|
The legal market has been notoriously difficult over the past few years, with attorney jobs being few and far between. Law firms have exercised restraint in their recruitment efforts in the face of slowed workflow and an uncertain future. Even as the legal sector has made small gains recently, it has been nowhere near the levels it was at before the recession. Law schools are finally seeing declines in the number of applicants, as law no longer holds the same guarantee of employment that it once did. Particularly for entry-level lawyers and debt-straddled recent law graduates, finding employment can be especially pressing. The problem for many new graduates and junior lawyers is that most law firms require experience, which is hard to come by in this economy. Many of the available attorney jobs require mid-level or partner-level experience, and in this economy, clients are often unwilling to pay high legal fees to have a first or second-year associate work on their case. Law firms are facing pressure from budget-conscious clients to only staff more experienced associates and partners. The result has been a decrease in the amount of available legal work for entry-level associates. Summer associate programs have traditionally been the entry-point into the working world for law students. In the current climate, however, law firms are continuing to be cautious in their hiring. Sometimes, even if offers are made to students in the summer associate program, those offers can be later rescinded after the law firm finds that it does not have enough work to justify hiring. It is a common lament among entry-level workers that the minimum experience requirements of most employers make it difficult to actually get the experience needed to enter the workforce. This is especially true for people who are trying to find attorney jobs in-house. In-house or of counsel positions are prized among lawyers because of their reputation for flexibility, better work-life balance, consistent workflow, and more stable work hours. However, it is difficult for a recent law student to get hired in-house because most companies require at least a few years of experience. Especially in large corporations where large mergers and contracts are at stake, it is understandable that a lack of experience would be a disadvantage. Some of the smaller in-house positions only employ one or two attorneys, which makes it even more important that legal counsel given be sound and accurate. Even if an entry-level attorney is highly qualified, most companies feel more comfortable hiring a lawyer with at least a few years of experience under his belt – particularly when multi-million deals are at stake. With these types of prejudices against hiring new graduates, an attorney job search can be especially difficult. In this economy, many recent law graduates have turned to contract or part-time work, or even internships, in order to gain experience. These types of positions can be an excellent transition into full-time employment, particularly if business picks up at the firm.
Related Articles -
attorney jobs, find attorney jobs, attorney job search,
|
