Hot Practice Areas & Industries that Have Changed over 10 Years

On September 13, 2020
In Career Management, Career Tips, Move

I’ve been recruiting in-house lawyers for over 10 years. The most requested practice area, then and now, is commercial, i.e., negotiating and drafting agreements. Companies always need deals to be closed, both inbound (licensing) and outbound (sales), so it’s easy to justify hiring commercial lawyers, in contrast to other legal needs that ebb and flow. […]

On December 21, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips, Move

From my vantage point as a recruiter, I’ve seen the Bay Area legal market on fire for years. I recently read a Wall Street Journal article confirming the area’s dominance. It reported that only five cities accounted for 90% of all new tech jobs in the US from 2005 to 2017. San Francisco led the list, and San Jose came in […]

On September 2, 2019
In Career Tips, Move

Before any recession hits, make sure you like your job so you are not stuck with it in the long run! I like this recent Inc. article, which provides a five question checklist on whether to stay or go: Are you often filled with dread? If you are consistently having bad days versus one-offs, then […]

On October 12, 2018
In Career Management, Interview, Move

Leaving a job can be complicated, but no prospective employer wants to hear the messy details (and your telling them would show a lack of judgment). Keep simple your explanation of why you are leaving. Here are five accepted reasons: Change in management. People understand that departures by your GC, direct manager, your team, or […]

On July 20, 2018
In Career Management, Career Tips, Move

Conventional wisdom tells you to map out your career plan with concrete details. I like the advice of contrarians Sheryl Sandberg and Wharton Professor Adam Grant, who advise you not plan your career too much in advance — there’s so much you don’t know upfront, and technology is constantly changing! (In my case, before law […]

On July 17, 2017
In Move

I recently spoke with a fantastic lawyer who spent the last 20 years in Paris but is now at a leading Silicon Valley company in a different space. How did she pull off this feat? Her top 3 tips: Indirect connections can help! An old co-worker recommended her for a GC job at a San […]

On July 10, 2017
In Move

Working in a satellite office is never easy. Here are 4 things to keep in mind, according to a senior manager at a leading company who did it for many years: Know that visibility is always going to be an issue. If you work away from headquarters, you obviously will not be seen as often, […]

On January 2, 2014
In Career Management, Move

Your career arc needs to be clean and compelling, but what if you made some moves? Some ways to make the narrative clear in your resume: If your firm merged, list only the current (and usually better known) name under the employer/work experience section, and simply add “(f/k/a [old firm])” next to it. If you […]

On December 1, 2013
In Career Management, Inhouse, Move

The odds of going in-house increase with the number of items a candidate can check off: Excellent law school. Grads from the leading schools are at the top of the heap, especially when combined with #2 (training at an AmLaw firm). Top law firm. If you didn’t go to the best law school, employers may […]

On November 14, 2013
In Career Management, Move

It’s not impossible, but let’s consider the factors: Preference of employers. Bay Area employers always prefer local candidates. They don’t want to move you if they can find someone here already with the same skills, which is often the case. Even if you are willing to move yourself, employers don’t want to deal with the […]

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