Change, Departure

Hit by the economy? What will a prospective employer say?

  • On December 18, 2022
If your job was impacted by the economy, how will prospective employers react? They are generally pretty understanding. Here are the top reasons I’ve seen employers accept for lawyers to change jobs/have a gap: economic downturn, e.g., last in/first out, the product/team supported was hit, or your startup became unstable. headquarters/office move, and you didn’t […]
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Compensation

What to Do if You Find Out Your Co-Worker Makes More

  • On December 11, 2022
I just read this WSJ article on what to do if you learn your co-worker makes more than you. This scenario is especially likely as pay transparency laws come into play. Five excellent points the article makes: Get as many data points as you can. “The more you know, the stronger your negotiating position is.” […]
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Career Management, Job Search

Non-Legal Jobs for Lawyers

  • On December 4, 2022
Now that tech layoffs have hit, you may be thinking of other careers. Here are other jobs I’ve seen lawyers successfully shift to: compliance privacy/data HR legal operations business operations founder (e.g., of tech or services company) consulting crisis management finance banking/trading sales/channel/business development venture capital real estate government recruiter coach writer Lawyers who want […]
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Job Search

How Important are Rankings to Employers in the Legal Industry Anyway?

  • On November 27, 2022
How Important are Rankings to Employers in the Legal Industry Anyway? Four California law schools have withdrawn from US News & World Report’s ranking system this year: Stanford, Cal, UCLA, and UCI. It seems like a big deal because the legal industry is conservative and values top-ranked law schools and firms. But really how important […]
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Change, Job Search, Resume

Laid Off? What to Do with Your Resume

  • On November 20, 2022
I appreciated this timely LinkedIn article on crafting your resume post-layoff. These points directly apply to lawyers: Think about what job you want next. Take a little time “to reassess your career and determine what direction you’d like to go in.” Also, process any bitterness so there is no trace of it when you start interviewing. (Employers […]
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Job Search, Networking, Recruiter

Hidden Market for Top Jobs: Do They Exist?

  • On November 12, 2022
The WSJ recently reported on the existence of a hidden market for top jobs, which are not publicly advertised. Is this true? Yes, this certainly happens in the in-house market! So how do you land one of these plum jobs? Let’s go through the article’s advice. Why are these jobs unpublished? WSJ writes: “Some are management […]
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Change, Timing

How Short a Stint at a Job is OK?

  • On October 22, 2022
This past week UK’s Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned, making her the shortest serving PM in British history, which got me thinking of how short a lawyer can stay at a job without raising eyebrows. A few thoughts: If your company was just acquired, a short stint is very understandable. It’s standard knowledge an acquisition […]
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Market

The State of In-House Hiring: A View from the Trenches

  • On October 16, 2022
The US economy is full of question marks (e.g., Wall Street Braces for an Earnings Season of Mixed Signals per NYT), and the IMF warns of a global slowdown, citing inflation and rising interest rates, war in Ukraine, slowdown in China, COVID, etc. How do these conditions affect legal hiring in-house? This is what I’m […]
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