Donna Gerson, the associate dean for career strategies, will lead a panel discussion on “Big Ideas about Small Firm Hiring” at the National Association for Law Placement Annual Education Conference in San Francisco, Calif. on April 19. 

As moderator, Gerson joins Alfred English, an assistant dean at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Elizabeth Klein, head of recruiting at Durie Tangri, and Carolyn Lee, an associate at Morgan Lewis.  The panel resulted from Gerson’s work as the chair of the NALP Task Force on Engaging Small Firms and her role as the NALP Liaison to the ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Section. 

On April 20, Gerson will serve on a panel concerning the ABA Audit Protocols, along with Assistant Dean Marcy Cox of the University of Miami School of Law and Assistant Dean Shannon Schaab of DePaul University College of Law.

Gerson was also chosen through a competitive process to give a NALPnext presentation (similar to TED Talks) on April 20.  Her talk, “What I Learned from Opening a Café,” explores the insights gleaned after she decided to make free coffee available to students in the law school’s Career Strategies Office.   

Gerson’s work on the task force led to the recent release by NALP of two new resources on small-firm hiring.  “Understanding How Small Firms Hire” provides useful information for both law students and career service professionals in law schools.  “What to Do When It’s Time to Hire a New Attorney,” released jointly by NALP and the American Bar Association’s Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division, is designed to help small firms navigate the hiring process.