Page 87 - Leaders in Legal Business - PDF - Final 2018
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truly adept legal recruiting and staffing firms are those that are also prepared to adapt to change
and are skillful at doing so.
Changes to the Legal Landscape Affect Recruiting
Supply and demand accounts for a more competitive legal job market. While the 2008
recession certainly took away legal positions, law students still continue to graduate and look for
jobs.
“We are paying the price for having more law schools produce more graduates at a time
when demand for legal services has slackened and the landscape has changed,” explains Robert
A. Major, Jr., MLA’s founding partner.15 “As the differential grows between supply and demand,
the ‘price’ goes up, and, in a recruiter’s world, that price is quality of resume and the closest
match possible between what a candidate offers and what a client requires.”
Specific to the in-house world, there has also been an increased interest in and popularity
of in-house positions.
“There are many reasons stated for the rising attraction of in-house practice,” explains
Major. “Some relate to the deteriorating lifestyle found in the firms: the grim billable hour
demands; the never-ending pressure to bring in business; client conflicts; ‘prima donna fatigue;’
and the feeling that one is being brought in as a lawyer to ‘clean up messes,’ rather than advising
on a strategy and course of action that won’t result in messes to begin with.”16
Major also listed several perks of going in-house: developing a close relationship with a
single client; knowing that your contribution leads to long-term impacts; being part of a team
that in many cases creates an instantly identifiable product; strengthening management and
teamwork skills that would not otherwise be utilized; and being exposed to a larger variety of
legal issues. These other skills, which in a law firm would only be used on an infrequent basis,
can help lawyers evolve into other roles within an organization, such as business development,
sales, marketing, or even as CEO.17
Of course, this is hardly to say that working as an in-house lawyer is preferable to
working at a law firm; that depends on the individual. Again, this is where an experienced legal
recruiter can guide candidates and clients toward the best match.
The Influence of Technology
Technology directly impacts the legal industry at large and thus legal recruiting and
staffing. Perhaps the most significant advancement has been the global connectivity provided by
the Internet, email, and social media.
“Years ago when we recruiters relied primarily on the telephone, the mode of
communicating with candidates put a premium on brevity,” explains Major in Why Didn't I Get a
Job Interview? I'm the Perfect Fit... in his recent post to In Brief. “If asked to provide a detailed
explanation of a job opportunity, you were forced to severely limit the number of candidates with
15 Robert A. Major, Jr., Why Didn’t I Get a Job Interview? I’m the Perfect Fit… MAJOR, LINDSEY & AFRICA (Oct. 7, 2014),
https://www.mlaglobal.com/publications/articles/why-didnt-i-get-a-job-interview.
16 Id.
17 Id. See also David Maurer, Law Firm to In-House: Things to Consider before Climbing Mountains, MAJOR, LINDSEY & AFRICA (Oct. 23,
2014), https://www.mlaglobal.com/publications/articles/law-firm-to-in-house-things-to-consider-before-climbing-mountains;
contra Michael Sachs, Law Firm to In-House: a Different Type of Mountain, but not Insurmountable, MAJOR, LINDSEY & AFRICA (Nov. 11,
2013), https://www.mlaglobal.com/publications/articles/law-firm-to-in-house-a-different-type-of-mountain-but-not-insurmountable.
73
and are skillful at doing so.
Changes to the Legal Landscape Affect Recruiting
Supply and demand accounts for a more competitive legal job market. While the 2008
recession certainly took away legal positions, law students still continue to graduate and look for
jobs.
“We are paying the price for having more law schools produce more graduates at a time
when demand for legal services has slackened and the landscape has changed,” explains Robert
A. Major, Jr., MLA’s founding partner.15 “As the differential grows between supply and demand,
the ‘price’ goes up, and, in a recruiter’s world, that price is quality of resume and the closest
match possible between what a candidate offers and what a client requires.”
Specific to the in-house world, there has also been an increased interest in and popularity
of in-house positions.
“There are many reasons stated for the rising attraction of in-house practice,” explains
Major. “Some relate to the deteriorating lifestyle found in the firms: the grim billable hour
demands; the never-ending pressure to bring in business; client conflicts; ‘prima donna fatigue;’
and the feeling that one is being brought in as a lawyer to ‘clean up messes,’ rather than advising
on a strategy and course of action that won’t result in messes to begin with.”16
Major also listed several perks of going in-house: developing a close relationship with a
single client; knowing that your contribution leads to long-term impacts; being part of a team
that in many cases creates an instantly identifiable product; strengthening management and
teamwork skills that would not otherwise be utilized; and being exposed to a larger variety of
legal issues. These other skills, which in a law firm would only be used on an infrequent basis,
can help lawyers evolve into other roles within an organization, such as business development,
sales, marketing, or even as CEO.17
Of course, this is hardly to say that working as an in-house lawyer is preferable to
working at a law firm; that depends on the individual. Again, this is where an experienced legal
recruiter can guide candidates and clients toward the best match.
The Influence of Technology
Technology directly impacts the legal industry at large and thus legal recruiting and
staffing. Perhaps the most significant advancement has been the global connectivity provided by
the Internet, email, and social media.
“Years ago when we recruiters relied primarily on the telephone, the mode of
communicating with candidates put a premium on brevity,” explains Major in Why Didn't I Get a
Job Interview? I'm the Perfect Fit... in his recent post to In Brief. “If asked to provide a detailed
explanation of a job opportunity, you were forced to severely limit the number of candidates with
15 Robert A. Major, Jr., Why Didn’t I Get a Job Interview? I’m the Perfect Fit… MAJOR, LINDSEY & AFRICA (Oct. 7, 2014),
https://www.mlaglobal.com/publications/articles/why-didnt-i-get-a-job-interview.
16 Id.
17 Id. See also David Maurer, Law Firm to In-House: Things to Consider before Climbing Mountains, MAJOR, LINDSEY & AFRICA (Oct. 23,
2014), https://www.mlaglobal.com/publications/articles/law-firm-to-in-house-things-to-consider-before-climbing-mountains;
contra Michael Sachs, Law Firm to In-House: a Different Type of Mountain, but not Insurmountable, MAJOR, LINDSEY & AFRICA (Nov. 11,
2013), https://www.mlaglobal.com/publications/articles/law-firm-to-in-house-a-different-type-of-mountain-but-not-insurmountable.
73
