Amanda Ellis Legal Search
Something Different  September 2009

Welcome to the September issue of Something Different!  Negative news about the legal job market continues to surround us as we enter September -- no offers to rising 3Ls who participated in large firms' summer programs, more layoffs of associates and even partners, and delayed start dates for incoming associates.  So, this issue of Something Different focuses on an innovative tool, the social networking site Twitter, that can help those affected by this negative news.   The main article below analyzes three ways legal professionals can find jobs on Twitter, an untapped resource for legal jobs.  The idea for this topic arose as I hosted Bad Times Boot Camp for Lawyers last month.    

 
Bad Times Boot Camp for Lawyers, the free networking event I hosted in Central Park on August 25 for out-of-work attorneys, drew both recent law school graduates as well as laid-off attorneys.  The evening consisted of a challenging but fun workout led by inSHAPE, followed by a networking session that lasted until darkWhile speaking with the attendees, I realized that not a single attendee was using Twitter to search for jobs or network.  Moreover, they did not know how an attorney could use Twitter in his job search.  I hope this newsletter provides some guidance as to how an attorney (or any legal professional) can use Twitter in his job search.
 
A special thanks to inSHAPE, The Sun Communication Group Legal PR Network and Solo Practice University for their help hosting the event and donating fabulous prizes. 
 

Law Clerk Connection

Another job resource worth mentioning is a site I discovered last week called Law Clerk Connection, a virtual forum that allows law students and law school graduates to bid on contract clerking assignments at small-to-medium-size firms across the nation.  
 

Something Different: Attorney's All You Can Jet Adventure

Finally, your dose of something different this month is a story about an adventurous attorney and her husband who are doing something different -- spending the month of September traveling around the Caribbean and South America on a JetBlue All-You-Can-Jet Pass.  According to the press release for the All You Can Jet Adventure, the attorney is a 2008 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law and scheduled to join the New York office of Sullivan & Cromwell in October.  As they travel during September, the attorney and her husband will interview local entrepreneurs and post the stories on TheStrategyBlog.com and LifeofCurisoity.com.           

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. 
Amanda

[email protected] 
www.aellislegal.com   

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IN THIS ISSUE
Attorneys Finding Jobs on Twitter
About Us

GCs, Managing Partners Talk Change at NALSC 2009 (May 2009)

 
 
Where's
Amanda?
INK
September 24 - University of Texas School of Law
Presenting "Survive & Thrive"
 
October 1 - St. John's School of Law
Presenting "
The 6Ps of the Big 3 for your Job Search
 
October 28 - Michigan Network of IWIRC
Panelist, "How to Survive the Frightful Economy" 
Attorneys Finding Jobs on Twitter
by Amanda C. Ellis, Esq. 
 
 
News headlines over the last few weeks - both in mainstream media and legal publications - continued to focus on negative aspects of the legal job market:     

The reality is the legal job market is flooded with laid-off associates, recent graduates without jobs and rising 3Ls with fewer (or no) job prospects.  Thus, it is imperative for these job seekers to take advantage of every job search tool available.  One tool available is the social networking site Twitter.  You can read more about Twitter in one of my earlier newsletters here.  The best part about Twitter ... not many attorneys are using it in their job search (or even know how to use it) so those who do use it instantly have access to hidden resources.  

I recommend job seekers use Twitter in three ways: 

  1. Search the legal job boards on Twitter;
  2. Follow the right users - people and firms that are not job boards but users who sometimes post openings or talk about firms that are hiring; and
  3. Network to build relationships (over time) with legal professionals. 

Method 1:  Search Legal Job Boards on Twitter 

Job seekers should be familiar with two ways to search job boards via Twitter: 

  1. Searching individual job boards that are specific to the legal industry; and
  2. Searching TwitterJobSearch.com for legal positions that appear on non-legal specific job boards. 

I've compiled a list of over 30 job boards for the legal industry and listed them below in the following categories - national legal job boards, regional legal job boards, international legal job boards and practice area/industry specific legal job boards.  I'm sure there are others; this is just a list of job boards I see tweeting jobs on a consistent basis. 

National Legal Job Boards
@LM_Jobs - the ABA's LegallyMinded
@lawjobsinusa - national job board
@DiverseJobs - diversity jobs
@legaljobsite - job site for legal professionals  
@lawjobs - job board and career site for Incisive Media's Law.com Network
@mhcareers - Martindale-Hubbell career center and job board
@Law_Crossing - legal jobs
@tmj_usa_legal - USA legal/paralegal jobs from www.tweetmyjobs.com
@GetLawyerJobs - lawyer jobs
@GetEnLeAttoJobs - entry level attorney jobs

Regional Legal Job Boards
@lbattyjobs - legal jobs in Chicago and the Midwest
@jobs_at_Legal - Atlanta legal jobs
@LegalJobsInLA - Los Angeles legal jobs from the Omni Job Board Network
@LawJobsNewYork - New York legal jobs
@jobs_NY_Legal - New York legal jobs
@nyclegaljobs - New York City legal jobs
@jobs_STL_Legal - St. Louis legal jobs
@sdlegal - San Diego legal jobs
@Jobs_SF_Legal - San Francisco area law jobs
@SocalLawCareers - Southern California legal jobs
@jobs_sat_Legal - Washington state legal jobs
@jobs_DC_Legal - Washington, DC legal jobs

International Legal Job Boards
@LawJobAustralia - Australia legal jobs
@LawJobsCanada - Canada legal jobs
@LawJobsIndia - India law jobs
@LawJob - United Kingdom law jobs
@LawJobsBIRM - United Kingdom (Birmingham) legal jobs
@LegalWeek - United Kingdom (London) legal jobs
@LegalJobsLondon - United Kingdom (London) legal jobs

Practice Area/Industry Specific Legal Job Boards
@intellectualxin - Intellectual property jobs
@getpatattorjobs - patent attorney jobs
@DotOrgJobs - philanthropy and nonprofit jobs
@lobbyingjobs -job board for lobbyists, advocacy, policy and government relations professionals
@jobsinlobbying - lobbyist jobs
@HigherEdJobs - jobs in higher education, including law schools
@AcademeJobs - jobs in higher education, including law schools

TwitterJobSearch.com 

The second way to access postings on job boards is to perform a search on TwitterJobSearch.com.  Search by keywords such as legal, lawyer, attorney or counsel.  Your results will include legal job postings on non-legal job boards that might be off your radar.  In the example below, you'll see that I searched with the keyword "counsel" and the search generated two postings for corporate counsel positions on two non-legal job boards -- @zulujobsil and @execjobsla. 

Counsel search on TwitterJobSearch

 
Method 2:  Follow Users Who Tweet About Jobs

 
In addition to job boards, there are plenty of users who routinely tweet about jobs or tweet information that suggests potential job openings.  For example, the following tweet is by an attorney who announced that Google was looking to hire telecom policy counsel in DC.
 
Google job
 
Frequently, users know of positions that are not advertised or posted.  Here's an example of a user tweeting about a legal marketing position in the Los Angeles area.  There is no link to a job posting but the user provides her contact information so people can get in touch for more information.
 
Marketing position
 
In addition to specific positions, watch for potential openings.  For example, here's a tweet from the ABA Journal announcing that the DOJ plans to hire 50 more lawyers.  
DOJ hiring
 
And, here's a tweet and link to an article regarding a practice area that continues to boom  -- e-discovery -- discussing how many firms have created the position of e-discovery attorney.  Attorneys with any IT background could use this information to market themselves as e-discovery attorneys to firms potentially looking. 
E-discovery attorneys
 
The challenging part of following users who routinely tweet about legal jobs is knowing who to follow.  I recommend getting started by following law school career counselors, internal law firm recruiters, external legal recruiters (headhunters), legal publications and bar associations. 
 
Method 3:  Network with Legal Professionals

 
Finally, job seekers should embrace one of the oldest and best job search methods - networking.  Now, they can network online on social networking sites like Twitter and reach hundreds or thousands of people in fewer than 140 characters.  I recommend five steps for networking on Twitter:
 
  1. Identify and connect with legal professionals, especially those with whom you share connections - law school alumni, geographical market, practice area, etc. 
  2. Socialize with these professionals.  Remember, it's called social networking; you must engage with others to develop relationships.
  3. Mix it up.  The content of your tweets shouldn't always say, "help me find a job."  Definitely let people know you are job searching but go beyond that simple statement.  Talk about the steps you are taking in your job search.  Talk about legal articles you've read or trends you are seeing in the industry.  Ask questions and respond to others' questions.  And, don't be afraid to mix in personal talk such as a movie you are going to see or advice on a restaurant to try in a particular area of town.  You very well may connect with someone because you share a favorite restaurant! 
  4. Monitor your numbers.  How many people did you engage with in a week?  How many times have you engaged with a particular user?  Remember the rule of 7 touches in traditional networking?  It applies to social networking as well.  It will take multiple contacts with a particular user before a relationship develops. 
  5. Connect offline.  Pick up the phone after you've engaged with someone 6-8 times online and have a conversation.  If you live in the same town, meet for coffee.  Or, if you visit another user's city, offer to meet for coffee during your visit. 

Conclusion 

Will you land your dream job on Twitter?  Who knows?  I do know that Twitter is an untapped resource in legal job searches and offers too many potential benefits to be ignored.  Try using it in your job search or recommending it to a job seeker. Even if you don't land your dream job, perhaps you'll make a new friend. 

ABOUT US 
HeadshotAmanda Ellis Legal Search was founded by Amanda C. Ellis, a former practicing bankruptcy attorney and an accomplished attorney recruiter. Amanda was previously with Special Counsel, the largest provider of legal staffing services to corporate legal departments and law firms nationwide, where she was the top producer for direct hire attorney placements. Amanda formed Amanda Ellis Legal Search to implement a focused approach to legal recruiting. Amanda Ellis Legal Search focuses on the placement of bankruptcy attorneys in law firms nationwide. 
 
Inspired by the idea of doing something different or new each month in 2009, Amanda Ellis Legal Search launched Something Different in January 2009.  The monthly newsletter outlines a new or different service or resource available to legal professionals in each issue. 

Contact us:
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214.361.0070
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