The Search --> Planning Your Search

Timing is Everything

Law firm attorney recruitment is a year-round effort and encompasses lateral hiring at the associate and partner level as well as student recruitment for summer program and entry-level classes. Different goals take priority at various times of the year, so knowledge of what goes on inside law firms can help lateral candidates either time their approaches for maximum effectiveness, or at least understand the competing demands being put on hiring partners, hiring committees, and recruiting staff.

January

Most law firms complete their annual budgeting process at the beginning of each year. At the management level, projections are made for the new year regarding recruiting budgets and headcount. Target numbers of entry-level associates to hire for the fall and summer associates are determined, start dates are set for these classes, and money is allocated for salaries, travel, parties, and receptions. Similarly, various practice groups within the firm assess their hiring needs at both the senior and junior levels and the lateral hiring budget is set including headhunter fees, candidate travel expenses, and relocation. Office build-out and additional staffing costs are estimated.

Therefore, in mid-to-late January, most large law firms begin contacting their preferred attorney search firms with a list of hiring needs for immediate and long term growth. At many firms the assessment of lateral hiring needs continues throughout the year but, at others, when the allocated funds have been exhausted, lateral hiring must stop for the year.

Bonuses for the past year are paid and new compensation levels are set in January or early February at most law firms. Thus, many attorneys decide whether to stay or start a new job search early in the year, depending upon the outcome of the bonus and salary decisions. As these attorneys start to make their moves, additional positions open up at their former firms and the lateral recruiting market becomes more fluid.

February and March

Lateral hiring interviewing is most intense during these months.

In February, firms must complete and turn in the NALP (National Association of Law Placement) forms for inclusion on the NALP website and its Legal Employers publication. (The NALP forms include all sorts of valuable information regarding the firm, including numbers of attorneys at various levels and in which areas of practice, how many students are hired for summer and entry level classes, how many make partner, diversity breakdowns, billable hours, benefits, and so forth.)

Also, firms determine at which schools to recruit and start reserving dates, and planning for the summer associate program begins.

April

Recruitment administrators from law firms and law school career placement directors from across the country meet for the annual NALP convention for a week in April.

Lateral hiring decisions and interviews are continuing.

Arrangements for the summer program are completed as the students arrive mid-May.

May, June, and July

The summer associate program is the top priority. In May, orienting the students, assigning them to departments, supervisors, and mentors, as well as providing them with useful and meaningful work while wining, dining, and partying, occupies most of the time and attention of the recruitment staff and many attorneys. Managing the summer associates’ work flow, training, evaluation, and social events continues throughout the June and July.

Final arrangements for fall recruiting are being made: hiring goals for summer and fall classes, selection and training of interviewers, and plans for on-campus receptions.

Lateral hiring moves along, as necessary.

August

Most summer associates return to school mid-August, and firms must wind up their summer programs with exit interviews, evaluations, and decisions regarding whether or not to extend offers of permanent employment to each of them.

The firm’s attention immediately thereafter turns to on-campus recruiting, which begins mid-August at some schools, and extends through September.

Lateral hiring is rather quiet during this month due to the unavailability for interviews of many partners and associates due to both vacations and participation in on-campus recruiting.

September

The first year class of associates traditionally starts at most large law firms after Labor Day. However, with belt-tightening in these slow economic times, many firms have deferred their start dates to later in the fall or even as late as January or early the following spring. By doing so, the firms save significant amounts of money on salaries and staffing costs. For those whose new classes of associates do start in September, orientation and training begins right away and continues through October.

On-campus recruitment is completed in September. Summer associates who received offers of permanent employment must respond by Labor Day so that the firm can gauge how many third year students to interview in order to fill its first year class for the following fall, in addition to the second years it is interviewing for the upcoming summer program.

Lateral hiring slows down for some firms as the third quarter ends for several reasons. Recruiting attention is on the law students and the budgeted funds for lateral recruitment may be running low. And, especially with regard to partner-level candidates, it is not economical to bring them in late in the year because it takes three to six months for revenues generated by these new partners to start flowing into the firm to offset their expenses. This final reason has become increasingly important with the growing attention being paid to the profits per partner figures being published in the legal press as a way of ranking law firms. However, for any partner with a large portable book of business, almost any time is a good time to look.

October and November

The on-campus interviews are finished and call-back interviews must be completed by Halloween. The recruitment committee meets weekly in October to evaluate and make offers by November first to prospective summer associates and the entry level associates for the following fall. All offers must be accepted or rejected by December first, the official end of the fall recruiting season.

December

In December, first year law students are “released” for recruiting purposes; their first round of exams are done and grades are in. If the firm did not yield enough second year students for its summer program, it can begin to recruit first year law students to fill the quota. During slow economic times, however, there have not been many vacancies left for first year students.

Lateral recruiting revs up again in December in preparation for the new year as firms interview candidates to begin employment in January. The last few months or the year are especially good times for partner level candidates to begin a search. The hiring process at that level usually takes a while, and this timing would allow them to start new employment early the next year.

The Search --> Planning Your Search Timing is Everything Law firm attorney recruitment is a year-round effort and encompasses lateral hiring at the associate and partner level as well as student recruitment for summer program and entry-level classes. Different goals take priority at various times of the year, so knowledge of what goes on inside law firms can help lateral candidates either time their approaches for maximum effectiveness, or at least understand the competing demands being put on hiring partners, hiring committees, and recruiting staff. January Most law firms complete their annual budgeting process at the beginning of each year. At the management level, projections are made for the new year regarding recruiting budgets and headcount. Target numbers of entry-level associates to hire for the fall and summer associates are determined, start dates are set for these classes, and money is allocated for salaries, travel, parties, and receptions. Similarly, various practice groups within the firm assess their hiring needs at both the senior and junior levels and the lateral hiring budget is set including headhunter fees, candidate travel expenses, and relocation. Office build-out and additional staffing costs are estimated. Therefore, in mid-to-late January, most large law firms begin contacting their preferred attorney search firms with a list of hiring needs for immediate and long term growth. At many firms the assessment of lateral hiring needs continues throughout the year but, at others, when the allocated funds have been exhausted, lateral hiring must stop for the year. Bonuses for the past year are paid and new compensation levels are set in January or early February at most law firms. Thus, many attorneys decide whether to stay or start a new job search early in the year, depending upon the outcome of the bonus and salary decisions. As these attorneys start to make their moves, additional positions open up at their former firms and the lateral recruiting market becomes more fluid. February and March Lateral hiring interviewing is most intense during these months. In February, firms must complete and turn in the NALP (National Association of Law Placement) forms for inclusion on the NALP website and its Legal Employers publication. (The NALP forms include all sorts of valuable information regarding the firm, including numbers of attorneys at various levels and in which areas of practice, how many students are hired for summer and entry level classes, how many make partner, diversity breakdowns, billable hours, benefits, and so forth.) Also, firms determine at which schools to recruit and start reserving dates, and planning for the summer associate program begins. April Recruitment administrators from law firms and law school career placement directors from across the country meet for the annual NALP convention for a week in April. Lateral hiring decisions and interviews are continuing. Arrangements for the summer program are completed as the students arrive mid-May. May, June, and July The summer associate program is the top priority. In May, orienting the students, assigning them to departments, supervisors, and mentors, as well as providing them with useful and meaningful work while wining, dining, and partying, occupies most of the time and attention of the recruitment staff and many attorneys. Managing the summer associates’ work flow, training, evaluation, and social events continues throughout the June and July. Final arrangements for fall recruiting are being made: hiring goals for summer and fall classes, selection and training of interviewers, and plans for on-campus receptions. Lateral hiring moves along, as necessary. August Most summer associates return to school mid-August, and firms must wind up their summer programs with exit interviews, evaluations, and decisions regarding whether or not to extend offers of permanent employment to each of them. The firm’s attention immediately thereafter turns to on-campus recruiting, which begins mid-August at some schools, and extends through September. Lateral hiring is rather quiet during this month due to the unavailability for interviews of many partners and associates due to both vacations and participation in on-campus recruiting. September The first year class of associates traditionally starts at most large law firms after Labor Day. However, with belt-tightening in these slow economic times, many firms have deferred their start dates to later in the fall or even as late as January or early the following spring. By doing so, the firms save significant amounts of money on salaries and staffing costs. For those whose new classes of associates do start in September, orientation and training begins right away and continues through October. On-campus recruitment is completed in September. Summer associates who received offers of permanent employment must respond by Labor Day so that the firm can gauge how many third year students to interview in order to fill its first year class for the following fall, in addition to the second years it is interviewing for the upcoming summer program. Lateral hiring slows down for some firms as the third quarter ends for several reasons. Recruiting attention is on the law students and the budgeted funds for lateral recruitment may be running low. And, especially with regard to partner-level candidates, it is not economical to bring them in late in the year because it takes three to six months for revenues generated by these new partners to start flowing into the firm to offset their expenses. This final reason has become increasingly important with the growing attention being paid to the profits per partner figures being published in the legal press as a way of ranking law firms. However, for any partner with a large portable book of business, almost any time is a good time to look. October and November The on-campus interviews are finished and call-back interviews must be completed by Halloween. The recruitment committee meets weekly in October to evaluate and make offers by November first to prospective summer associates and the entry level associates for the following fall. All offers must be accepted or rejected by December first, the official end of the fall recruiting season. December In December, first year law students are “released” for recruiting purposes; their first round of exams are done and grades are in. If the firm did not yield enough second year students for its summer program, it can begin to recruit first year law students to fill the quota. During slow economic times, however, there have not been many vacancies left for first year students. Lateral recruiting revs up again in December in preparation for the new year as firms interview candidates to begin employment in January. The last few months or the year are especially good times for partner level candidates to begin a search. The hiring process at that level usually takes a while, and this timing would allow them to start new employment early the next year.	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