There?s hope yet?for people packing portable books o? busine
Published: Feb 13, 2009
In other words, your best shot at landing a new gig in a time when the associate market is, as Martin euphemistically terms it, ?stalled? (we prefer ?moribund?), is to: a.) be a partner, counsel or senior associate; and b.) carry ?quantifiable portable business.? According to a pair of legal headhunters interviewed for the piece, the ?quantifiable? factor of the equation is well defined and varies by market, firm, and a candidate?s level of experience: West Coast outposts of large firms expect viable senior associate and of-counsel candidates to pack books of around $300,000-400,000, while junior partners should show at least $750,000; the baseline for mid-to-senior-level partners is typically around $1.5 million. Moving east, Chicago?s BigLaw contingent should be prepared to boast a legit $1 mill on their books (though smaller firms may settle for $300,000-500,000), while in New York, ?a partner needs at least $2 million to $3 million of business to get the attention of the larger firms.?
If you don?t fit any of those descriptions?but really, who doesn?t?!?Martin relays a few universal tips for those on the hunt:
a.) Network your ass off: Burn up online professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, make the CLE and job fair rounds, and flog your Rolodex (do people actually still use those?) till it spits out a potentially useful forgotten acquaintance or thirty. Martin reminds readers, however, that ?(n)ow is not the time to hard-sell contacts. With so many hiring freezes in place, it is more useful for candidates to develop relationships with contacts, rather than to immediately ask them for a job.? Just be sure to make your move before the government cuts unemployment to pay for the new stimulus plan.
b.) Tread carefully in negotiations: If you?re fortunate enough to land an interview, now isn?t the time to push for that 25-hour work schedule. Rather, recruits should ?start at a full-time schedule and ask their employer to re-evaluate their schedule at the six-month or one-year mark.?
-posted by ben fuchs