Novalawcity

Lateral hiring is up

Good news for associates already out there practicing law -- law firms are hiring laterals big time. Discussion on this recent trend is in "First-Year Associate Classes Flat as Demand Picks Up" via The Recorder on law.com. What does this all mean? From the article: "Recruiters say lateral hiring is up in the last six months -- especially in the IP, real estate transaction and corporate work areas." They are filling in the gaps where there was previous downsizing and conservative hiring.

This is a also a plus for future first year associates as law firms realize that they need to hire more new lawyers this coming year. One law firm recruiter even says: "If I had to make the decision today, I would be starting almost twice as many first-years as I did this fall."

Associates Survey

The American Lawyer has published its 2004 Midlevel Associates Survey. To see the complete results you'll have to look at the Oct. issue of the American Lawyer (subscription required). Law.com has posted a review and analysis of the survey results. Over 4000 associates from the top 200 law firms responded to the survey questions. Check out the survey to see which firms are family-friendly, have a humane attitude toward billable hours and provide training, guidance, and interesting or satisfying work.

Desirable qualities

It's never too early to prepare for your first job in the law. "What Partners Want From New Associates," is a new article from the New York Law Journal via law.com that details some sensible advice from the inside.

Space lawyers

There are those lawyers who want to draft laws for the last frontier - space. Read more about them in this article from the Christian Science Monitor, "Writing the rules to govern the cosmos."

Second-career lawyers

The National Association for Law Placement has released their full report on Second-Career Lawyers. According to this two year survey, those who had other careers before becoming a law firm lawyer "fare no better and no worse ... achieving partnership, earning bonuses, and originating clients. What they do bring, however, it a high level of maturity and work ethic ... "