Typically we see a significant downturn in new openings between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The slowdown was not as drastic as it has been in many years past; in fact, there wasn’t much of a slow down at all. Here it is, just days before Christmas, when legal hiring typically comes to a complete stop. But we have four new openings: associate, paralegal, legal assistant and paralegal, in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, respectively. One is with a law firm and three are in-house. Hopefully this portends continued strong hiring for 2015!
Legal and Compliance Executive Search Blog
The Science Behind the Most Successful Careers
If you doubt the power of belief – even for just one moment – you are forsaking your most powerful ally: your brain. If you doubt that changing a few beliefs can dramatically alter the trajectory of your career, then your career may fall far short of its true potential.
Trends in Corporate Legal Departments
Our team of Texas legal recruiters recently attended the annual conference of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC), the professional organization that promulgates ethical standards and best practices in the legal recruiting profession. The key note speech was presented by James Merklinger, Vice President and General Counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel. His talk about in-house legal department trends was insightful and we thought would be of interest to many of our readers. Below is a brief summary of our annotations:
The 8 Types of Legal Department Job Interviewers
When looking to join an in-house legal department, you will meet a variety of interviewers. Some will be lawyers and others not. While your legal department interviewers may be excellent lawyers or business people, they might not all be the most effective recruiters. You may encounter good interviewers having a bad day, inexperienced or unprepared interviewers, or those who have ineffective methods for eliciting the information they need to make the best hiring decisions.
Success Begets Success: Enhance Client Development
Competition in and among private law firms has never been greater, and the pressure on lawyers at all levels to develop new business is intense. Many law firms compete for the same business clients and being a talented lawyer with excellent legal skills is no longer enough. Today’s lawyers must have the ability to attract, retain and expand relationships with their clients, which is often easier said than done. Very few graduate from law school with business development training. Frequently, the pressure to bill sufficient hours during associates’ early years leaves little time and energy for client development efforts, especially when you’re not sure where or how to start.
Corporate Associate Sought For Austin TX
Top international firm seeks 2-6 year corporate associate for its Austin Texas office. Top academics and experience in M&A, private equity, venture capital, securities and/or finance required. High quality work, top compensation and great downtown location with this plumb position! pPease send resume to Tori@momentumlegal.com. Position no. 2863
What the Growth of Austin Means to Employers and Job Seekers
158 people move to Austin each day, and 400,000 into Texas each year. Numerous publications have marveled at the growth and economic strength of our Lone Star State in the past year – such as Forbes, USA Today, Bloomberg and Kiplingers to name a few. Two recent reports caught our attention and prompted our legal recruiters to ask what these trends mean for both employers seeking top talent for highly skilled jobs and job seekers in a competitive, educated workforce. As legal recruiters based in Texas and with extensive experience here, we see firsthand the impact of these factors at play as well as some significant secondary consequences that we thought our clients and candidates would find helpful.
A Niche Law Practice Should Be Your New Year’s Resolution!
“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
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.