In this down market, you may be wondering who is hiring. I’m busy scouting out this information for you, and this is what I’ve seen/heard:

• New technologies always need lawyers. An unsettled area like AI definitely falls in this category. See NYT article about the AI boom on how “lawmakers struggle to understand the technology.” This scenario guarantees legal work! Another growth area is EV batteries (as mentioned in this WSJ article).
• Companies with the following technologies are still hiring, per a career panel of tech experts I just attended: B2B, IoT, IT/infrastructure.
• Large companies, while shedding employees in areas they no longer want to invest in, are also paradoxically hiring in new prioritized areas. Some of my searches fall in this scenario, and I’ve heard other job experts mention this paradox.
• More traditional companies who could not compete during tech boom are still hiring, e.g., airlines, manufacturers, health services, telecom, financial services, logistics, and hospitality. (See e.g., this WSJ article or this one.)
• Early stage startups are still hiring (versus late-stage, which are waiting for the economy to turn). Job seekers, career experts, and clients have told me this. (See also this WSJ article for a mention.) But the situation may change soon given the SVB fallout.
• Companies still need to replace departing lawyers if their function is critical, so keep your eyes open for new postings and talk to your network if they see anything or need anyone.