State of the Market – Northern California (Q3 2012)

October 05, 2012

The Northern California legal market met a downturn in Q3, with a 24% decrease in the number of new opportunities this quarter. While the region suffered, San Francisco, easily the largest market in the area, remained consistent with its hiring through Q3.

Intellectual Property continues to lead the pack in Northern California. While IP hiring did see a slump this quarter, openings in this practice area still accounted for 30% of the job openings in the region. San Francisco and Palo Alto are both large markets for IP attorneys, especially for those with backgrounds in electrical engineering and computer science. Corporate and Litigation both came in second this quarter. Q3 saw a great increase in Corporate hiring, with AmLaw 100 seeking to add to the size of their corporate teams...

State of the Market – Southern California (Q3 2012)

October 05, 2012

The legal market in Southern California unfortunately slowed down considerably this quarter, with a 23% decrease in postings from Q2. A huge factor in this slump was the significant lack of opportunities in the Los Angeles area as compared to previous quarters. Hiring in L.A. was cut in half in Q3.

Intellectual Property posted the most opportunities in Southern California during Q3. IP has always been a major market in the area, but Q3 saw a significant uptick in action from the previous quarter. Backgrounds in electrical engineering and computer science continue to be sought after in the region, and this quarter also saw a noteworthy increase in demand for IP attorneys with a background in entertainment, as Walt Disney, based in Burbank and Glendale, appreciably increased the size of its IP team...

Look Before You Leap: Things to Consider Before Going In-House

January 11, 2012

Before you make the jump to go in-house, remember that each in-house opportunity is unique and will represent different advantages and challenges. As a former in-house attorney who worked for a well-respected investment management company for almost six years, Lateral Link Director, Gloria Cannon, believes there are several things you should consider in evaluating each in-house opportunity that center around three primary topics: job responsibilities/duties, compensation and lifestyle.

Responsibilities
First, it is important to understand the company management’s expectations of their in-house legal department. In other words, do the business people consider in-house lawyers to be a necessary evil, or valued and important members of the management team? This viewpoint will be critical in determining the type of matters you will work on and the level of responsibilities you will be given as an in-house attorney...

A New Year Resolution for 2012 – Tips for a Better Legal Career

January 09, 2012

Eat healthy, workout, stop procrastinating, learn Spanish – it’s 2012 and time to make your New Year Resolutions.  One big resolution you should add to your list is to improve your legal career.  Lucky for you, the recruiting professionals at Lateral Link have written articles that will help you with your career resolutions.

If you are clueless about your career goals and lack direction at work, you are not alone.  For most, life at a big law firm is not panning out as expected.  There are ridiculous deadlines, inconsiderate co-workers, useless politicking, and no clear path towards professional nirvana.  With the start of the new year, now is the time to define your career plan and outline your professional goals.  First, you should identify your ultimate end-goal to help you outline what steps you will need to take to get there...

Job Hunting During the Holidays

December 21, 2011

Most of us correlate this time of year with holiday cheer, happiness and general festivity! However if you find yourself looking for a job in December, it can be a little disheartening. Employers, if they are not taking time off, focus their efforts on end of the year wrap-up. Although hiring may seem slow during the holiday season, don’t consider it a total loss. Check out these holiday job-hunting tips from Lateral Link that will be sure to help you keep your chin up and your hope of landing a new job alive.

1. Be patient!
You know the saying, good things come to those who wait. In this case, good things come to those who are persistent and patient! Lateral hiring often picks in January. Firm bonuses have been paid, associates leave, and employers are eager to fill positions vacated by those who take their money and run! If you feel your efforts have gone unnoticed during the holidays, don’t quit...

Acing Your Law Firm Interview

December 19, 2011

Acing Your Law Firm Interview

Interview season for laterals is about to kick-off.  You’ll likely see several law firm vacancies pop up early in the new year as firms struggle to find replacements for associates who jump ship after receiving a year end bonus.  The recruiters at Lateral Link, have compiled a list of the top five tips to help you ace your next law firm interview.

1. Be prepared:  Preparation is key.  Do not try and “swing it” and go to an interview unprepared.  Understand what is at stake when you go into an interview – getting hired.  Back in the good ole days, your resume alone was sufficient to get you a job.  The interview process was merely a formality and a way for firms to screen out people who were completely socially inept...

2011 In-House Salaries Are On The Upswing

December 19, 2011

While practically every attorney is familiar with the market rate for Biglaw salaries, not as much is known about salaries for in-house lawyers.  Unlike Biglaw’s lockstep salaries, in-house salaries vary widely depending on a broad range of factors such as industry, size of legal department, years of experience, etc.  Additionally, since in-house salaries are often negotiable, in-house attorneys tend to avoid discussing their individualized pay with one another.

ALM Legal Intelligence has helped to demystify in-house salaries through its 2011 Law Department Compensation Benchmarking Survey.  This comprehensive survey analyzed compensation data from 4,951 lawyers employed at 225 corporate law departments.  The 2011 median salary for various management and non-management law department positions are reported in the tables below, along with their change from 2010...

Tips for Selecting a Legal Recruiter.

December 05, 2011

The lateral hiring market has improved substantially over the past year. With that improvement, associates are receiving a greater number of cold-calls from recruiters. For many junior associates, these calls are a new phenomenon. Your choice of a recruiter – and the way you manage the process – will have a profound impact on your short-term and long-term opportunities. There are many good recruiters and many benefits to using a good one. However, not all recruiters are created equal. Jordan Abshire, legal recruiter and Managing Director at Lateral Link, offers some great pointers on handling the cold-calls and selecting a good recruiter as well as some background information on the recruiting process...

Top 5 Tips for Escaping From the Office During the Holidays

November 22, 2011

Now that Thanksgiving is almost upon us, some of you may already be thinking ahead to the winter holiday season.  That’s precisely what you should be doing if you want to take more time off than just your firm’s designated holiday days.  For some associates, the holidays are a good time to use your vacation days, but you will need to plan ahead if you want your vacation to be a real break from work.  The Career Center, brought to you by Lateral Link, has compiled a list of the top five tips to help you have a happy holiday season away from the office.

1. Give as much advance notice as possible.  If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to tell your partners and the teams you are working on when you are planning to take a vacation...

Top 4 Reasons To Be Thankful For Your Biglaw Job This Thanksgiving

November 18, 2011

Top 4 Reasons To Be Thankful For Your Biglaw Job This Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving just a week away, turkey may already be on your mind.  But hopefully so are family, friends, and a time to reflect on what you are thankful for this year.  If you’re having trouble with that last part, the Career Center has put together a list of the top 4 reasons Biglaw associates can be thankful for their jobs this Thanksgiving.

1. Next up, bonus season.  Most of you have actually been feeling quite optimistic that bonuses will be bigger than last year’s combined year-end bonus plus spring bonus.  Of course, we’ll have to wait until Cravath makes the first move to see whether there’s any truth to those predictions, but at least you know there will be bonuses to be had...