The Myriad Benefits of Working with a Legal Recruiter
Maybe you’re moving to a new city. Maybe you’re in a toxic practice group. Maybe you’re being underpaid. Or underappreciated. Or undertrained. Whatever the reason, it’s clear: you’re ready for a lateral move.
But how to go about it? Should you (A) make a giant spreadsheet (you’re a lawyer, after all) and start stalking firms’ career pages? Should you (B) send your resume to all your friends at firms that interest you? Should you (C) write a “looking for new opportunities” post on LinkedIn and wait for the requests to pour in? Should you (D) ask your partner-mentor what the best next move is?
In most cases, if you’re looking to lateral from one firm to another, your best move is (E), none of the above. More specifically, your wisest course of action is to write / call / text / send a messenger pigeon to your favorite legal recruiter. (Don’t have a favorite recruiter? We’ve got you covered.)
Why a recruiter, you ask? I mean, you’re smart and savvy. Can’t you do this job search thing on your own?
We’re so glad you asked.
We think that using a legal recruiter is a no-brainer decision, one with no down side and diverse benefits. Here are a few reasons to use a legal recruiter:
Recruiters have industry expertise.
Legal recruiters know the ins and outs of the legal market generally, as well as the peculiarities of the market at any given point in time. They can tell you which practice areas are hiring and which are quiet; they can tell you what the market is like in a particular geographic region; they can tell you what qualifications you need to get hired at a specific firm, a specific salary level, or in a specific practice area; they can tell you which firms are hiring, and which have put on the brakes. Basically, if you have a question about the legal market, firms, hiring, compensation levels - that’s a question that a good legal recruiter can answer for you.
In fact, if you’re on the fence about whether to use a recruiter (after all, you’re not even halfway through this blog post, so you haven’t yet been convinced), one great way to get a feel for a recruiter is to have a conversation with that recruiter and ask all of these questions. You don’t have to make any sort of commitment to a recruiter to have this sort of conversation - and indeed, if you don’t like what you hear, you don’t have to move forward with the recruiter. Any recruiter should be willing to have this sort of conversation with you, in a no-pressure, purely informational way.
Recruiters can tailor their industry expertise to your specific situation, making your recruiter your personal job-search advisor.
A recruiter can look at your resume, your transcript, your writing sample or deal sheet and tell you how you’ll stack up against the competition, where you should devote your efforts, and how much you can expect to get paid. (With regard to the resume, a recruiter can also help you edit it, if you want that input.) When the interview requests start rolling in, a recruiter can tell you what the interviewing process is like at the firms you’re interviewing with, and when you’re looking at a bevy of firm offers, a recruiter can help you sift through the competing offers with information like how many hours you’ll actually work at each firm and whether the partners you’d be working with are lovely mentors or demanding taskmasters. A good recruiter will get to know you, your career aspirations, and your specific needs, and they’ll help you find the best career match.
Recruiters know secrets.
Recruiters maintain relationships with firms and thus know all sorts of things you can’t find online. They can tell you about job openings that aren’t listed anywhere; they can tell you how many hours associates are actually billing at a firm; they can tell you which firms are conducting stealth layoffs. (They might also be able to give you a list of the best restaurants to try in a new town or the name of a nanny you should interview for your newborn (yes, I’ve done both), but those are just extra perks.)
Recruiters’ relationships at firms can benefit you in all sorts of ways. For instance, at a firm that usually sends form rejections after interviews, recruiters can sometimes get feedback after an interview that doesn’t go your way, so that you can improve for the next interview. Sometimes, a recruiting professional at a firm might reach out to a recruiter and ask, “Is so-and-so still looking for a job? We just had a new opening pop up, and before we list it, I thought I’d ask about so-and-so.” At some firms, recruiting teams will receive resumes only from a select group of recruiters they trust and like! Take advantage of a recruiter’s special relationships.
A recruiter is your advocate with firms.
Do you need an eight-hour day of Zoom interviews broken up into two-half days in order to fit your schedule? Do you want a signing bonus or a moving stipend? Do you want to take a month off between jobs? Do you want to work from home two days a week? Do you want to take your pet tarantula to the office with you? These are all things you can ask your recruiter to discuss and/or negotiate with the firm (well, probably minus the tarantula). Recruiters are experienced at these conversations and know how to approach sticky questions with finesse. You don’t need that extra stress!
Speaking of stress, recruiters save you time.
Law firm associates have all the time in the world to search for job openings, research firms, perfect their resumes, craft cover letters, fill out online applications, follow-up with firms as time passes–said no one ever. You have to finish that depo prep or due diligence, and write that email to that client, and attend that networking event, and have dinner with your family, and walk your dog, and sleep (please sleep, you need it). A job search is a full-time job - a job you don’t have time for. Leave it to a recruiter, so you can live your life.
Recruiters continue to be a resource after you’ve made that lateral move
You should stay in touch with your recruiter even after your successful lateral move! I’ve counseled associates about a plethora of things, like thorny issues of maternity leave, how much to ask for in a raise at a non-lockstep firm, and how to switch practice areas. Good recruiters aren’t done with you after you’ve moved - they’re invested in your career for the long term, and will want to cheer your successes, as well as provide advice when you want it. A good recruiter is a long-term mentor and friend.
One thing to note: you want a good recruiter.
Your career is too important to entrust to just anyone. You want a recruiter who will treat your career as carefully as if it were their own, and who will know what to do with it. Don’t have a recruiter who’s doing the things listed above? You deserve better - please reach out to us.