“To succeed in the new world, you have to sell yourself. You go to a brand-name college, not to imbibe the wisdom of its professors, but to make impressions and connections. You pick a niche that can bring attention to yourself and then develop your personal public relations efforts to let the world know who you are.” – Alan Wolfe, New York Times Book Review, 7 Jan. 2001
Legal and Compliance Executive Search Blog
Are Recruiters Relevant in the Social Media Age?
With the ease of making connections via social media and job postings reaching more people than ever before, many people ask if a recruiter’s fee remains a beneficial expense. Companies and law firms face mounting cost-containing pressures, and external recruiters are often a cost targeted for reduction. All employers agree that their most valuable resource is its employees and hiring the right – or the wrong – person is a decision critical to the bottom line. So the question becomes whether a recruiter can result in a better hire? Our clients say yes – when certain conditions exist.
Post-Interview Thank You Notes In The Information Age
Candidates frequently ask our Texas legal recruiters whether to send thank you notes after an interview. If so, how and when? The question has sometimes vexed us, given the vast changes the information age has brought to the workplace. Not all that long ago, law school graduates were taught to send out hard copies of their resumes on high quality “resume paper” and to always follow up with a note handwritten in black ink on Crane’s stationery.
Essential Traits of an Effective In-House Counsel
Every day at Momentum Search Partners, law firm attorneys call our recruiters seeking in-house positions because they want to work closer to the business team, be more involved in a company’s business decisions and be part of the overall “big picture” strategy that corporate legal work typically provides. Part of our job as legal recruiters is to dig deeper to determine which candidates really understand what being part of the business team means – and whether they can successfully make the transition. A critical factor is communication and the ability to connect with the business team. But what does that mean, exactly?
Considering a Job Change? Read This!
Our experienced team of Texas legal headhunters normally sees a spike in hiring towards the end of summer. In fact, early Fall is a busy time for most in-house legal departments and law firms as they add attorneys, paralegals and compliance staff to meet deadlines and prepare for the upcoming year.
If you are thinking about pursuing fresh career challenges, using this job change considerations “wish list” as a guide will help ensure that you are making the right move.
Can a Legal Recruiter Help Me?
Anyone looking for a new job should consider calling a reputable recruiter that specializes in their profession. For lawyers, that will be a legal headhunter. Eilene Zimmerman, in her “Career Couch” column in The New York Times, recently published an article on “Recruiting a Recruiter For Your Next Job.” It answers some basic questions about how to find a reputable recruiter and how to stay on their radar, so that you’re positioned to know about as many potential opportunities as possible. Most of what she says is right on target, but there are several questions we’re frequently that she didn’t address. Our team of legal and compliance headhunters has found that candidates typically have the following questions in mind, even if they don’t explicitly ask them:
Navigating the Lunch Interview
A po
tential employer has just invited you to a lunch meeting, hopefully, to discuss the position you are keen to acquire. You hang up the phone or hit reply to their email, and give yourself a mental high five for making it this far. But then you start to panic. What if you knock ice water into their lap? What if you drip alfredo sauce down your blouse in front of six senior partners? Suddenly a lunch meeting sounds like a recipe for disaster. But not to worry. Here are a few helpful tips to help you come through prepared, poised, and ready to impress no matter what.
The X Factor in Hiring Lateral Partners
Every law firm seeking to add legal talent to its ranks needs to have the people and processes in place to identify and pursue the practice areas that would improve its bottom line, either by allowing the firm to expand its offerings to existing clients or increase its client base with new long-term clients. Firms also need to have due diligence procedures they routinely follow, to minimize their risk and help increase the likelihood that the hire will prove as profitable as they intend.
Houston Energy Company Seeks In-House Counsel
International energy company with operations in Houston seeks an attorney with strong onshore E&P experience to join its legal department. Committed to sustainability, technology and innovation, the company is publicly traded and engaged in worldwide operations.
Offering tremendous career growth potential, this position will advise on high-value exploration & production related transactions. Primary responsibilities will also include:
- Negotiation and drafting of leasehold agreements, joint operating agreements, production sharing agreements, ratification, lease amendments and other related contracts
- Managing operational matters, including permitting, service contracts and related drilling matters, production and accounting activities, confidentiality and non-disclosure
- Managing upstream exploration and production activities, including farm-outs, trades, unit agreements, seismic, and other related transactions
- Negotiating and drafting sales and transportation agreements, including midstream gathering and sales agreements
In addition, secondary responsibilities will include exposure to HSE, regulatory, FCPA compliance, crisis communications / media relations.
Ideal candidates will be in the 5 – 8 year range, with prior in-house and international experience. Although this position will begin on a contract basis, it is a potential long-term opportunity that offers tremendous career growth potential in the energy industry, along with attractive compensation levels commensurate with experience.