Job Seekers

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. 

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. 

The demand for associates from law firms in Atlanta rebounded this year after a major slowdown in associate hiring in 2020 from the pandemic. 

Thriving in the Age of Disruption

Law.com’s Legal Speak podcast chatted with Tallahassee, Florida-based legal recruiter Andrew Wilcox to discuss how the widespread success of working from home has reshaped the lateral hiring market.

On December 16, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released an ethics opinion that blesses the work arrangements that countless lawyers have set up since the coronavirus pandemic made lawyers across the country work remotely. 

The legal field is continuing to take its slow march back to employment prior to the pandemic, with the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report showing 4,800 new jobs this January. 

Since the beginning of Big Law, several midsize firms have worn that “Big Law” label with pride. With this label, each firm touts an unmatched culture, a certain attractiveness that makes their firm special, and much more appealing than the large AM Law 100 operations. 

As the new year begins, lateral hiring is picking up speed. Law firms Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Sidley Austin are among the firms with recent hires and were specifically for leadership positions in practices that are experiencing high demand during the coronavirus pandemic. 

As new law associates enter their careers as attorneys, there are several routes to take their careers. But the question on every recent law school graduate’s mind remains: How do I navigate my law firm and what skills are important to master in those first few years?