Law, Society & Culture

• The 2018 legal market was even stronger than the 2017 market. We had more candidates interviewing and getting hired in 2018 than we did in 2017. 
• The market is so strong that a majority of the candidates we placed this year were entertaining multiple offers from top firms.
• In a market this strong, the supply of attorney candidates at smaller firms—especially those in niche practice areas and niche markets—dwindles. These firms, which have not typically used recruiters in the past, came to us for help in large numbers this year. 
• Following in Milbank’s footsteps, many top firms raised salaries for associates of all levels starting in the summer of 2018. The reaction from firms’ corporate clients was mixed, with many clients expressing unhappiness about the ever-increasing cost of legal expenses, and many companies indicating they would turn to alternative legal solutions to keep costs down. 
• The uncertainty regarding how the revenue-driving clients might react to these salary raises seemed to slow down interviews and hiring in big firms significantly. The already competitive landscape for attorneys looking to lateral within the large firm space became even more so.
• Many millennials recognized that these biglaw salary increases came at a steep cost of working even harder, leading to a trend of seeking refuge in boutique or “lifestyle” law firms or simply quitting the practice of law altogether.
• To address client cost-concerns, large firms are increasingly creating staff attorney positions rather than partner-track associate positions. This is true particularly in more commoditized areas of law, such as patent prosecution and trademark.
• Senior level litigators had a very, very difficult time getting positions in larger markets. Litigation is increasingly becoming a dangerous practice area for large law firm attorneys with few opportunities for advancement.

READ MORE >

Being a law firm attorney means that you will face a lot more rejection, criticism, and other negative burdens than you would in almost any other career. READ MORE >

This State of the Market Report covers the major trends in legal placements for 2016 and 2017. As this Report explains, one of the most significant features of the new legal job landscape is the increasing demand for specialist attorneys and the decreasing demand for generalist attorneys. In fact, it appears that the new badge of marketability has become the quality of an attorney's "niche" practice area experience as opposed to the quality of the attorney's law school or law firm. This Report tells you what happened with the legal job market across the country in 2016 and what we can expect in 2017. READ MORE >

Are you in the right kind of law firm? Learn how the type of law firm you are in can make or break your legal career. READ MORE >

This article explores the unique way Yale Law School graduates think about their legal careers. To the untrained eye, these graduates may seem aimless with their careers -- taking jobs in academia and government instead of prestigious law firms. But on closer examination it appears that these graduates might have discovered the secret to greater career and life happiness. This article explains how most attorneys are rent seekers and how to make this system of rent work for you like Yale Law grads do. READ MORE >

Learn how identifying your “tribe” will help you achieve greater career satisfaction and financial security in a law firm. READ MORE >

This article reveals the secrets of the Harvard-inspired ranking system used by high-end legal recruiters to appropriately match attorney candidates with law firms. BCG recruiters assign rankings of “5” (highest) to “1” (lowest) to every law firm seeking to hire attorneys and to every candidate seeking to find a law firm position. The rankings are based on a host of criteria including (for law firms) the stature of the firm’s client base and caliber of the firm’s partners and (for attorney candidates) the candidate’s law school grades and the candidate’s work ethic. READ MORE >

Learn why money should never be your first focus when you are trying to decide which law firm you should join. READ MORE >

If you are going to practice law, you need to be prepared for stress. Practicing law in a law firm requires a certain type of person to be successful. READ MORE >

• Many young attorneys can suffer from a conceited belief of themselves.
• They in fact become narcissists.
• While confidence and a demand for respect are much-needed attributes in law, self-congratulatory behavior is not welcomed.
• Such behavior, in fact, can destroy a young attorney’s career.

The word narcissism comes from the character made famous by the Greek poet Ovid, Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection. In the story, Echo falls in love with Narcissus and gets rejected. The story makes clear that Narcissus is only able to love himself and not others. Conversely, Echo completely loses herself in her love for Narcissus and has no sense of self at all. At the end of the story, Narcissus tells Echo, "I would die before I give you power over me." Echo responds, "I give you power over me." Both Narcissus and Echo die because their love is unattainable. Many of us cannot find a balance between ourselves and others. READ MORE >