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Article: Background checks helping law firms keep integrity. (Entrepreneur's Notebook).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Los Angeles Business Journal
- Article date:
- January 7, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 CBJ, L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 spawned a new caution among some international law firms -- but not because these firms see a slowing economy.
Instead, in a little-noticed trend, a handful of large firms now do background checks on "lateral" hire attorneys -- that is, lawyers with a few years of experience behind them -- and on support staffers such as information technology specialists and mailroom clerks.
The trend breaks with long-standing tradition in the legal profession, and the good bet is that law firms of all sizes will follow their lead in the future.
Why? Because law firms take on special, deeply personal obligations of honor and ...