Are you looking for the perfect law firm position? Legal Authority's database contains the hiring contacts of practically every law firm in the United States, Europe and Asia. Updated hundreds of times each day, the Legal Authority database contains thousands of firms not even listed in Martindale Hubbell, NALP or other traditional sources. If you want to practice law in a law firm, we can help you get the job you want. In fact, every day of the week numerous attorneys throughout the United States get law firm jobs through Legal Authority. Legal Authority's law firm database literally gets thousands of attorneys and law students jobs inside law firms each year.
Precise, Current Data To Drive Your Career Forward
Most importantly, for each law firm in our database we have researched who the precise individual in charge of hiring is and our researchers verify this information at least once every four months-hiring information can change quite frequently inside law firms. The work we do on an ongoing basis in compiling and maintaining our law firm database provides you with a level of focus that daily enhances the lives and careers of attorneys all over the country.
Comprising hundreds of thousands of law firms, our database is a world all unto itself. Each day we make hundreds of inquiries and are literally working on our law firm database 24 hours a day. We have organized our information in a way that allows you to target firms with profound precision. We can locate law firms based on their practice area, combinations of practice areas, size, geographic locations-even a particular zip code, county, or street if you like.
Legal Authority Allows You To Approach Only The Law Firms Likely To Be Interested in You
Legal Authority's objective is to provide you with the ability to target only the firms that are most likely to be interested in you. For example, if you are a litigator you might be surprised to know that there are over 4,000 law firms doing litigation in certain counties of the United States. Certainly you would never want to apply to all these law firms. Nevertheless, by narrowing this list down based upon the size of the firm you want to work in, the area of the county you want to work in and the other practice areas you would like the firm to have you could come up with a highly targeted list. Accordingly, if you were a realtor before attending law school and are interested in real estate litigation you would likely target firms with real estate and litigation practices). Here, in a market with as many as 4000 law firms doing litigation you might conceivably have the ability to target as little as 50 law firms. This nature of our database means that we permit you to contact only those firms likely to be most interested in you.
For many attorneys, the law firm path turns out to be an exceptional choice due to the wide variety of characteristics and firm cultures that are available. Law firms most often offer generous salaries and comfortable environments. Many attorneys practicing in law firms also find the work interesting and are satisfied with the challenges and successes. The hours can be demanding in some firms, but may be very relaxed or unimportant in others.
The fact is that by tailoring and customizing your approach to various law firms, you can ensure that you get the type of working conditions and job you want. We have outlined several case studies below. These illustrations prove our point that no matter where you are in your career, we can help you find the job you want.
CASE STUDY: Fourth Year Associate With An ''AmLaw 100'' Law Firm Desiring to Work in a Smaller Firm and Get More Trial Experience
Kevin was a third year associate with one of the most prestigious firms in the United States practicing law in New York City. Despite having excellent credentials, the only positions any legal recruiter could tell him about were at other major law firms. Kevin was hoping to get more litigation experience and do trials. In addition, Kevin did not like the hours of his current firm and wanted to be in a more collegial environment. After having had several excellent years of training, he believed he was ready for the increased responsibility of a smaller firm.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
Legal Authority was able to identify over 250 law firms in New York City of fewer than 30 attorneys with litigation practices. Legal Authority assisted Kevin in creating a compelling cover letter and resume that explained his desire for increased responsibility and additional reasons he wanted to work in a smaller firm. Kevin ultimately chose to approach just over 200 firms. Kevin received over 20 interviews within two weeks of mailing his letters and accepted a position with a small-but high powered-securities litigation boutique in Manhattan. Although he was prepared to take a major salary cut to join a smaller firm, he actually ended up making close to what he made when working for a larger firm at the end of his first year with the securities firm. In addition, Kevin participated in two trials during his first year with the new firm. Kevin had actually never heard of the firm he accepted position with before he interviewed with them.
CASE STUDY: Law Student From First Tier California Law School Desiring a Position in Either Chicago or Texas
Evan was law student attending a top law school in the University of California system. Evan had attended an Ivy League college (where he majored in Chemistry) and had enrolled in law school directly out of college. Evan was entering his second year of law school and was interested in working as a summer associate with a firm that did patent prosecution work in both Chicago (where he was from) and also Texas (where his father had moved after getting divorced). While approximately 15 law firms from Chicago interviewed at his school and another 10 or so did from Texas, most of these firms did not have patent prosecution practices. Evan did not believe that using his school's career services office was the best option due to the limited number of firms interviewing at his school for summer associates in the patent prosecution field.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
Evan contacted Legal Authority and we identified close to 200 firms in Chicago and Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth that had patent prosecution practices and were of the size that Evan wanted to contact. After having his resume and cover letter redone by Legal Authority, Evan contacted each of these firms. Evan received over 30 interviews, ended up going to 11 of these interviews and received six solid job offers for a summer associate position. Evan split his second summer between a firm in Dallas and one in Chicago. Each of the firms Evan received interviews with did not even interview at his school.
CASE STUDY: Second Year Insurance Coverage Associate Relocating From Minneapolis to New York
James was an insurance coverage associate with a major Minneapolis law firm who was just entering his second year of law school. James had been dating a woman in law school who had moved to New York City directly following graduation and the two were eager to work and live together in the same city. For months, James had been checking the web sites of major law firms for openings, had sent out some resumes to the better known insurance coverage practices in New York and had also spent a good deal of time checking job boards. He had not received a single interview.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
Legal Authority was able to identify over 100 firms in New York City with insurance coverage practices. Legal Authority recommended that James approach them all. James received over 11 interviews within two weeks of sending his letters. James accepted a position with a well known national law firm that had only started an insurance coverage practice a few months before James contacting them. James now works and practices law in New York City.
CASE STUDY: LL.M Student With A Background in Education Law
Liz, a student in an LL.M program at a third tier law school in Florida, has a background in Education Law. She was a teacher for several years before attending law school and enrolled in an education law LL.M program directly out of law school. In fact, her school in Florida offers the only LL.M. in Education Law in the United States. Unfortunately, very few firms recruit on campus for law students and no firms recruit for attorneys to do education law. Her law school did not have any suggestions for her as to how to get a job with a law firm. In fact, most of her classmates are simply applying to work for school systems throughout Florida.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
Liz was interested in working in 15 possible states. Although there were less than 40 firms fitting her criteria (i.e., a firm of more than 30 attorneys, with an education law practice) these geographic areas, Legal Authority was able to assist Liz in applying to them all. Working with Legal Authority, Liz received a well crafted cover letter that explained her interest in working in an area outside of Florida and how her experience prior to law school made her a good fit. Liz received 11 interviews in six separate states and accepted a position in California that paid over $100,000 per year.
CASE STUDY: Part-time Attorney Who Has Been Out of the Job Market
June, a 36 year old graduate of a fourth tier law school and recent mother, had been out of the job market for three years and was seeking a part time position in the Southwest as an attorney. She has already approached seven or eight top firms in this area, with no luck.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
In June's case, we assisted her in preparing her cover letter and resume to effectively describe her desires and what she had to offer. By performing a completely expansive search in her area limited to smaller firms, we enabled her to find a smaller firm that was open to having a part time attorney. In addition, June received interview requests from three firms that were within a 20 minute drive of her home.
CASE STUDY: Partner With No Portable Business
Ron, a 52 year old partner at a major law firm in Los Angeles, was being forced out because his firm was terminating partners without significant portable business. Ron wanted to stay in the same area, and had inflexible salary requirements. In fact, in order to even pay his current expenses he needed to take home a salary of at least $200,000 per year.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
We assisted Ron in contacting just over 100 Los Angeles law firms. With our research and subsequent mailing (Ron did not want to sign or stamp the envelopes himself), we were able to connect Ron with over 15 law firms that were interested in speaking with him. Within four weeks of us assisting him with his mailing, Ron had received a job offer from a mid-sized Los Angeles law firm paying over $60,000 more than his present salary.
CASE STUDY: Law Student from Second-Tier Law School
Steven was a ''B'' student at a second-tier law school. His school's Career Services Office had no resources to speak of and a very small on-campus interviewing program. In the fall of his third year, Steven sent out resumes to all 200 firms in the NALP directory that were in his state, but received a very poor response.
LEGAL AUTHORITY: Solution
The NALP directory represents less than 5% of the available firms in any given market. We were able to identify more than 6000 additional firms that Steven could approach. Steven ultimately approached approximately 300 employers and received several job offers.
From our research and conversations with potential clients, we have compiled a list of legal myths that seem to surround the legal job search. Read on and be enlightened. Do not let the fact that a firm may have paid $450.00 to post a job on Monster.com or some other site convince you that this is the firm for you. Most law firms hire all year long. If you only rely on advertised positions, you are going to be missing out on a massive number of potential positions. If your resume and materials arrive at the right firm at the right time, you may get an outstanding opportunity.
| Legal Myth | LEGAL AUTHORITY |
| Only law firms that interview at my school will hire me. | There are over 250 law schools in the United States. Do you think every law firm goes to every school seeking attorneys? Many attorneys from first-tier through fourth-tier law schools land positions at thousands of firms each year that did not interview at their respective schools. |
| Legal Myth | LEGAL AUTHORITY |
| I will never find a law firm position. | Okay, then you are already defeated. A positive, optimistic attitude is the only way to start a job search. Right now, in almost every American city, there is a law firm that needs an attorney just like you. This position could be tens of thousands of dollars more than you are making now. This position may not even be advertised and you are not going to find this law firm by using Monster, 15 gazillion web sites, a headhunter, or even Martindale Hubbell. Chances are this firm is already in our database. Let us put you in touch with them today! |
| Legal Myth | LEGAL AUTHORITY |
| It is better to work with a recruiter to find a law firm position. | Unless you have stellar qualifications, there are very few headhunters that will work with you. Stellar qualifications mean that you are coming from a top law firm and attended a top twenty law school. While recruiters are enormously helpful in getting candidates a position - and certainly can enhance lives and careers - the fact is that unless you have these qualifications they will not be able to do you much good. Also, recruiters only work with law firms or clients that will pay their fees. This can limit you to a very small slice of all the available opportunities in a given market. Furthermore, recruiters only work with firms that have active openings that are provided to the given recruiter. This can also limit you to an enormous amount of potential jobs you might otherwise be able to apply to. An additional and little know fact about recruiters is that you have very little control over their work product. Many placement firms do not even send cover letters and will just fax your resume to the employer. At Legal Authority, we actually work with you to create a cover letter and resume to have the best possible impression upon employers. You control the work product. Finally, smaller firms rarely use recruiters. This can result in missing out an opportunity to join a growing firm who will become the next Skadden Arps or Latham & Watkins. Moreover, in a tough economy, law firms, just like everyone else, need to cut back on their expenses, and recruiting expenses are normally the first to go. |
| Legal Myth | LEGAL AUTHORITY |
| If I spend enough time on job-posting boards, I will find the perfect law firm position. | Most firms do not advertise their open positions on job posting boards or in the classified section of your local newspaper. If that is the only way you are doing your job search you are going to miss out on the majority of opportunities. Would you rather approach a few firms with positions on the Internet, or every firm that matches your interest in a region of the country? |
| Legal Myth | LEGAL AUTHORITY |
| Only firms with advertised positions will ever interview me. | Do not let the fact that a firm may have paid $450.00 to post a job on Monster.com or some other site convince you that this is the firm for you. Most law firms hire all year long. If you only rely on advertised positions, you are going to be missing out on a massive number of potential positions. If your resume and materials arrive at the right firm at the right time, you may get an outstanding opportunity. |
