Harrison's Case Studies

A trademark attorney with a small law firm in New York City contacted me looking to move to a larger law firm. While the attorney was working for a law firm, this firm did not comprise more than a few other attorneys. The attorneys practice was solely doing trademark related work that they had good experience doing it. The attorney had attended college in New York City and also who graduated from a local New York law school where they had been a night student. READ MORE >

A contract attorney currently working at a law firm in the Midwest contacted me looking to move to Seattle. The attorney had excellent qualifications but the firm they were currently working for was not that busy. In fact, the attorney only had enough work to keep themselves busy as a contract attorney. The attorney had excellent qualifications but because a law firm did not have enough work, they were interested in investigating other opportunities. The attorney spent time in Seattle with friends and thought a move there would be something they would enjoy. READ MORE >

An attorney who spent the past year working as a contract attorney contacted me looking to transition back to a large law firm. The attorney had been out of school for several years; however, prior to becoming a contract attorney the attorney had worked for several years in major Texas law firms. The attorney also had excellent law firm experience with these firms and a good law school pedigree. In addition, the attorney was a hard worker and someone that I knew would succeed if they found the right firm. READ MORE >

It is quite common for attorneys to drop out of the practice of law and go to business school and then decide before the end of their second year of business school that they would prefer to return to the practice of law. This does not happen often, but it is something that I see at least a few times a year. An attorney will leave a large law firm in New York City, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Chicago or another large city in the United States and will attend a prestigious business school. I’ve placed attorneys recently that were graduating from the University of Chicago business school, UCLA business school, Michigan business school, Berkeley business school and Duke. READ MORE >

A senior real estate attorney unemployed for the past five years contacted me looking for a position anywhere in the country. The attorney formally worked in a major city on the East Coast in the real estate practice area for several years for a major law firm. While the attorney enjoyed being involved in real estate, they worked excessive hours, which finally burned out their desire to practice law. The attorney took several years off during which they traveled extensively, wrote and took advantage of many outside interests — including volunteering. Nevertheless, having relaxed and experienced outside interests, the attorney decided they were interested in returning to the practice of law. READ MORE >

An of counsel attorney with a major New York City law firm contacted me interested in relocating to Boston. The attorney had a multimillion dollar book of business, however, the firm they were with was large enough and prestigious enough that they were not interested in elevating this particular attorney to a partner role. The attorney wanted to work for major Boston firm and knew this would be possible in Boston but not necessarily within a top New York City law firm. READ MORE >

A labor and employment associate at a small law firm contacted me. They were interested in moving to a larger law firm. The attorney attended a top law school where they finished at the top of their class. In addition, the attorney was a summer associate at a major American law firm and also received an offer from that firm. During the attorney’s third year of law school, a partner the attorney worked for during the summer, left to start their own law firm. They called the attorney and asked her if she would like to join them and, incredibly, she did even though they offered her a drastically lower compensation in addition to the risk of going to a brand-new firm. READ MORE >

A partner at a major law firm in Los Angeles who did not have a substantial book of business was interested in relocating to a law firm that had more work to keep them busy. This attorney had great litigation experience and outstanding educational credentials. The attorney had originally been moved from Chicago to Los Angeles by their firm and in the process had left some clients behind and had not been able to build a substantial book of business in Los Angeles. Notwithstanding, for several years at the law firm, the attorney remained busy defending lawsuits in California brought against his clients. The work slowed down and when the work slowed down the attorney was put in a position where they did not have enough clients to support the practice. The attorney was also concerned about potentially losing their job without enough hours. READ MORE >

An attorney working in a small labor and employment law firm in Washington DC contacted me looking to move to a larger law firm. The attorney had excellent academic qualifications and had attended a top college and a respectable law school where they had done very well. The attorney had worked in state government for a year after graduating from law school and then had taken a position in the small law firm where he had connections. Despite the fact that the attorney was getting excellent experience at the current firm, they wanted to go to a law firm that was larger and more prestigious. The attorney was open to looking in Northern Virginia, Baltimore and all around DC. READ MORE >

An attorney practicing in-house with a major Corporation in New York City contacted me wanting to relocate to a market in one of the mountain states. The attorney had excellent experience in corporate-related transactional work; however, the majority of the attorney's experience was in securities-related work. Unfortunately, the particular area of the country the attorney was interested in was not exactly a hub of securities-related activity. Nevertheless, the attorney had an excellent background and had experience with a top law firm before going in-house five years previously. Also, the attorney had excellent educational qualifications in all respects. READ MORE >

While our firm does not do in-house placements nor traditionally seeks them out, we occasionally work on placements when they are referred to us by our law firm clients. A company out of the United Kingdom contacted us seeking individuals with litigation experience to assist in arranging litigation finance transactions. To do this sort of work, the attorneys would need to meet with law firms and other institutions in need of funding for litigation. The attorneys needed to be able to connect well with people as well as the ability to relate in a direct and business-like manner. READ MORE >

I was contacted by an attorney who worked for a major accounting firm. This attorney was interested in working for a law firm. The problem with placing attorneys from accounting firms into law firms is that law firms are often interested only in attorneys coming directly from law firms. There is a perception that if an attorney works inside an accounting firm they must not have the qualifications to get a position inside a law firm once they graduated law school. While this is not always the case, the compensation within accounting firms is often 50% less than what attorneys make inside major law firms. In the case of this candidate, they had excellent experience in a niche area of taxation law and also had attended a good law school and college. I believed there was a strong chance a major law firm would be interested in them. READ MORE >

I was approached by a senior patent attorney in his late 60s who was losing his position in the office of a major national law firm in a Mountain State. The attorney had been an engineer for over two decades before attending law school. The attorney was very surprised to have lost their position and was told that the law firm they were working for was phasing out patent prosecution. READ MORE >