Alex Chazen, Partner, Kahana & Feld LLP
As a millennial, CLM’s 2020 Young Outside Counsel of the Year award winner Alex Chazen is part of a generation that employers in all industries have strived to understand, recruit, and groom as the next generation of leaders. Here, Chazen discusses the industry from his perspective, and talks about the newest generation entering the workforce: Generation Z.
“There’s definitely this miss in our industry getting to the young attorneys.”
Chazen discusses the difficulty recruiting young attorneys into insurance-defense work. “There’s sort of a stigma,” he says, noting that major firms shy away from insurance-defense work and, in his experience, insurance-defense firms are not spreading their message far and wide enough. “Coming out of law school, there weren’t a ton of insurance-defense firms at the small business night event, or doing on-campus interviews.”
“Personally, I think it’s for the better. I know there are plenty of people who think it just confuses things.”
Discussing what it has been like being part of a generation that has helped push firms, companies, and corporations to be more involved in societal issues and taking stands that would have previously been considered strictly political statements, Chazen says, “It’s really been awesome, for lack of a much smarter sounding word.” He adds, “You often read about millennials or Generation Z pushing employers to take more of an open stand on racism and inequality-type issues, but now you really are seeing that change in the workplace.”
“If you go to court and ask for a trial date, you’re looking at 2023 at this point.”
COVID-19 and its after-effects are the biggest trend on job sites, in construction claims, and in the courts, Chazen observes. Contractors struggle with meeting deadlines, delay claims arise because materials do not arrive on time, and court schedules are backed up. “COVID, really, is ‘it’ in the construction industry.”
“They absolutely have an advantage being able to adapt and move into technology because they’ve just had it for so much longer.”
In a “new normal” that includes heavier use of videoconferencing and technology in general, Chazen notes how younger professionals who are more comfortable with this technology have an advantage. While older professionals may struggle with not just using technology, but also using it well, “Generation Z—most of them have had some sort of videoconferencing in their pocket since they first received a phone.”
“Be yourself.”
Chazen’s advice to young professionals just breaking into the industry. He says young associates may adapt their writing style to conform to the preferences of those they get assignments from. But he encourages these associates to develop their own style instead of “constantly being a chameleon. You’ll feel better about your work product, and also, that’s what’s going to differentiate you.”