episode is about a mom and daughter charged with felonies for rigging the Homecoming Queen contest. And the second is about a couple of competitive fishermen who figured out how to cheat the system. Both are fun listens. (Big Time on Apple Podcasts)

Opening your digital doors to all

Lawsuits over the ADA accessibility of websites are on the rise, and law firms are not immune to them. But ensuring your law firm’s website is ADA-compliant doesn’t just help you avoid legal risk—it can expand your reach and help you attract new clients. With 1 in 4 Americans living with some sort of disability, making sure your website is inclusive can help you connect with a broader audience. ADA compliance can also enhance your SEO, making your site easier to find while improving your site’s usability.

Why this matters: As digital accessibility standards continue to evolve, it is important to check that your website remains in compliance. Investing in accessibility ensures your firm remains protected from the risk of ADA litigation while reaching and respecting all of your potential clients. (Good2bSocial)

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Raise the Bar is curated and written by Emily Kelchen and edited by Bianca Prieto.