Legally Speaking – Legal Recruiter Blog

It’s the eternal question. Should I do what I love, money be darned, or should I go for the big bucks, idealism be darned? Just how much should money factor into your career decision? It’s a big question, one that you can’t be expected to have a ready answer for right out of school. And it’s an ever-evolving question, the answer to which will likely change throughout different stages of your life. The answer isn’t easy, but, as always, there are both practical and personal things to consider.

Choose Your Field

Different fields have different compensation standards; research average salaries for careers in your field. Typically, for example, someone in a technical or engineering field can realistically expect to make more than someone in an arts or service field. But also keep in mind that where you start doesn’t necessarily determine where you’ll finish. Your field doesn’t have to limit you. There’s creativity to be found in utilizing your individual skills to create your own unique niche. The maxim “Do what you love and the money will follow” is often true.

Leverage Your Skills

You can also leverage your skill set and passions in different ways. If you’re an English major, a future in teaching or publishing isn’t set in stone; you could use your writing skills in the communications or public relations department of a big company. If art is your passion, consider a commercially viable creative path such as graphic design. Every industry you can think of needs a whole team of people with different skill sets behind it.

Intangibles vs. Tangibles

No matter what, there are two tangible aspects of your life to which your work is undeniably tied: money and time. What you do does determine how much you earn, and how much you earn reasonably affects other aspects of your life, like how much time it will take to pay off student loans, how much you can save, how much you can afford to spend on essentials like rent and groceries, and how much you have left over for luxuries and fun. Living on less isn’t impossible, but will involve some budgeting and prioritizing. You might have to look into free or cheap fun things to do and (gasp!) learn how to cook. In terms of time, different fields require different time commitments from their employees. An investment banker far out-earns an editorial assistant, but makes up for that money working double the hours. Are you willing to put in all the hours required in a demanding position, or would you rather spend fewer hours at work and have more free time to yourself? There’s a reason they say “time is money.” If anything, time is more important than money. No one lies on their deathbed wishing they had more money, but everyone wishes they had more time.

On the other hand, there is a huge intangible aspect of your work, the importance of which is equal to or greater than that of the tangible aspects: job satisfaction. Do you find fulfillment in your work? Do you wake up every morning dreading the day to come, or do you wake up in the morning in anticipation of it? Do the hours at the office drag or do they fly by? Hours spent at the office don’t seem like a burden if you enjoy every second.

Read the rest…

We all know today’s legal market continues to evolve and it certainly presents unique challenges. With the uncertainly still looming over the financial markets, many law firms continue to streamline their ranks and trim compensation for partners whose business has fallen off. It is not uncommon to push partners into early retirement or into counsel positions for those who are no longer producing at an acceptable partner level.

So…in light of these not so attractive elements, how do you stay nimble and place yourself in a position to exact the most benefit from the current market situation? How do you maintain a vital position and keep your firm enamored with you?

Answer: Do some soul-searching and ask yourself these thought-provoking questions. If you answer them honestly, they will help you determine if you should stay the course with your current firm or start to look for new digs.

1. Are you satisfied with your firm’s reputation in the legal and business communities?
2. Is your firm well managed?
3. Are you optimistic when it comes to the financial health of your firm? Do you believe management is making the right decisions regarding the firm’s future?
4. Does your firm provide the platform you require for building your practice? Does your practice coincide with the strategic vision of the firm?
5. Is the firm committed to marketing? Does the firm provide you with the resources you need to successfully market your practice?
6. Are firm billing rates compatible with your specialty and your clients and has your firm adopted a flexible billing program?
7. Do you have the opportunity to participate in important departmental or practice decisions? If you desire a leadership role in the firm, is that a real possibility?
8. Do you feel you are compensated fairly when compared with your peers at your current firm and with those at similar firms?
9. Is your firm a good cultural fit? Do your peers share your views of work/life balance and superior client service and reputable character?
10. Does the firm’s physical surroundings provide an atmosphere where you can be productive?
11. Do you feel respected and valued by your peers? Do you respect and value your colleagues’ legal work? Are you comfortable referring your clients’ matters to them?
12. Do you receive adequate support from other partners, associates, paralegals and support staff in order to get work done in a timely fashion?
13. Is the firm committed to pro bono work and community service in a way that coincides with your values and beliefs?
14. Does the firm have a fair policy for recognizing cross-marketing and service to yours and others clients? Is there equality regarding how much work you receive from others as opposed to how much work to you throw off to others?

Article as seen on Law.com – By Gina Passarella of The Legal Intelligencer – March 14th, 2013

As the final pieces of the America Invents Act are about to go into effect March 16, intellectual property lawyers are scrambling to get thousands of last-minute patent filings in before the old rules expire Friday.

And with firms inundated by clients’ interest in updating their patent filings before the country moves from a first-to-invent to a first-to-file patent system Saturday, those lawyers expressed concern that the servers at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may not be able to handle the surge in online filings.

Attorney Kenneth N. Nigon of intellectual property boutique RatnerPrestia in Valley Forge, Pa., said his firm has been asking clients to file in advance of March 15. He said a number of clients were looking to file last week and this week. The firm — which Nigon pointed out is just one of hundreds of patent firms across the country — has more than 120 applications currently waiting to be filed before Saturday.

“Because of that we also are kind of wary and think the patent office electronic filing system may not be able to handle it,” Nigon said. “We’ve also prepared our in-house staff to do paper filings if need be.”

Aside from the Saturday date for implementation of the new patent system, Nigon said he would expect another round of increased filings in advance of March 19, when filing fees are set to increase.

Cozen O’Connor intellectual property attorney Kyle Vos Strache said in a typical week he may personally file a handful of applications. This week, Vos Strache said, he anticipates filing dozens.

“I imagine the patent office is going to be incredibly busy come Thursday and Friday,” Vos Strache said. “We’ve really been pushing clients to get us responses to our drafts in the last two or so weeks and not this week. It’s hard to say whether the servers at the patent offices will be able to handle it.”

Vos Strache said he is trying to be proactive and avoid filing anything Friday. He said there is “truly that potential for something to go wrong” in this situation. To avoid that as best as it can, Cozen O’Connor has approved its attorneys and staff to work late all this week to get everything done, he said.

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney‘s intellectual property group co-chairman, Michael L. Dever, said there will most likely be a “huge spike” in application filings Friday. That is something the USPTO had been preparing for, he said.

The USPTO is not expecting a problem this week. The office said it “has deployed sufficient server capacity to support any potential surge.”

Read the rest…

Originally seen:  Law.com – March 8th, 2013 – By: Tom Huddleston, Jr.

Legal hiring rebounded slightly last month after suffering a major drop-off in January, with the industry adding 200 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted preliminary employment data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The initial estimate of February’s modest gains comes a month after the BLS reported that the legal industry had shed 2,400 positions in January.  The positive news contained in Friday’s report was, however, offset by a revision to the preliminary January figures that pushed that month’s estimated job losses up to 3,500. (Friday’s report showed the agency’s December estimate holding steady at 1,900 jobs gained for the month.)

Factoring in Friday’s hiring estimates, the legal sector now employs 5,000 more people than it did at this point last year and roughly 1.125 million people overall—about 50,000 fewer than it did at its prerecession peak in 2007.

Overall, the U.S. economy added a better-than-expected 236,000 jobs in February, according to The New York Times. The uptick dropped the unemployment rate to 7.7 percent, the lowest it’s been since December 2008.

As discussed last week, navigating the current legal market and making decisions about the future of your career can seem rather daunting. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to decide which changes to make and how you should make them.

1.  Evaluate the Market

Before you performed any science experiment in school, you had to gather background information.  Why wouldn’t we take the same approach to changes in our career?  Consider the attorneys who have recently been “let go” at your firm, those who have moved from one firm to another within your practice area and large advancements or downfalls in the practice you are interested in.  Factors similar to these aid you in developing a clear picture of the market as it relates to your career and ensuring you aren’t stepping into the path of a landslide.  Utilizing publications such as American Lawyer Daily and, more specifically, The Churn is key to keeping abreast of the current legal market.

Another website I suggest you take advantage of is HG.org.  HG.org has a truly helpful section of their website where you can research an area of law and locate a list of related organizations and articles where you might discover unique offshoots for your practice.  The site also shows the differences and similarities in the area when practicing in the United States versus internationally.

2.  Use Your Resources

In this day in time it’s no longer all about WHAT you know, it’s more about WHO you know.  That’s right, I’m talking about networking.  Networking is not a merely a way of getting a new job, it is also a great way to gather information.  Unless you work at a boutique firm, your firm probably has lawyers who do the kind of work you are considering.  What would it hurt to ask them about their work?  If you do not have access to such attorneys in your office or firm, it would be beneficial to consult friends and colleagues who do have access to get answers to your questions.  Or, take time to network at local political and social functions which are frequented by area attorneys and familiarize yourself with those who practice in your area of interest.  Spearhead a fundraiser for the cause and invite those attorneys to assist you, then ask questions during your meetings.  With this approach, you may also acquire an ally at that law firm should you ever decide to leave your current firm.

You should also consider calling your other legal contacts who are not necessarily attorneys.  Any legal recruiter who knows the ropes would be able to give you with an idea of what you are getting yourself into with this change as well as provide unique insight from attorneys with whom they have worked, including the good and the bad aspects of the practice area.  Your seasoned law school professors can also give you information from personal experience, study or contacts about the area of law you are considering.

3.  Gather Clientele

Let’s start with the easiest way to gather clients, shall we?  You already have clients in your primary practice area and they obviously like your work or they wouldn’t be your client.  Contact your existing clients to let them know to better serve their needs, you have expanded your practice to include “XYZ” work and would be honored to assist them in any matters related to both areas of law.

For bringing in new matters, I would suggest speaking with other attorneys in the practice area to let them know you have expanded your practice and would be glad to assist them.  It would also be a good idea to speak with the chair of the practice (if there is one) and let him/her know that you are interested in helping with any new matters that come available.

Another great way to gather clients is through social media.  Not only will advertising your new skill on social media networks attract new clients, it will also show others (and possibly potential employers) that you see the benefits of expanding and investing in personal growth, which is never a bad trait to market.  You should also continue to implement any previous paths you were using to bring in clients.

A Different Direction

Truthfully, another change you may want to make in your career is a change in scenery.  You may feel a sense of loyalty to your current firm, but you must ask yourself, “Is this firm giving me the support and platform I need?  Am I getting looked over by potential clients because my law firm is not well-known for the work I do?  Will I ever get to the level of seniority I desire at this law firm?”

These are all very good questions to which you owe yourself answers.  However, like the old saying goes, sometimes it is impossible to see the forest for the trees.  If you would like to find out which law firms are best known for in your particular practice area, you may consider visiting Vault.com under the “Rankings” tab or the Chambers and Partners website.  I would also advise you call my office if you desire information about law firms that only someone who has worked with them for 20+ years could provide you.  Please feel free to use any or all of these tips you find to be appropriate to your situation.  Should you determine my services would be helpful to you, whether it is for gathering information or otherwise, I would appreciate a conversation with you.

Changing with the times is not a new idea; in fact, it has been around ever since the beginning of time. Faith Baldwin, US fiction author, said “time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.” As time flies by, your practice is in danger of falling by the wayside if it is not resilient and does not alter as time demands.

I had the pleasure of knowing a partner a few years ago who took resiliency to new dimensions. While working as the chair of her firm’s Telecommunications group, the practice flourished and grew to new heights. However, she later became at risk when her practice shrunk due to client mergers. She then started immediately looking for ways to evolve with the times. She saw that cyber security was an emerging area and a need many companies would have and used that to her advantage when she re-purposed her practice to include Privacy and Data Security. Fortunately, as the tide lowered in her traditional telecommunications practice, it rose tremendously in her new practice focus. This candidate drew from the issues of the day and saw the benefits of altering her practice and almost doubled her compensation as well as greatly benefited her firm.

There are innumerable candidates out there who have found this sort of success after adjusting their practices, and you can too! However, navigating the current legal market and making decisions about the future of your career can seem rather daunting. Check back next week as Nancy Grimes shows you step-by-step how to decide what changes to make and how you should make them!

From Time Magazine’s Swampland

February 20, 2013

When President Obama and Democrats in Congress say they would like to pass a comprehensive immigration-reform bill this year,  it’s entirely possible that they mean exactly what they say. But in Washington,  where taking a statement at face value is the mark of a rube, there’s  speculation that, deep down, the Democrats would rather “save the issue” — tweak  the process in some way that would make Republican opposition inevitable, then  use the failure of reform as a weapon in 2014.

That suspicion spiked over the weekend when details of a White House  immigration proposal lit up the news sites in time to be squabbled over on the  Sunday-morning talk shows. The Administration strongly denied it was tossing a  wrench into delicate congressional negotiations, but remember what we just said  about taking statements at face value. Republican Senator John  McCain of Arizona, a key figure on immigration policy, smelled a rat: “Does  the President really want a result?” he asked on Meet the Press. “Or  does he want another cudgel so he can beat up Republicans to get an advantage in  the next election?”

(MORE: The  Economics of Immigration: Who Wins, Who Loses and Why)

So are Democrats secretly maneuvering to save the issue of immigration? Are  Republicans cynically accusing the Democrats of trying to save the issue as a  way of shifting blame should reform fail? “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,” the  writer Walter Scott famously wrote, “when first we practice to deceive.”

Of course, the only way to prove conclusively that an issue is not being  saved is to reach a compromise and pass a bill. And members of Congress who are  participating in bipartisan talks on immigration say they are making progress  and a real solution remains possible. But if the issue is saved for the next  election, don’t be surprised if the federal courts get involved. A lawsuit  pending in Fort Worth asks a U.S. district judge to render President Obama’s  2012 Executive Order on immigration null and void.

The order, circulated by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet  Napolitano, was designed to implement large parts of the Dream Act — despite the  fact that Congress never passed the act. Immigrants landing in the U.S.  illegally as children would not be deported as long as they met certain virtuous  benchmarks: going to school, serving in the military, staying out of jail and so  on. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were instructed not to  initiate legal proceedings against so-called Dreamers. In the view of 10 of the  agents, this amounts to ordering them to break the law. Legislation passed in  1996 can be read as requiring agents to open formal proceedings against  immigrants who can’t prove their lawful status.

Read the rest…

You’ve been hearing all the buzz about social marketing and so far, you’ve resisted getting on the bandwagon.  Well, it’s time to jump in the fray and sign up!  The main benefit to social networking is that it expands your network and gives you the opportunity to interact with, learn from and market to a variety of people.  LinkedIn is the social media outlet of choice for business professionals and could be your ace in the hole that takes your practice to the next level!  This business networking tool will allow you to extend your reach beyond your current clients and colleagues and tap into a near limitless sea of potential clients and/or resources.  In fact, many law firms encourage and some even require partners to establish LinkedIn accounts.  All that sounds great, doesn’t it?  So how do you get started?  The first step is to register.

Once you’ve visited www.linkedin.com and set up your account, it’s time to build your profile.  Before you begin, first take a moment to determine what you would like to accomplish on LinkedIn.  Do you want to expand your professional network?  Promote your skills and expertise as a draw for new clientele?  Raise your visibility as an expert in your specialty?  Once you determine your goal for LinkedIn, this will help you decide the types of contact you will accept from other LinkedIn users.  Within the profile section, there are eight different contact settings which describe specific reasons for direct contact.  To select your preferences, click on “edit contact settings” and choose the types of contact you will accept.  Make sure to add a current photo to your profile.  It adds a personal touch and also boosts credibility.

Your next course of action should be creating your profile summary.  This information is showcased at the top of your LinkedIn profile and gives readers a glimpse of who you are and what you do.  It is critical that you provide a brief but informative overview which will draw readers in to further investigate your background and experience.  Make sure you include your most relevant experience and information to attract your target audience.  Remember, the more targeted your information, the easier it will be for people to find you.  This is your opportunity to inform others of your expertise.  Since this information is readily available and searchable on Google, just completing your profile will immediately increase your visibility.

The next essential step in your setup process is your employment history.  Since LinkedIn is specifically geared toward professionals, this is one of the most important aspects of your profile.  LinkedIn has an immense company directory built into the site which can help you connect with past colleagues.  For each company in your employment history, fill in the company name, you fill in the full name of the company, your job title, the time frame of your employment, and a description of your job duties.  It is a good idea to have a copy of your biography or CV handy while completing this portion of your profile to insure your dates are accurate and that all pertinent information is included.  As your practice develops and expands, remember to come back often and update your current employment information.

After completing the employment section, you’ll next tackle your education.  Just click on the “add education” link and you’ll get another helpful form.  You’ll notice that when you select the state, LinkedIn will provide a pull-down menu containing a list of schools from which to choose.  Enter your degree, your major, dates attended and any relevant accolades or accomplishments.

LinkedIn profiles also provide a section where you can list your specific skills and expertise which potential clients may be searching for.  Here’s an example:

You’ll notice pictures next to specific skills and expertise.  This feature allows clients to endorse your experience.  This feature is a GOLDMINE and an excellent way to get your name out there.  So don’t be afraid to ask clients to endorse you on LinkedIn.

To add more impact to your profile, LinkedIn has recently added additional sections which provide the opportunity to emphasize a wide variety of events including:

• Certifications
• Courses
• Honors and Awards
• Languages
• Organizations
• Projects
• Patents
• Publications
• Test Scores
• Volunteer Experience & Causes

You can also select applications through which you can provide your lawyer ratings, highlight upcoming travel for seminars, conventions, etc., showcase slide share presentations which exemplify your expertise in your practice area, and LinkedIn will continue to add to these applications as new ones become available.  Another perk LinkedIn provides is the opportunity to share your web sites, interests, groups and associations.  Once you’ve completed all the sections, review your profile as others will see it by clicking on the “view profile” tab.  Once you’ve determined that all the information is accurate and is formatted as you like it, the last step is to set your profile for public view so people on LinkedIn who are not in your network can find you.  To do this, click on “edit public profile settings” on the right, select “full view” and choose the features you want to be visible to anyone who finds your profile.  Make sure to save your changes.

Now that your profile is complete, one way to immediately increase your visibility is locate colleagues and friends on LinkedIn and send them invitations to connect.  Once you connect with those you already know, you will immediately be visible to their contacts, also.  You’ll also have the ability to review their contacts and then send invites to those who provide beneficial networking opportunities.

While utilizing LinkedIn, there are 5 points to remember:

1. While on LinkedIn, your focus should not only be selling. The value of your expertise and open sharing of resources and ideas is well worth the time investment alone. Being able to tap others for references or to recommend someone you know to a connection has incredible value and is super easy to do. Reviewing new connections' profiles and then their network can give you opportunities to join new conversation groups and to connect with people with common interests in your industry. To do this, you can either introduce yourself to a new connection directly (if they have that option enabled) or ask your common connection to introduce you. Remember, you get five free introductions with your LinkedIn account set up. After that, you can buy more.
2. Responding to "Questions and Answers" can help to educate you and to share your knowledge with others. Each time you answer a question the information is posted to your profile allowing others to see your insight and style.
   
3. Asking for a recommendation is easy and painless. You can even ask for a revision gracefully if you do not like what someone has said, and you have the option to post the recommendation or not in your profile. If you decide to use the recommendation on other sites or in print media outside the LinkedIn site, best business practices recommend that you ask the author for approval. What a great way to build your authority for your services and products in an easy, unthreatening, and painless way.
4. Have fun and invest 15 minutes each day to add new connections either from new prospects you have had the previous business day or by reviewing connections of your connections and looking for common ground to connect with new people.
5. When a prospect contacts you by email through your website, make sure to not only add their email to your e-newsletter subscriber list, but also invite them to connect with you online with LinkedIn. Make sure you have noted in your privacy policy on your website what you will do before you do this to prevent a problem. Although you may not create a new client, by adding the individual to your network, you retain a way to easily share information back and forth and keep connections up-to-date with new services offerings, promotions, new white papers, and other things that bring value to your relationship that may lead to a possible future clients or recommendations.

Looking for more helpful information?  Need expert career counseling?  Visit www.grimeslegal.com or call 800-875-3820.

The National Law Journal reports that as of mid-January there was a 20 percent decline in applicants for seats in American Bar Association-accredited law schools, and the AM Law Daily speaks of the recent British law firm lay-offs and poses the question: Will U.S. firms be next? From massive firm lay-offs and talks of restructuring legal departments to an immense decline in the number of law school applicants, the handwriting is definitely on the wall – the legal industry is changing. So I ask you: Are you prepared to change with it? Are you ready for the new “normal”? While it can be difficult to determine what to do in this new market, it is crucial that you explore creative solutions and determine which options will best suit your goals, personality and skill set. There are many options, but doing nothing isn’t one of them (check out our blog post to learn why).

An up-and-coming trend you may want to consider with endless rewards and possibilities is contract work. An independent contractor (IC), as it relates to the legal industry, is a lawyer who, instead of being a salaried employee with a particular law firm, is “contracted” to work on particular cases or for a designated time period for one or several law firms. Working as a contract attorney could be your safety net until you determine which direction you’d like to go in your career.

You are only as good as the people you know in today’s job market. One of the benefits of contract work is that it provides you the opportunity to make connections and get your foot in the door of many notable firms. Making these connections with recruitment coordinators and partners may be just what it takes to give you an edge when it comes time to recruit new lawyers. It doesn’t hurt that the employer gets to see a few samples of your legal work, either.

Besides helping you make connections, another perk contract work offers is flexibility. You control how much time you spend working on projects and how many projects you take on. Contract work can be used to supplement the income you are already receiving at your current firm or you can make a full-time job of it. It is also flexible in that it allows you to work on projects from any location – the office, from home, the hotel while on vacation or while visiting your mother.

You may be thinking, “OK, I’m listening. So how do I even get started working on projects for these law firms?” Fortunately, I have the answer for that. GLI/Global Legal Recruiting network has a sister company called GTS that has potential projects in 30 different locations in the U.S. as well as in more than 77 countries, which means we anticipate a continuous, steady stream of interesting projects. If you are interested in working on projects or have any questions regarding available opportunities or contract work in general, I would be happy to be of assistance. The legal world is changing – wouldn’t it be more savvy if, instead of getting wiped out by the title wave, to instead be prepared to ride the wave in the sea of change. Isn’t it great to have choices!

Hello!  I’m Nancy Grimes.  In today’s workplace, we find many people who are unhappy in their current work situations.  There is a smorgasbord of reasons for their unhappiness: the work is not challenging, there’s no room for advancement, the work atmosphere or office culture is not conducive to producing a top work product, they don’t like the supervisor or their co-workers…  The list goes on and on.  However, after assisting thousands of people with their careers, I’ve discovered that these reasons are a “smokescreen” for what I feel are the foundational reasons for discontent with jobs – the employee has not acknowledged or uncovered their core career goals and objectives.

Until a person has a clear vision regarding his career goals and objectives, it is near impossible to realize maximum fulfillment from his job.  So, let’s delve into some basic career goals every employee should consider:

1. Expanded Skill set – Over time, your chosen career field will grow and change. In order to stay competitive, you must grow and change as well.  This may mean taking classes or attending seminars so you stay ahead of the curve.  For example, a doctor who doesn’t stay up on the latest techniques and medications will see his practice shrink over time.  In order to ensure you stay a marketable commodity, you must stay on top of the latest advancements.

2. Financial – Let’s face it.  This is one of the most important considerations.  If you feel you are underpaid, those feelings lead to your feeling undervalued, which snowballs into frustration that transfers into your work ethic and work product.  However, if an employee is overpaid, they may become lax and not as productive to the company as they were prior to their pay increase, which can lead to job loss.  So, there must be a balance where your pay is equal to what the work product is worth to the company.

3. Satisfaction – When you think about it, an activity that brings no satisfaction is an activity you rarely want to be involved in.   If you get no or little satisfaction from your job, you feel as if you’re trapped in a no-win situation.  For most of us, there is no amount of money you can substitute for job satisfaction.  Sooner or later, the money just isn’t worth it.

4. Variety – We spend 75% of our lives working.  It makes sense that we look at our careers not only to “get ahead” and provide for our families, but also to experience new challenges and expand our knowledge.  Look for ways to add different elements to your “standard, every day routine.”  This will stimulate your mind and help you keep a positive outlook.

If you’re feeling dissatisfied with your current job situation, it is imperative that you get a firm handle on the reasons why.  Often, if we take a good, hard look we’ll discover the primary problem is we don’t really know what we want to do – we just know what we’re doing isn’t it.  Until next time!