State of the Market – Mountain Region

March 07, 2013

Lateral Link Director Abigail Klein, based out of our Denver, Colorado, office, reviews hiring trends for the first quarter 2013 and offers her forecast for the remainder of 2013.

The lateral market for transactional attorneys, particularly with real estate experience, has continued to see an uptick in 2013.  M&A and finance remain steady, and several clients in particular are very busy.  The real estate deal flow in both Denver and Phoenix appears to be gaining steam.  Firms that had largely sat on the sidelines over the past few years are jumping back into the lateral market, and the competition for quality real estate lawyers is growing...

2013 Q1 International Market Update

February 11, 2013

Last year brought a slowdown in China’s growth, and with it, significant questions about the future of the legal market in Greater China.   With lateral hiring more sporadic than 2011, the question on everyone’s mind in 2012 was whether China’s market would ever return to its buoyant ways, and if so, when?  Beijing’s response, outlined in its 12th Five-Year Plan, has been embraced by many as a pragmatic and effective answer to this question, and while it’s still early, the significant uptick in lateral activity we have seen in the first quarter signals a clear indication that the markets are responding positively...

Recent Placement: Don Delaney

January 28, 2013

Managing Director Don Delaney recently placed a University of California – Berkeley alum as a Labor & Employment Associate with Littler Mendelson in Denver.

Recent Placement: Scott Hodes

January 21, 2013

Principal Scott Hodes recently placed a Vanderbilt University alum as a IP Transactional Associate with Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis in Nashville.

Recent Placements: Justin Flowers and Sarah Morris

January 15, 2013

Principal Justin Flowers recently placed a New York University alum as a Project Finance Associate with Morrison & Foerster in Tokyo.

Director Sarah Morris recently placed a Boston University alum as a Business Associate with Perkins Coie in Palo Alto.

Recent Placement: C. Scott Salmon

January 07, 2013

Director C. Scott Salmon recently placed a University of Chicago alum as a Project Finance Associate with Allen & Overy in New York City.

State of the Market – New York City (Q3 2012)

October 06, 2012

The legal market in New York City has unfortunately slightly slowed during Q3, with 20% less job openings this quarter than last. However, New York remains a vast market with plenty of opportunities, as large firms posted over 60 new openings this quarter.

Corporate opportunities continue to be at the core of associate hiring in NYC, with opportunities in this practice area accounting for over a third of the openings in Q3. Finance and M&A remained at the heart of corporate hiring this quarter, and backgrounds in Capital Markets and Venture Capital were also common in the corporate sector. Litigation hiring came in second, following Corporate, and there was actually an increase in litigation opportunities this quarter from Q2. IP remained strong, although there was a slight decrease in opportunities...

State of the Market – Florida (Q3 2012)

October 05, 2012

The legal market in Florida continued to expand during Q3 at a fairly consistent, but slightly slower pace than earlier in the year, with just fewer than 30 new openings among top firms.

Litigation continues to lead the way in 2012, with new opportunities in these positions making up a majority of the openings in Q3. However, hiring in litigation did slow down slightly in Q3 when compared with the increase in hiring experienced in Q2. Regardless, the market overpoweringly favors opportunities in litigation, particularly for those with backgrounds in Insurance and Real Estate litigation, and the market is continuing to expand.

Corporate, Real Estate, and Tax opportunities each came in second to Litigation openings. This trend in Corporate and Real Estate hiring remains consistent with increases last quarter, while the increase in Tax openings represents an uptick from Q2...

State of the Market – DC (Q3 2012)

October 05, 2012

D.C. practices continue to thrive in Q3, with the overall hiring rate increasing 68% from Q2 among a broad range of firms, from AmLaw 100 to boutiques.

Firms continue to hire at an increased pace in Intellectual Property, consistent with the trend seen in Q2, with IP opportunities accounting for 29% of the total openings. Attorneys with backgrounds in electrical engineering, computer software, telecommunications, and mechanical engineering were in particularly high demand in this practice area. Litigation and Corporate teams also saw significant increases in hiring during Q3, with opportunities in these fields accounting for a combined total of 40% of the total openings in the D.C. metro area. Real Estate and Health Care teams also expanded significantly, and Banking saw a moderate increase in openings...

State of the Market – Texas (Q3 2012)

October 04, 2012

The Texas legal market is still hot through the third quarter, as the number of job openings continues to increase statewide. Corporate law led the pack once again in the third quarter. Although Corporate hiring slowed slightly, it still made up over 20% of the new legal opportunities. Houston continues to offer the most legal opportunities in the state, closely followed by Dallas.

Corporate hiring had the most openings in Q3, with an emphasis on transactional backgrounds, including M&A and Capital Markets. Energy continued to show significant job prospects in the city, as AmLaw 100 firms continue to expand their Houston energy practices dealing with oil and gas. In Dallas, Intellectual Property accounted for a quarter of the legal opportunities. Backgrounds in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science continue to be incredibly important and sought after in this field...