Job Seekers

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?

Picture that at the beginning of last year, you heard “Next year we’ll have an entire set of predictions dealing with everybody working from home because of the pandemic.” That sounds insane right? 

There comes a time in every law firm associate’s journey toward partnership when business development becomes a primary issue. However, you cannot simply flip the switch when you need to. Associates need to get ahead of the issue, even years in advance of when it becomes a necessity. 

Restructuring and corporate litigation are among Big Law’s most popular practice areas for onboarding lateral talent as 2020 comes to an end and as firms seek to leverage veteran industry expertise amid uncertain economic conditions. 

For millennials or young lawyers getting their start after graduating law school, there are more career options in the legal system more than ever before. Whether it’s firms, alternate legal service providers, in-house legal departments, the Big Four or even legal technology companies, fresh-faced talent in law has its pick of choices when charting a career path.