Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit Forum

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Kendi

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Kendi » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:17 am

lawfirmrecruiter wrote: The salary question is not one you should approach. At all. Most large firms list entry level salaries on their NALP form so you can get an idea from there. Those starting points are 99.9999999999999999% set in stone and there is no wiggle room at all.
Such an interesting thread! I found the NALP site. Could you direct me to where the firms list their entry level salary?
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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by BenJ » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:19 am

Kendi wrote:
lawfirmrecruiter wrote: The salary question is not one you should approach. At all. Most large firms list entry level salaries on their NALP form so you can get an idea from there. Those starting points are 99.9999999999999999% set in stone and there is no wiggle room at all.
Such an interesting thread! I found the NALP site. Could you direct me to where the firms list entry level salary?
--LinkRemoved--
Search for a firm, open their NALP profile, then scroll down to Compensation and Employment data. It will look something like this:

Image

(That's Cravath.)

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:28 am

How difficult is it to break into the relatively small practice areas, like real estate or t&e? Is it a good idea to mention an interest in those fields in the initial interview (especially if I don't have a background in them), or should I just mention an interest in transactional work and specify when I'm actually asking for work as an SA?

I've gotten conflicting advice on this from career services and associates, so maybe you know better.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:32 am

Anonymous User wrote:
lawfirmrecruiter wrote:
japes wrote:
adonai wrote:Can you comment on why law-related experience only matters during 1L and on and not pre-law (that seems to be the mantra here)? What would you think of someone who had only law related internships/work experience (where they did substantive work, not just paper pushing)?
Going off this, how much of a boon is pre-law school law work? I've been working at a small law firm doing actual substantial legal work (just finished up a 20-page Daubert motion, among other things). Is this a huge plus for interviewing for jobs 1L summer?
Yes. See previous response.
How hard is it to break into a firm's IP group in your market? I guess it's mostly soft IP there, which makes sense, but it's kind of my favorite city. Do you have any tips on how to sell the ability to work with patents when local firms mostly deal in copyrights or, even better, know if any of your peers are looking to add to their IP groups this year? From in-state though a different city, went to undergrad at the local powerhouse, currently at a law school that isn't far below my alma mater's, grades are good. I'm hoping firms there will at least give me a look even though I chose to go away for law school... thanks for any advice you can give - I can also pm you if you're concerned that this might out you or anything.
IP in our market is pretty specific to a particular set of industries so it is a pretty narrow opportunity for entry level. Not impossible though so please apply with everyone that appears to have a solid IP practice.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:33 am

Anonymous User wrote:How much of a boost is Law Review? I know it is difficult to quantify, but if someone is say in the top 20% with LR, how would they be viewed next to someone at say, top 15% or 10% without it?
Really impossible to say. In this case I would look at the overall candidate.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:38 am

Renne Walker wrote:As an OL I was interviewed by a recruiter, representing a number of Big Law firms for one of numerous $1,300 a week summer positions. I read up on current events, which proved to be helpful since these events came up during our conversation and I was able to cite the Wall Street Journal and Times. Toward the very end of the interview the interviewer read off from a page listing several schools that had accepted me, the schools were quality tier one schools (none in the top 20). The interviewer asked if I had selected a school, I said I had just matriculated to NYU (through Early Action). The interviewer looked surprised since NYU was not on the list. The interview continued for an additional twenty minutes, with an emphasis on sending my deposit receipt as quickly as possible.

If there is a point to this, it is, I thought I was in the running even before mentioning NYU (which clearly was not the case). Then after two long months of waiting for a decision, the end result: I am 0-1 in turning an interview into a job. Granted, I knew going in that my chances were slim because there were probably +500 candidates going after 50 spots, plus, this “work at a big law during the summer” program was sponsored by SEO. SEO, per their literature and web site is a program for people of color and minorities. My minority status was paper-thin (my Granddad was Cuban). Is there a question anytime soon in our future? Yes, here in comes.

After the interview you conduct what typically happens then? How long does it take to receive word on the outcome?

Hypothetical: I have been to four interviews and feel that they all are promising, and then I receive an offer, what then? From earlier posts, it sounds like one good offer might be all we can hope for these days. Would the firm expect a quick acceptance or do they usually give us a week (or so) to accept. I take it there is nothing wrong with enthusiastically accepting the offer without hesitation.

Again, a great thread for us about to be 1L folks, who are already batting 0-1!
All firms have different internal processes to go through to select candidates after he interview so timing will vary greatly. Personally, we try to get to a decision as quickly as possible but I know some firms take weeks or even months. I depends on who ultimately makes the decision and how many sets of people it has to go through.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:41 am

Anonymous User wrote:OP, can you say anything about the difference, in terms of applicant strength, between Law Review membership and membership on secondary journals? I understand of course that Law Review membership is more impressive, but the (often exaggerated) opinions on this site sometimes suggest that secondary journal membership is basically equivalent to participating in extracurricular clubs... What do you think?
I like secondary journals - especially if they are focused on the area we are hiring for or what the student us interested in. Definitely NOT equivalent to extracurricular club.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:44 am

Anonymous User wrote:How do you think a CPA will help if I want to go into Corp Law and I'm going to a T2? What do most big law firms think about CPAs? It seems like there are a good amt of CPAs on this board and basically I want to know how heavily the CPA would help land a biglaw job, regardless of grades.
If you are interested in corporate law it wii definitely be a boost. You bring a broader business skill set to the table that will ultimately provide value to clients.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:46 am

Anonymous User wrote:
vamedic03 wrote:
Renne Walker wrote: After the interview you conduct what typically happens then? How long does it take to receive word on the outcome?
I'm confused here. What are you actually asking?
Focus on the sentences that end in a question mark.
Where o where is our OP?
Sitting here answering questions on TLS and drinking coffee. I need to get out more ...

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:49 am

Anonymous User wrote:How difficult is it to break into the relatively small practice areas, like real estate or t&e? Is it a good idea to mention an interest in those fields in the initial interview (especially if I don't have a background in them), or should I just mention an interest in transactional work and specify when I'm actually asking for work as an SA?

I've gotten conflicting advice on this from career services and associates, so maybe you know better.
For SA positions mention your overall interest in corporate and how you would really like to get experience with XYZ areas. If they are hiring you will get projects. Also be sure to use your recruiter (I.e. Me) to help steer your project types.

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Kendi

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Kendi » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:07 pm

BenJ wrote:
Kendi wrote:
lawfirmrecruiter wrote: Search for a firm, open their NALP profile, then scroll down to Compensation and Employment data. It will look something like this:
Thanks for your reply. This verifies that big law in Miami pays only a little less than big law in NYC. $130K in Miami is such a better deal than $160K in Manhattan!

Also, Lawfirmrecruiter. . .you rock!

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:11 pm

Coming off of a very positive midsummer review, how much do mediocre 2L grades matter in the final analysis?

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:20 pm

IP in our market is pretty specific to a particular set of industries so it is a pretty narrow opportunity for entry level. Not impossible though so please apply with everyone that appears to have a solid IP practice.
Yeah, that's what most of my research has pointed to. Better start developing a taste for that main industry, I guess. Much appreciated.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:43 pm

Thanks for taking questions, this has been incredibly helpful!

Can you talk a little bit about junior to mid-level laterals joining your firm, perhaps coming from a different city?

Just by way of example, I just graduated with excellent grades from USC/UCLA (could have easily landed biglaw but wasn't really interested), and will be going to a mid-sized firm in LA.

I would eventually like to make it to San Francisco as a lateral, where I have a lot of ties, and I was wondering if you had any idea about how possible this type of move is in your experience.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:14 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Coming off of a very positive midsummer review, how much do mediocre 2L grades matter in the final analysis?
Probably not much. Sounds like you are in a good position! Congrats!

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:19 pm

Anonymous User wrote:Thanks for taking questions, this has been incredibly helpful!

Can you talk a little bit about junior to mid-level laterals joining your firm, perhaps coming from a different city?

Just by way of example, I just graduated with excellent grades from USC/UCLA (could have easily landed biglaw but wasn't really interested), and will be going to a mid-sized firm in LA.

I would eventually like to make it to San Francisco as a lateral, where I have a lot of ties, and I was wondering if you had any idea about how possible this type of move is in your experience.
Extremely possible. I hire laterals from all over the country. Just do good work and start to focus your practice in the area you would like to pursue. When we hire laterals we want a certain skill set and we will look at what you have been doing/ type of clients you have worked with, etc.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Kendi » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:34 pm

For lawfirmrecruiter.

After spending the last hour going through the NALP, something stuck me very odd. The ratio of male lawyers to female lawyers, is 4:1 (on the 50 firms I checked, it certainly appears that way). Males 63; Females 14 ― Males 26; Females 9, and so it goes.

Do you find yourself placing more men in your firms than women? It isn’t like females just started lawyering since the turn of the century. I was, and am, taken back by the wide gap. Unless I am totally misinformed, law classes are around a 50:50 split. Is there an explanation?

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:40 pm

Kendi wrote:For lawfirmrecruiter.

After spending the last hour going through the NALP, something stuck me very odd. The ratio of male lawyers to female lawyers, is 4:1 (on the 50 firms I checked, it certainly appears that way). Males 63; Females 14 ― Males 26; Females 9, and so it goes.

Do you find yourself placing more men in your firms than women? It isn’t like females just started lawyering since the turn of the century. I was, and am, taken back by the wide gap. Unless I am totally misinformed, law classes are around a 50:50 split. Is there an explanation?
Great question. If you really dive into the stats you will see most firms are balanced with entry levels. Almost all firms experience a higher female attrition rate as associates reach the 4-5th year. A variety of factors drive this reality and we are all working to address this problem and increase the number of women throughout all ranks of our industry.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Danteshek » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:47 pm

What does your firm do to address quality of life issues? Work/life balance? How much paternity leave do fathers get? As much as women? How much paternity leave do men actually take vis-a-vis the amount of maternity leave that women take?

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by roranoa » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:53 pm

I'm not sure if this has been asked but,

Are foreigners, for any reason, viewed differently during the recruiting process?

For example, would they be considered as a possible candidate to send over to oversea offices? (send a Chinese to Shanghai maybe?)

(Foreigners, as in, those who are not a US citizen. For example, someone from Hong Kong who just earned a JD in the States)

Oh, and this is something different but, are you or used to be a lawyer yourself? How did you get your job? Do you get paid as much as other lawyers at your firm?
Last edited by roranoa on Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:56 pm

Danteshek wrote:What does your firm do to address quality of life issues? Work/life balance? How much paternity leave do fathers get? As much as women? How much paternity leave do men actually take vis-a-vis the amount of maternity leave that women take?
We do a lot on the work/life issue.

We have flex schedules and different on and off track positions that both men and women are eligible for and attorneys can move between tracks depending on their needs. We really work hard with each individual to make sure they are progressing and meeting family/personal needs. Don't know the specifics of paternity leave (not my department) but I know we have one.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:57 pm

roranoa wrote:I'm not sure if this has been asked but,

Are foreigners, for any reason, viewed differently during the recruiting process?

For example, would they be considered as a possible candidate to send over to oversea offices? (send a Chinese to Shanghai maybe?)

(Foreigners, as in, those who are not a US citizen. For example, someone from Hong Kong who just earned a JD in the States)

Oh, and this is something different but, are you or used to be a lawyer yourself? How did you get your job? Do you get paid as much as other lawyers at your firm?
Not really. We don't have a foreign office, though.

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by roranoa » Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:58 pm

lawfirmrecruiter wrote:
roranoa wrote:I'm not sure if this has been asked but,

Are foreigners, for any reason, viewed differently during the recruiting process?

For example, would they be considered as a possible candidate to send over to oversea offices? (send a Chinese to Shanghai maybe?)

(Foreigners, as in, those who are not a US citizen. For example, someone from Hong Kong who just earned a JD in the States)

Oh, and this is something different but, are you or used to be a lawyer yourself? How did you get your job? Do you get paid as much as other lawyers at your firm?
Not really. We don't have a foreign office, though.
Can you answer the last bit of my question?

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by lawfirmrecruiter » Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:03 pm

roranoa wrote:
lawfirmrecruiter wrote:
roranoa wrote:I'm not sure if this has been asked but,

Are foreigners, for any reason, viewed differently during the recruiting process?

For example, would they be considered as a possible candidate to send over to oversea offices? (send a Chinese to Shanghai maybe?)

(Foreigners, as in, those who are not a US citizen. For example, someone from Hong Kong who just earned a JD in the States)

Oh, and this is something different but, are you or used to be a lawyer yourself? How did you get your job? Do you get paid as much as other lawyers at your firm?
Not really. We don't have a foreign office, though.
Whoops. Sorry about that. I don't want to answer this in too much detail because I would prefer to stay anonymous. I went to law school but never wanted to practice and was recruited for this position. I love my job and feel very well compensated.

Can you answer the last bit of my question?

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Re: Law firm recruiter answering questions for a bit

Post by Kendi » Sat Jul 02, 2011 2:05 pm

lawfirmrecruiter wrote:Great question.
Great answer!

I was looking under the Partners/Members column, as opposed to associates, where the ratio is fairly close to 50:50. Thanks, all is good!

The answer to the attrition rate is to hire far more females than males. . . glad to help! :)

BTW: While the link below may have been passed around for months/years, it was new to me. I found it extremely humorous. In any case, it certainly fits this thread.

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