• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Momentum Search Partners

Texas' Legal Recruiters
AustinHoustonDallas
  • About Us
    • Our Company
      • Austin Office
      • Houston Office
      • Dallas Office
    • Our Team
    • Our Code of Ethics
  • For Employers
    • Why Choose Momentum
    • Representative Placements
    • What Employers Say about Momentum
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
  • For Job Seekers
    • Why Choose Momentum
    • Relocating Attorneys
    • What Job Seekers say about Momentum
    • FAQ
    • Submit your Resume
  • Contact Us
    • Austin Office
    • Houston Office
    • Dallas Office

State of the Dallas Legal Market as We Head into 2021

April 1, 2021

For many years, the legal market in Dallas has focused on financial services and commercial real estate. This business has certainly been affected by the pandemic, and we’ve seen personnel reduction in some large and mid-size firms.

The new year typically brings a flood of freshly bonused and holiday rested attorneys into the job pool. With few firms paying bonuses in 2020 and stability of some firms in question, we are not seeing the usual increase of lawyers interested in making a move.

Where Lawyer Hiring is Taking Place

Our comeback kid appears to be pandemic-related bankruptcy work. This has resulted in many law firms adding lawyers and paralegals with bankruptcy experience to their ranks. Reviewing Dallas/ Ft. Worth job postings on Indeed, Texas State Bar website and others, we see boutiques and mid-size firms looking for litigators with 2-5 years’ experience.

These firms can potentially benefit with the availability of big firm trained attorneys that were laid-off in 2020. Those still employed feel a natural inclination to sit tight until the economic picture becomes more stable creating a tough sell for legal recruiters trying to entice them away to another law firm.

Historically we see litigation work increase and corporate/ transactional work decrease during troubling or challenging times.  Certainly 2020 checks many of the boxes to qualify as challenging.  Presidential election, huge swings in the stock market and of course, the COVID pandemic.  Litigation including bankruptcy work, both individual and corporate. We see law firms hiring for these litigation groups, primarily at the associate level.  COVID related employment law for terminated workers, and companies and law firms trying to navigate terminations, furloughs and work from home issues.

In-house practices have remained fairly stagnant.  We wouldn’t view this as stable at this point, but more of a hunker-down and weather the storm.  With Q2 being the next timeframe to evaluate remote workers, returning to the office, assessing hiring needs or possible lay-offs, we will have a better idea of hiring needs this year.

How Dallas is Faring Compared to Other Cities

Buoyed by transportation, fine art, and Fortune 500 companies, in 2020 Dallas ranked as the 14th best city in the country and one of the top cities in Texas, according to Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy Ltd’s annual study. The study, which specializes in marketing, strategy, and research for the real estate, tourism, and economic development sectors ranks large U.S. cities by relying on a mix of 26 performance and quality measures.

Of No. 14 Dallas, the report says, “Dallas-boosters like to say that ‘Big Things Happen Here,’ and as the city climbs up our ranking, we’d have to agree … the city isn’t just big money; it’s big on fun and culture, too.”

Highlights for Dallas include:

  • 1 ranking for airport connectivity, thanks largely to the presence of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
  • Country’s highest concentration of corporate headquarters (more than 10,000).
  • Country’s third largest grouping of Fortune 500 companies (24 in Dallas-Fort Worth).

The strong Texas economy entering the pandemic will certainly play a role in the recovery of the major cities, including Dallas.

Population Changes that could Impact Attorneys in Dallas

The Texas Triangle, stretching from Dallas on the north to Austin and San Antonio at the southwest corner, with Houston anchoring the southeast corner. The Triangle is comprised of only 35 of Texas’s 254 counties. But 18 million people live in those 35 counties — 66% of the state’s population in 2020.

A surprisingly large number of the Triangle’s residents live in large cities. Already, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are among the nation’s 10 most populous cities. These cities are growing fast. By 2050, the populations of the Dallas and Houston metros each are expected to grow to 13 million people — about the same population as metro London or Beijing.

Furthermore, the Triangle produces 77% of the state’s gross domestic product. The Triangle is home to 48 Fortune 500 headquarters.

 

 

 

Categories: Career Goals

Jane Pollard

About Jane Pollard

Principal

A founding member of Momentum Search Partners, Jane manages all aspects of its operations, many of its client relationships, and also works a recruiting desk. She has successfully completed attorney searches ranging from executive-level general counsels and chief compliance officers to AGCs and compliance analysts for both for public and private companies, and has also placed attorneys at law firms. Jane obtained her JD with honors from the University of Texas and, prior to recruiting, was a commercial litigator in private practice with a large law firm and a CPA. She lives in Austin with her husband, who is also a lawyer, and spends her free time cycling and playing racquet sports. For questions, comments, or suggestions related to our blog, you can contact us via our website or visit Jane on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Nelson

About Jennifer Nelson

Principal

As a founding member of Momentum Search Partners, Jennifer has developed longstanding and invaluable relationships with both corporate in-house legal departments and law firms across the state of Texas. She handles complex searches that require deep industry knowledge and focuses on identifying high-caliber attorneys and compliance professionals. A native Texan and third generation Longhorn, Jennifer has two sons who followed her at The University of Texas. Jennifer lives in Austin with her husband a longstanding oil & gas attorney, and values her family, friends and faith. For questions, comments, or suggestions related to our blog, you can contact us via our website or visit Jennifer on LinkedIn.

« Previous article
Next article »
Austin5608 Parkcrest Dr.,#200
Austin, Texas 78731
(512) 955-5171
Dallas / Fort Worth325 North St. Paul St., #3100
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 428-6213
Houston405 Main Street
Houston, Texas 77002
(832) 981-6002
National Association of Legal Search Consultants Logo
Texas Lawyer Texas' Best award logo
This firm has been verified by The Legal Recruiter Directory
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
Connect with Us on LinkedIn
© 2022 Momentum Search Partners
Website Designed by ePageCity