Loading...
Summary: There are better times of the year to start searching and securing new employment as an attorney depending on what type of position you are looking for.
Read When Is the Best Time of Year for Attorneys to Look for New Positions? to learn more.
You may not think it is so but there are in fact better times to be looking for jobs in big law firms. To better your chances of finding that job and not have to spend a lot of time doing so, start searching at the right time of year.
February to the middle of April:
This is the busiest time of the year for large law firms to do their hiring. The trend observed by Harrison Barnes puts these months at two times the amount of hiring done within these months. Some of the reasons for this trend is the fact that it is near the beginning of the year when new budgets are set so law firms learn then if and how many new hires they can take on. The interviews will start in January with the job offers being extended during the “peak†time of February.
Get JD Journal in Your Mail
Subscribe to our FREE daily news alerts and get the latest updates on the most happening events in the legal, business, and celebrity world. You also get your daily dose of humor and entertainment!!
Middle August to Late October:
This is the second busiest time of the year for law firms. The firms and their recruiting staff have more time to invest in lateral hiring since summer associate programs have ended. The interviews for this timeline start in August and will dramatically decline by mid-October. Law firms will have had time to settle with their new hires at the beginning of the year to determine if there is further need in other areas. Some law firms also have “use it or lose it†budget policies so if they don’t use what is available to them, they lose the chance to hire more attorneys. By the end of October, things are slowing down at law firms with many taking vacation time for the holidays.
Even though these are the busy times of the year for law firm hires, it does not mean you can’t get hired by a law firm at any other time. There are plenty of other factors that contribute to being hired. There will be more competition during the busy months so if you’re qualifications are not “top notch†then hold out to find that new job when it is not the busy months. You may find that you have better luck looking for a job when everyone else is not.
Things change at law firms all the time. Their work may dry up or just the opposite. A law firm may find themselves with more work than they can handle in May or June so they look to quickly hire some new attorneys. You never know when these circumstances may change for a law firm so it never hurts to put your resume out there and be actively working with a recruiting agency.
Do you think there are time when it can hurt to have your resume out there? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about how to get hired at a big law firm, read these articles:
Top Mistakes Holding Attorneys Back from Jobs at Top Law Firms
How Can Law Firms Hire and Retain More Diverse Attorneys?
Australian Attorneys Most Sought after by Law Firms
Photo: forbes.com
