As legal recruiters, one of the most common questions we’re asked is “how’s the job market”? Translation: I’m thinking about changing jobs and want to get an idea of what my chances are. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The job market in Texas continues to boom and the cycle of in-demand practice areas is continually in flux. Yesterday it was apples and today it’s oranges. Tomorrow, who knows.
Legal and Compliance Executive Search Blog
Momentum Recruiter Elected Officer Of NALSC
The 2019 National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC) conference was held in Las Vegas this past weekend. The consensus was that it was one of the best conferences ever! The M Resort Spa & Casino was a terrific venue, the content of programs superb, the food and drink excellent, and participation high. Our own Jane Pollard joined the NALSC Board of Directors last year, and was elected as Secretary of the Board at the Town Hall Meeting. Congratulations Jane!
What Are Today’s Hiring Managers Looking For?
Today’s candidates need to be fine-tuned and savvy to land their next career opportunity. Job seekers must take the necessary steps and measures to make sure they are marketable. How should a candidate communicate, present a resume, or answer recruiter inquiries? Based on what we’re hearing from hiring managers and the clients we represent, here are some suggestions that might help.
Do Companies & Firms Need to Retain a Recruiter?
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.
In-house legal job trends
In-House legal jobs continue to grow. One of the biggest trends we’re seeing are for Privacy & Data Security attorneys. While not a new focus, data security is a high priority for legal departments. With the new EU’s GDPR, corporations are raising their compliance bar.
Social Media and Your Job Search
Job seekers, employees and recruiters can get in touch with people of the same or similar background and extend their professional network with an aim to get noticed. Whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, or another platform, each one gives an opportunity to interact and grow your network.
Momentum Recruiter Named To NALSC Board
Momentum is proud to announce that one of our principals and founders, Jane Pollard, was recently voted onto the board of directors for The National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC). NALSC is a professional organization comprised of legal search consultants across the United States and Canada whose members agree to abide by the NALSC Code of Ethics®. NALSC also provides an educational forum for members and for the legal and business community, and allows NALSC members to learn and socialize together at its two conferences each year.
Austin Legal Administrators Conference Sponsored by Momentum
Momentum was a proud sponsor of the educational seminar and legal expo held this week at the Stephen F. Austin hotel by the Austin Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. Firm Administrators heard speakers on topics such as cybersecurity and privacy and compliance issues related to cybersecurity. This was the 19th annual conference held in Austin by the ALA, and presented a great opportunity for legal administrators to share ideas, network, and learn. The theme this year was Once Upon a Time, so of course Momentum recruiters went all out with the fairy-tale theme, complete with wings, wands, and fairy-tale dust.
Future Texas Attorneys: Choose the Career Path That’s Right for You
A huge new crop of students will be entering their first year of law school at schools across Texas in a couple of weeks. While job opportunities and career paths accessible to Texas lawyers are boundless, learning as much as you can early on about the diverse career paths will make a significant difference in your future. You need to dedicate the time, attention and commitment it deserves to educate yourself about the different areas of the law so that you may equip yourself with the knowledge necessary to make an informed choice as to your area of pursuit. Take advantage of mentoring programs offered at your law school, talk to your professors, especially the adjuncts, who have practical experience in the “real world,” and talk to as many recent law graduates and practicing attorneys as you can to learn about the career paths they have chosen, and why.
5 Benefits You Can Gain By Speaking With Legal Recruiters
As a legal recruiter, it goes without saying that my days are spent reaching out to candidates for potential placements at law firms and being met with a fair share of reluctance from those candidates when it comes to chatting about the opportunity being offered. However, I’ve found that the more junior the attorney or associate, the more hesitant they are to engage in conversation. And, I get it. Junior associates, especially those at large firms, have gotten where they are by keeping their heads down throughout their brief careers transitioning from academia to now practicing at a firm—and, hopefully in a field—for which they worked so hard to land. In law school, they got good grades, graduated in the top 5, 10, 15%, etc., made law review, Order of the Coif, and various honors, etc. As new associates, they follow instructions, meet their billable hours, and dare not think that the firm they’ve landed at might not be the right fit long-term. Further, why would an associate want to move after only a year or two, or maybe three or four, only to land at another firm that, in their mind, is likely very similar to their current firm in most respects. Lest their resume start to project the impression that they’re a “job hopper”.