My Breakdown of the SoCal Job Market (Plus Advice)
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:40 pm
I recently got an attorney job here in California. I wanted to share the breakdown of my job search to paint a picture of the legal job market in Southern California in 2014.
You can interpret it as you like - motivation to persevere no matter how tough times are, or as a warning to avoid law school, or just entertainment.
About me: I graduated from a T20 law school and got my California state bar license in December 2013. I applied to everything - big firms, mid-sized firms, small firms, nonprofits, government jobs, etc.
Here are the stats:
----------
Duration of job search after getting bar license : 8 months
Number of Resumes emailed out: 785
Number of Interviews set up: 24
*12 small firms, 5 mid-sized firms, 1 BigLaw firm, 2 in-house positions, 2 government jobs, 2 tax resolution companies
Job Offers: 3
*2 of these were too shady for me to accept despite my desperation.
---------
Some Notes, Observations and Tips:
*Sources of job postings / contacts: Symplicity, Craigslist, The Daily Journal, LinkedIn, USAjobs.gov, governmentjobs.com, a list of recruiting contacts for all the biglaw firms, and a couple of little-known websites I want to keep secret.
*Don't worry if an ad says you need 1-2 years experience, or even 2-5 years, you can still get an interview to these as a new admitee. Just don't apply if it says 3-5 or 5-7 and beyond.
*Despite the bad market, employment law and workers' compensation are booming fields still in California. There are daily postings for job openings at employment and WC law firms. If you are in law school take Employment Law.
*The Daily Journal doesn't have a lot of postings, but the ones it does are high-quality and, unlike the other sources, if you fit the criteria listed they will definitely call you for an interview. This is a respectable publication so the ads are very legit. You can either use the print copy or look on their website every morning (they update it daily).
*Craigslist has become a less shady source because they have a new policy whereby you have to pay $25 to post a job ad, so this weeded out a lot of scams they use to have. You can find some surprisingly good job opportunities here now (I saw Lewis Brisbois post an ad recently). But they still have some shady scams.
*A lot of employers, especially at smaller firms, have a strong bias toward local applicants who live near the office, even if you tell them you are willing to relocate and you went to a better school. You may want to use a friend's address on some resumes.
***VERY IMPORTANT - I don't know why law school career service offices don't teach this, but you have to know the stereotypes of the different kinds of employers to tweek your interviewing style to cater to them.
For example, BigLaw interviews are way chiller than small firm interviews, which tend to be more intense. I can't stress enough how different the lawyers are in the two types of firms.
The biglaw lawyer is an introverted, nerdy type guy. He or she is obsessed with school and grades, and has a passive-aggressive style.
The small firm litigator is an aggressive alpha male with a loud voice and hot secretaries (without exception). The small litigator is obsessed with "attitude" and "fire in your belly."
The government lawyer is a passionate warrior for his/her cause that has dreamt of being in this position since childhood.
--> So to prepare for a biglaw interview, just get ready for an hour or longer of cordial conversation with a few people.
--> Before a small firm interview drink coffee and get pumped up in order to show off your passion for litigation. You have to pitch yourself like a salesman in 15-20 minutes.
---> For government jobs prepare a monologue about your lifelong goal of establishing justice and reforming society.
Good luck!
You can interpret it as you like - motivation to persevere no matter how tough times are, or as a warning to avoid law school, or just entertainment.
About me: I graduated from a T20 law school and got my California state bar license in December 2013. I applied to everything - big firms, mid-sized firms, small firms, nonprofits, government jobs, etc.
Here are the stats:
----------
Duration of job search after getting bar license : 8 months
Number of Resumes emailed out: 785
Number of Interviews set up: 24
*12 small firms, 5 mid-sized firms, 1 BigLaw firm, 2 in-house positions, 2 government jobs, 2 tax resolution companies
Job Offers: 3
*2 of these were too shady for me to accept despite my desperation.
---------
Some Notes, Observations and Tips:
*Sources of job postings / contacts: Symplicity, Craigslist, The Daily Journal, LinkedIn, USAjobs.gov, governmentjobs.com, a list of recruiting contacts for all the biglaw firms, and a couple of little-known websites I want to keep secret.
*Don't worry if an ad says you need 1-2 years experience, or even 2-5 years, you can still get an interview to these as a new admitee. Just don't apply if it says 3-5 or 5-7 and beyond.
*Despite the bad market, employment law and workers' compensation are booming fields still in California. There are daily postings for job openings at employment and WC law firms. If you are in law school take Employment Law.
*The Daily Journal doesn't have a lot of postings, but the ones it does are high-quality and, unlike the other sources, if you fit the criteria listed they will definitely call you for an interview. This is a respectable publication so the ads are very legit. You can either use the print copy or look on their website every morning (they update it daily).
*Craigslist has become a less shady source because they have a new policy whereby you have to pay $25 to post a job ad, so this weeded out a lot of scams they use to have. You can find some surprisingly good job opportunities here now (I saw Lewis Brisbois post an ad recently). But they still have some shady scams.
*A lot of employers, especially at smaller firms, have a strong bias toward local applicants who live near the office, even if you tell them you are willing to relocate and you went to a better school. You may want to use a friend's address on some resumes.
***VERY IMPORTANT - I don't know why law school career service offices don't teach this, but you have to know the stereotypes of the different kinds of employers to tweek your interviewing style to cater to them.
For example, BigLaw interviews are way chiller than small firm interviews, which tend to be more intense. I can't stress enough how different the lawyers are in the two types of firms.
The biglaw lawyer is an introverted, nerdy type guy. He or she is obsessed with school and grades, and has a passive-aggressive style.
The small firm litigator is an aggressive alpha male with a loud voice and hot secretaries (without exception). The small litigator is obsessed with "attitude" and "fire in your belly."
The government lawyer is a passionate warrior for his/her cause that has dreamt of being in this position since childhood.
--> So to prepare for a biglaw interview, just get ready for an hour or longer of cordial conversation with a few people.
--> Before a small firm interview drink coffee and get pumped up in order to show off your passion for litigation. You have to pitch yourself like a salesman in 15-20 minutes.
---> For government jobs prepare a monologue about your lifelong goal of establishing justice and reforming society.
Good luck!