Taking Care of Your Career

If you read the article on associate salaries, you know that the level of dissatisfaction is somewhat high among law firm associates. With annual attrition rates running at more than 20 percent, there is a reasonable chance you will switch firms, join a corporation, work for the government or otherwise change employers before you make partner in your present firm.

Your future? It’s out there … somewhere. We’re certainly not encouraging you to actively look at other alternatives, but we are suggesting that it’s safe to have some idea of what is out there so you’re ready if the time comes. All you need is the right organization, the right door and the right person impressed enough with you to open it if and when.

Chances are, opportunity won’t come calling. You’ll be the one knocking—and rapping on quite a few doors at that. So it’s important to make sure you’re not wasting time on prospects that don’t fit your strengths and goals.
  
Walk the Right Neighborhood
Sound too simplistic? Don’t be naïve enough to believe that several years of working experience—or your school’s career-placement staff—can tell you everything you need to know. As you narrow your search, you want current, concrete business facts to help you make good business decisions. (Think about it. Isn’t that what you advise your clients?)

So you need to know which firms in your favored locations litigate in your specialty. And if you’re transactional, who are the major players.

But that’s just a starting point.

For example, the martindale.com® Lawyer Locator can show you firm specifics, such as locations, practice mix and client industries, but it also gives you an inside look at docket history. It’s easy to pull up full-color graphs that show litigation activity—exactly what firms are doing. Dockets can’t be skewed like associate atmosphere surveys.

You can also get overviews on transaction work like M&A—how many deals and the estimated total value—at www.martindale.com.  Even get details on corporate counsel and corporate legal departments.

As you refine your prospects, ask the sources that specialize—and excel—in law. Martindale.com® combines intelligence from Martindale-Hubbell®, one of the top names in legal services information for decades, and LexisNexis®, one of the leaders in legal, news and business information.

Want to Work There?
Then Know How They Live
When you get serious about your job hunting, you can focus preparation on your target firms. Of course, you need the basics, like firm size and all locations. But it’s also important to mine for important specifics and subtle details that could give you an edge.

It’s easy to be well versed on total practice mix. But keep drilling. For example, at www.martindale.com you can get practice mix, client industries and a look at docket history graphs that makes it easier to see how the mix is spread across court jurisdictions. Doesn’t do much good to focus on the Cleveland office if your specialty is environmental, and all the environmental litigation is filed in Denver.

If you specialize in transactions, check out www.martindale.com to get an outline of a firm’s recent transaction work as well as its total value—vital facts to know before the interview. Where do you see a place for your talents? Do you know the answer? Someone will ask.

And what about your three years of Spanish? Find out what second languages are important there. Be ready to showcase every unique expertise and how they—that is, you—fit.

Even go the extra mile and ferret out any available clues to firm atmosphere. Study its diversity profile and determine what law schools seem to be popular feeders. Find out average age of experience. Look beneath the surface. For example, after reviewing the diversity profile on www.martindale.com, link to recent articles published by the lawyers and the exclusive Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings™. Anything stand out? See any trends?

You Got in the Door …
Now Make it Count!
Once you get in the door to the interview, you’ll face a partner in a steel-gray suit with a steel-gray attitude—tough and no-nonsense. He’s looking down his glasses, wondering if you’re going to waste his time by being too young and too inexperienced to add anything to his business.

So connect—and do it quickly.

Instead of just talking about your work in your present firm, be prepared to relate your experience to his background and what’s important to him. Did he graduate from the same law school? Do you belong to the same charitable organization? Knowing the facts can better focus the discussion.

That’s easy enough to find. Just enter the partner’s name on the martindale.com service. Depending on the information available for that particular person you can find out what type of deals he’s been handling recently. What’s he been litigating? You can also get a lot of good bonus information to prepare you, including his:

• Home town and biographical information
• Boards and charitable organizations
• Bar memberships
• Published articles
• Reported cases and/or reviews of their major transactions

Plus check out the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating Service. (You can’t find that at other no-charge legal-information sites.)

See for yourself. When you’re ready to take charge of your career, the martindale.com service provides the tools you need.