Job Seekers

Recent data from the National Association for Law Placement shows 2019 was a strong year for summer associate hiring, but the COVID-19 crisis is raising questions on whether those summer programs will go on as expected. 

Confessions of a Legal Recruiter is an ongoing series of articles to advise experienced attorneys at every stage of their career to take them to the next level. From making the lateral partner move to succession planning.

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, there are no signs of a panicked hiring freeze just yet. Offers are even already out to the newest round of associates. However, as this situation evolves, the pandemic is bound to affect the legal job market. 

Jessica Nguyen, an in-house leader and former Microsoft Corp. lawyer, is building a career by helping technology startups develop their legal departments. After serving as the first-ever top lawyer for software company Avalara Inc. and compensation data firm PayScale Inc., Nguyen joins Seattle-based Lexion as CLO of the AI-powered contract management startup. 

The law firm hiring spike continues! The month of February saw a major increase in hiring new top lawyers in all different industries. From health care giants Centene Corp. and WellCare Health Plans Inc., to major retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. and entertainment corporation Six Flags, many areas of industry made big changes in the wake of the New Year. 

One thing for sure is that the demand for legal services will continue to grow. Several new trends in the legal industry have emerged. Are you ready for these changes?

So you’ve come to the realization that you don’t want to be a lawyer and want to take the road less traveled? You are not alone. Many lawyers have gone through schooling, landed a law firm job and realized they don’t enjoy the work.

In this day and age, many people have this idea that legal departments are used as cost centers and that they lack education on the benefits of legal operations. This is part of the reason why less than half of legal departments do not have a dedicated legal operations professional on staff.

For the past two years, Fortune 500 companies have been focusing on succession planning. According to research from the in-house search firm BarkerGilmore, Fortune 500 companies placed a greater focus on succession planning in 2019 for general counsel and are likely to continue that trend into 2020.

Big changes are being made in the legal industry. According to a new study on the state of the industry as firms head into 2020, changes to the legal market over the past year carry significant risks for law firms that fail to adapt. These economic indicators are strong, but these emerging models could threaten firms.