Q. I have been having difficulty in obtaining interviews for a position as an
associate. I graduated from law school in May of 1999 and my resume shows
substantial full-time legal experience. Would you have any suggestions for head
hunters? It seems that whenever I contact a recruitment firm for help, the
response is that I do not have enough attorney experience for recruitment
purposes. Do you know how recent graduates are placed? I would sincerely
appreciate your comments.
A. I'm sorry to hear that you have been having so much difficulty finding
permanent work as an associate. It is not unreasonable to think that, after
three years of hard work in law school, you would have many job opportunities
awaiting you after graduation.
But even in an "up" economy, it can still take a while to land your first "real"
legal job. Despite the time that has passed since you graduated, let me reassure
you that you can still look forward to a long and fruitful career as an
attorney.
Based on your current situation, I will assume that you are not someone who
graduated from law school with "top academics." As you probably know, most law
students with strong academic credentials are recruited by major firms in
on-campus fall recruiting. Those "top students" who choose not to pursue this
route are likely to stand out from the pack when they apply for other jobs
(e.g., with government agencies, smaller firms, corporations or nonprofit
organizations).
But since the number of lawyers with strong academic credentials is small in
comparison to the bar as a whole, the good news is that aside from positions at
large firms, there are still numerous opportunities for everyone else. The only
caveat is that sometimes these jobs are harder to find because these employers
have no set hiring schedule.
Since you have to work harder to find these jobs, one natural reaction would be
to send out as many resumes and cover letters as possible. While some law school
graduates in your situation do find jobs this way, I would suggest that there
are other job search strategies you can employ that have a much higher
probability of success.
In particular, I would recommend that you concentrate your efforts on
informational interviewing (a/k/a networking). Networking is a process of
building professional relationships so that you move from being a faceless
resume to being a hard-working lawyer with a lot of drive and a strong work
ethic.
I am not sure what you mean when you say that you have "substantial legal
experience," but my three guesses are that you worked as a paralegal before law
school, you went to Northeastern and had four co-op jobs, or you worked
full-time as a law clerk while you went to law school at night. Whatever the
case may be, you probably have a number of contacts in the legal community that
can serve as a good starting place for your networking.
I would also be on the lookout for potential employers who have temporary or
part-time staffing needs. Taking a position on less than a full-time permanent
basis is an excellent way to get your foot in the door somewhere. It is a way to
gain more experience and build some credibility with a potential employer
without the employer having to assume much risk. I have seen this strategy work
well for lawyers and non-lawyers.
You may also want to pick up some pro bono work in the area that is of interest
to you to demonstrate that you really have the commitment. (Employers like to
hire individuals who are very interested in the work that the employer does.)
If you do decide to take a position that is something less than a permanent
full-time job, you should be careful to do something that will be perceived to
be a stepping stone to the job you would like.
If you want to represent small businesses in transactional matters and provide
general business counsel, then do not take a position helping a small firm with
its litigation.
It may also not be such a great idea to take a job as a paralegal if you want to
be perceived as a lawyer. The only exception to this is that if you are in
financial distress, obviously your need to earn income now may trump your
efforts to move your career in the direction that you would like to ultimately
go.
In addition to avoiding the classifieds, you should probably stay away from
recruiters. Recruiters are only involved in lateral movement of attorneys. In
general, clients call upon recruiters to find attorneys who already have the
experience that the client needs (i.e., they are already trained and can step in
and immediately begin doing the job.)
Since recruiting fees are high, the employers who use recruiters are generally
looking for a certain candidate profile. This usually translates into junior to
mid-level associates with two-to-five years of experience at a top law firm, or
partners with significant portable billings (i.e., several hundred thousand
dollars).
For in-house searches, "pedigree" is sometimes less important; but significant
work experience that matches the employer's need is very important.
You may want to purchase the book "Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of
Your Dreams" (1999, Kimm Alayne Walton, Harcourt/Brace.) This book contains some
excellent strategies for someone in your situation. In it you will also find
encouraging anecdotes that illustrate the power of a more personalized approach.
Most importantly, do not lose hope or perspective. One year may seem like a long
time right now, but once you have been working full-time as a lawyer for several
years, it will not seem so significant.
Keep a positive attitude (even if you have to fake it) and someone will give you
the break you need to launch your career in the direction that it deserves to
go.
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