As law firms start the process of reuniting their lawyers in the office, a few lawyers are rebelling—threatening to leave their firm for another, so that they can continue to work from home.  

The hesitancy that arose from lockdowns and mandated work-from-home orders at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have dissipated for some law firm partners and associates who have embraced the remote work experience and want to make it a permanent part of their lives.

In early May, some associates stated that they were hesitant to go back to any form of so-called normal office attendance. Specifically, mid-career and senior associates felt that they were in their element on Zoom calls with co-workers and clients—able to contribute more effectively to their practices and enjoying greater visibility both in the law firm, and with clients.

“I don’t want to go back to the office and the way things were before,” said one sixth-year associate at an Am Law 200 firm who chose to remain anonymous to speak candidly at the time. “I just don’t think I’ll have the same opportunity to contribute the way I have in the virtual environment.”

Are you interested in learning more about how lawyers are looking to move firms so they don’t have to leave their house? Read more in this law.com article.

Author:
Victoria Ostrander
Assistant Editor
The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel
Email: [email protected]
ALM Media Properties LLC

Take control of your practice. Put yourself in a position to attract and retain clients you admire and find challenging and interesting. Become less dependent on others to feed your pipeline.

Create a three-pronged approach [Purpose, Strategy & Participation] that leverages your transactional skills and business contacts to grow your client base.

Purpose

Commit to marketing activities and prospects that are consistent with your area of expertise and best fit for bringing in new billings. Take the time to identify what your areas are opportunity markets and how to best acquire clients.

Your plan must establish you as a leader in your area of law. Become a leading authority on the policies and procedures that matter to the future direction of the firms you represent and plan on securing.

Strategy

It’s a known fact that 80% of all business comes from existing clients. Visit your top clients at their places of business each quarter or at least annually. Regularly set up a breakfast, lunch or dinner with clients, prospects or a referral source. Be actively involved in a well-chosen organization and write articles, join committees of important interest to your client base. Hold events for your client base; lectures, networking, community-based events etc.

Start networking and continually create authority and trust:

WHERE TO NETWORK:
· Focus on trade or industry organizations
· Community or political alliances
· Social or alumni groups
· Client breakfasts, lunches, dinners and functions

CREATE AUTHORITY & TRUST
· Regularly contribute to legal articles in leading publications.
· Speaking engagement to industry groups.
· Client seminars.
· Teach at local university or college.
· Sponsor (CLEs, Charity Events, Community Relations, etc.).
· Publish monthly newsletter and or write a book.
· Pro bono work.
· Provide and or acquire ongoing training and professional development.

Participation & Accountability

Evaluate what is working, areas for opportunity and efforts that have not yielded results must be reworked or eliminated from the action plan. Review your progress every three months.

Here are a few guidelines to help you develop your individual marketing plan:
· Play to Your Strengths and Personality.
· Be Consistent with Firm Goals and Objectives.
· Focus Your Attention – strategically in activities that will enhance your credentials and al-low you to build relationships with key individuals. A plan helps you be more proactive and eliminates distractions.
· Be Simple and Realistic and Achievable.
· Be as Specific as Possible.
· Motivate Yourself – do the things you need to do in order to achieve long-term success.
· Change Over Time – Make adjustments as needed.

Business development takes time, and it’s a necessary, ongoing process to create a continuous, constant flow of new business.

Don’t go it alone, contact On Balance to schedule an appointment to discuss your next move.

About On Balance Search Consultants
On Balance offers great insight and industry intelligence. Shari Davidson, president of On Bal-ance Search Consultants, advises law firms on how to take a firm to the next level and helps ris-ing talent make the transition to the right law firm.

Contact us today. Call 516.731.4300 or visit our website at https://www.onbalancesearch.com.

Please note that the content of this blog does not constitute legal advice and is only intended for the educational purpose of the reader. Please consult your legal counsel for specifics regarding your unique circumstances and the laws in your states pertaining to social media and any legal restrictions regarding the law.

Partners are opting to continue working well into their 60’s and beyond – act decisively and
quickly. There will never be a better time to make the lateral partner move.

Crazy right? Millennials outnumber Boomers 2-1. Why take the risk on a senior partner?

Senior partners sense they are being sidelined, for reasons unclear. There is a stigma that
persists that after 60, you have very little currency in the workplace.

Not so. No reason why top attorneys should be forced to retire. In the Metro NY regions there is renewed interest in senior partners.

“As many partners approach sixty, they begin to consider retirement. Surprisingly, a good
number have no strategic exit plan in place.

One thing is for sure, no one feels safe right now. The pandemic has given all of us pause to
thing about our health and wellbeing. It is absolutely critical to put in place a plan that accounts for unexpected health problems or uncontrollable market events.

Partners should protect and monetize their book of business that they have worked so hard to build over the years.” Shari Davidson, President, On Balance Search Consultants.
Not all partners are equal, and most have nurtured powerful relationships over the years. The best candidates bring three critical assets to the table:

1. Their practice is portable and profitable and will contribute to the firm’s bottom line.
2. The candidate must a good fit. They must be able to transition and integrate seamlessly
into the firm’s culture.
3. Prospects must provide a detailed long-range plan on how they be able to contribute to
the firm’s growth strategies three-to-five years out.

To ensure candidates can bring business with them, law firms need to double down on due
diligence. At the same time, the acquiring firm must provide a support team to give the new venture the best opportunity to succeed.

The pandemic has accelerated many succession plans and senior partners who would have
never considered making the lateral move to another firm. The business world has embraced technology opening up new opportunities for those who find working remotely advantageous. In the midst of the upheaval of pay cuts, and layoffs, some firms are seeing defections. As we come out of this COVID Crisis, firms should keep an open eye on taking on senior partners.

Now is the time to consider retirement, relocation or making the move to another firm. Remote work is now the new normal. Think about negotiating more flexible terms for a better work, life balance.

Don’t go it alone, contact On Balance to schedule an appointment to discuss your next move.

About On Balance Search Consultants
On Balance offers great insight and industry intelligence. Shari Davidson, president of On Balance Search Consultants, advises law firms on how to take a firm to the next level and helps rising talent make the transition to the right law firm.

Contact us today. Call 516.731.4300 or visit our website at https://www.onbalancesearch.com.

Please note that the content of this blog does not constitute legal advice and is only intended for the educational purpose of the reader. Please consult your legal counsel for specifics regarding your unique circumstances and the laws in your states pertaining to social media and any legal restrictions regarding the law.

If you’re NOT going to be transparent when making the lateral move, don’t bother.

Don’t lie to me.
Give yourself the best chance of landing a position you want. When several important issues come up that you did not disclose from the on-set, it’s a red flag. What other issues did you not come clean with? Your credibility is important, right? Don’t waste your time, or everyone else’s, be honest. Get it right. Good recruiters have all parties’ best interests covered. Let’s get off to a good start.

I can’t work with you.
You have sent your resume to practically every law firm in the area, big mistake. You’ve watered down your value in the marketplace. The perception is that there is something wrong with this candidate. Why did you send your resume for a position that you are not even qualified to be considered?

Why are you looking?
Never make the lateral move for more money. The best recruiters separate the wheat from the chaff, strategically aligning the interests of the candidate with the right firm.

Work with me.
Good recruiters have solid, strong relationships built over many years of protecting both the interests of the firms as well as the candidates placed.

Shari Davidson, President — On Balance Search Consultants:
“When working with a potential candidate I strategically align myself with the candidate
to find a new home that matches the candidate’s goals. This could include a larger
platform of practice areas, or geographic locations or even a better work environment.”

Continually keep in touch with candidates to:
1. Help them grow their business.
2. Share trends in the legal profession.
3. Share professional networking opportunities and CLE programs.
Integrity, credibility, honesty.

Confessions of a Legal Recruiter: Don’t lie to me.
The best recruiters are on the pulse of what’s going on, headhunters are on the phone with 50 to 200 firms a week and are mixing it up with the movers and shakers who open doors. Find a well-regarded legal recruiter who has a solid reputation for protecting their candidates and firms.

Don’t go it alone, contact On Balance to schedule an appointment to discuss your next move.

About: On Balance Search Consultants
On Balance offers great insight and industry intelligence. Shari Davidson, president of On Balance Search Consultants, advises experienced attorneys at every stage of their career to take them to the next level. From making the lateral partner move to succession planning.

Shari takes a proactive approach to advising law firms on how to take a firm to the next level and helps rising talent make the transition to the right law firm. On Balance Search identifies opportunities that exist today, not down the road.

Contact us today. Call 516.731.4300 or visit our website at https://www.onbalancesearch.com .

Please note that the content of this blog does not constitute legal advice and is only intended for the educational purpose of the reader. Please consult your legal counsel for specifics regarding your specific circumstances and the laws in your states pertaining to social media and any legal restrictions regarding the law.

A young lawyer with three children abandoned a job at a firm to seek a better work-life balance, with a new position inside of a corporate legal department. The past year has been full of late-night Zoom calls, scrambling to keep up with a shifting regimen of public health regulations and not as much influence over the company’s overall policies than the lawyer originally sought out. 

This hypothetical scenario is too close to the mark from what is really happening among in-house teams in this world. Mark Yacano, managing director of the transform advisory services group at Major, Lindsey & Africa, speculated that interest in corporate legal roles would continue after the COVID-19 pandemic, given the long hours firms demand on their associates.

Right now, people are working under unusual circumstances, Yacano said, and it’s hard to see where the grass is greener.

“We still have schools that aren’t open, we still have people that are trying to deal with educating your kids, doing well at work, meeting your client demands. … They are taking a big torque wrench to those [law firm] associates, right? How much torquing can [associates] take before they figure out something else to do?” he said. If they stay in the legal profession, they will seek to move in-house.

However, the pandemic has not done many favors to corporate legal departments, either.

Are you interested in learning more about if the grass is still greener in-house? Read more in this law.com article.

Author:
Victoria Ostrander
Assistant Editor
The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel
Email: [email protected]
ALM Media Properties LLC

It has been well over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic pushed law firms to quickly move out of their office spaces. Law firms have taken a wide-range of approaches when it comes to getting people back into the office. Some firms moved personnel back in last summer, while others are still remote, or as close to it as they can. 

With the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in full effect, still more firms are planning their next steps for a safe return, and permanent changes to their office spaces based on lessons learned within the past year.

The reporters at ALM Media will be continuing to cover all these changes and trends as we try to work toward COVID-free world.

Are you interested in learning more about how law firms are planning for post-COVID office life? Read more in this law.com article.

Author:
Victoria Ostrander
Assistant Editor
The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel
Email: [email protected]
ALM Media Properties LLC

Big law is on a hiring frenzy for regulatory, policy and enforcement lawyers, with a string of big firms in mid-April adding former government lawyers, prosecutors and legislative aides. 

Firms Wiley Rein, Squire Patton Boggs and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher all recently picked up lawyers from the public sector in late March to early April.

Wiley hired Thomas M. Johnson, who is the former general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission, as a partner and co-chair of the firm’s appellate practice. Squire enhanced their public policy group, noting among others the arrival of Caren B. Street, chief of staff to the U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, and Thomas S. Andrews, who is a former White House special assistant and aide to tow U.S. House speakers. And Gibson Dunn picked up former Texas solicitor general Kyle Hawkins.

A group of former federal prosecutors also landed in Big Law in mid-April.

Are you interested in learning more about which lawyers large firms picked up as they seek out regulator lawyers? Read more in this law.com article. 

Author:
Victoria Ostrander
Assistant Editor
The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel
Email: [email protected]
ALM Media Properties LLC

After a monumental financial year for law firms, the associate lateral hiring market is on a hot streak, and firms are making every effort to entice more corporate young lawyers, including huge signing bonuses and extending offers to associates the day of their interviews. 

And the hunger for talent in this country is not limited to one or two regions.

Associate lawyer moves in the 10 most active legal markets—which are New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco—are at double-digits in the beginning months of this year, compared with the four-year average, according to data provided by Decipher, a St. Louis-based competitive intelligence firm which provides its law firm clients with due diligence and analysis on lateral attorneys.

For example, in New York there are an average of 249 moves in the first two months of the year. This year, 313 associate lawyers lateraled—26% uptick. The city of Los Angeles averages roughly 136 laterals. However, in 2021, 167 associates moved, representing an increase of 23%.

“I definitely feel like corporate associate recruiting is the busiest I’ve seen since I’ve started my business,” said legal recruiter Jason McCann, founder of Gridline Search + Consulting.

Are you interested in learning more about how the corporate associate market is on fire as same day hiring and signing bonuses surge? Read more in this law.com article.

Author:
Victoria Ostrander
Assistant Editor
The American Lawyer | National Law Journal | Corporate Counsel
Email: [email protected]
ALM Media Properties LLC

In the good old days (12 months ago), when lawyers interviewed for jobs, they dressed up in suits, maybe flew across the country, met with numerous people – sometimes sequentially and sometimes together – shook hands, ate a meal, and had a glass of wine. In other words, they exchanged germs in as many ways as possible. Chances are good they even wore shoes. 

Think about your early 2020 self. You likely had minimal experience with Zoom or Microsoft Teams, and meeting a candidate or an interviewer was a pedestrian process. We all had to adapt to pandemic restrictions since then and find creative ways of “meeting” one another for interviews.  

The interview format changed, but the expectations of interviewing attorneys have not. As before, with good candidates, it is sometimes necessary to “woo” him or her. Yet, seemingly, many interviewers lost their common sense about how to conduct an interview. Employers, you still need to impress the candidates. 

Over the past few months, as a legal recruiter, I have seen these mistakes firsthand. Everything you read below really happened. So, if you want someone to join your firm or company, do not do any of the following: 

Require candidates to have their videos on, while you are only on audio: In the movie “Contact,” Jodie Foster’s character was aggressively interviewed by a three-member panel until she realized that the panelists were just placeholders, and the real interviewer was a mysterious billionaire behind a camera. That same effect has been playing out with interviewers who do not activate their cameras on video calls. Ask yourself – is that fair? Or does it create the impression of an unequal playing field? If a candidate cannot be on equal footing with you, he or she will distrust you from the outset.   

Type while you are interviewing: Even if it is a tag-team interview, you should be giving the candidate your full attention for the entire time that you committed for the interview. Most of the time, it’s only half an hour. Some people do not realize it but, yes, people on the other side of your call usually can see and definitely can hear when you are typing away. It comes across as rude and disrespectful and implies that what you are typing is more important than the person in front of you. Emergencies do arise and, if that happens, be sure to let the candidate know about it and apologize. Otherwise, you agreed to the time slot, so block it off like you would if you were talking to a client. 

Continue to be distracted: Along the same lines, continuing to check email on your phone, reading something else on your screen, or responding to texts comes across as distracted.  Candidates want to feel important, but if you are not paying attention, the message you are sending is that you do not really care.  

No show/late arrivals: We all have lost track of time, gotten distracted, or been tied up with something else. But there is someone on the other side of the screen who has never met you and is waiting for you. Put yourself in their shoes: they probably are questioning whether you forgot, whether an emergency arose, and how long they should wait. Again, it communicates that the candidate is not important to you. So, be on time.   

Underdress: One interviewer was in sweaty exercise clothes. Another was wearing a hoodie. I know that we all are working from home, but would you wear a hoodie to an interview if you were at the office?  No one is expecting formal attire, but a clean shirt or top should be the bare minimum.  If you cannot do that, then schedule a phone interview instead.    

Schedule sporadic/drawn out interviews: One candidate had interviews with a firm at 9:00a.m. on a Monday, 2:00p.m. later that week, and then another meeting the following week – and that was just the first round!  If this candidate were interviewing in person, there would have been one sit-down meeting with attorneys interviewing sequentially. Keep up that routine. It saves time for you and it frees the candidate from needing to hold openings on multiple days.   

Spend too much time trying to get technology to work: In a perfect world, technology is easy and seamless and communication online goes off without a hitch. But, as we well know, that doesn’t always happen. Maybe the video or the sound aren’t working, or you cannot connect, or any host of problems occurs that none of us can anticipate.  If you have tech issues, just go low-tech and make a phone call. Do not spend long blocks of time trying to get technology to work perfectly.  

When it comes down to it, everyone wants to “feel the love”.  You used to be able to impress a candidate by showing them your fancy office with the great view and art, and wine and dine them. Obviously, you cannot do that anymore. So, give candidates the respect they deserve by focusing your undivided attention on them and respecting their time. Remember, you may want this candidate to work with you.  

Amber Handman is a legal recruiter with SeltzerFontaine, focusing on the placement of partners, counsel, and associates at law firms and corporations throughout California. She can be reached at 310-842-6989 [email protected].