Amanda Ellis Legal Search
Something Different
 
 
March 2010
 
Welcome to the March issue of Something Different

SXSWi: Lawyers' Creative Spring Break
For students, March signals spring break.  The main article of this issue focuses on a creative spring break available to lawyers - South By Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSWi) in Austin, Texas, March 12-16. 

Working with a Legal Recruiter
I've also included a short piece that I distributed when I participated on a panel discussion for new lawyers at the Dallas Bar Association last month.  This piece covers issues lawyers should understand before working with a legal recruiter.

SXSWi + Austin Legal Tweetup - March 12
Last month I organized tweetups for legal professionals in Dallas and Houston.  It's time to organize one in Austin and what better time than SXSWi.  I've teamed up with Kelly Hoey and Ashley Hunter (our Austin local) to organize a tweetup at Lustre Pearl on Friday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. 

A tweetup is an informal gathering of people in a geographical area who tweet - they gather for drinks, coffee or small meal - dutch treat.  If you are in Austin, we'd love for you to join us on March 12th - even if you don't tweet!

The 6Ps of the BIG 3™
I continue to provide updates about my forthcoming books on The 6Ps blog.  I also update the blog with news and tips about using social networking in your job search, the subject of the books.  The blog posts for the past month include:    

Something Different ... for Capitol Hill Job Seekers
For your dose of something different this month, I found an article with some helpful advice for lawyers (or anyone) seeking legislative positions on Capitol Hill.  According to this Politico article, you need to be on a special list if you are seeking one of these jobs.  

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. 

Amanda

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IN THIS ISSUE
SXSWi: Lawyers' Creative Spring Break
Working with a Legal Recruiter
Something Different Archive
New Job Openings
About Us
Where's
Amanda?
INK

March 12-16, 2010 - attending SXSW Interactive in Austin, TX

March 12, 2010 - organizing SXSWi + Austin Legal Tweetup at Lustre Pearl

March 18, 2010 - Recruiting Administrators of Dallas
presenting The 6Ps of the BIG 3™

March 22, 2010 - Brooklyn Law School
presenting The 6Ps of the BIG 3™

March 24, 2010 - Pace Law School
presenting The 6Ps of the BIG 3™

April 28-May 1, 2010 -
attending NALP 2010 Annual Education Conference in San Juan, PR.  Stop by exhibit booth to hear about The 6Ps of the 3™and pre-order books at a special rate. 

May 27, 2010 - New York City Bar Association presenting The 6Ps of the BIG 3™
SXSWi: Lawyers' Creative Spring Break
by Amanda C. Ellis, Esq. 

March is Spring Break month for students but what about lawyers?  What about a spring break that is both entertaining and beneficial to your career ... but NOT a traditional CLE?  This month, I'm taking a "creative spring break" by attending South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) in Austin, March 12-16.  Perhaps SXSWi has something to offer to you as well?

What is South by Southwest?
South by Southwest (SXSW) is a set of interactive, film and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas.   SXSW began as a music festival in 1987 and added the film and interactive conferences in 1994.  In 2009, SXSW attracted over 30,000 people and injected $99 million into the Austin economy. 

What is South by Southwest Interactive?
The interactive festival, known as SXSWi, attracted more than 11,000 people in 2009 and 2010 pre-registrations are up by a solid 50%.  According to the SXSW website, the registrants for SXSWi consist of the following industries or professions:

SXSW Demographics

Notice that lawyers are absent from the 10 most popular types of registrants for SXSWi.  So, you are probably wondering why a legal recruiter like me is attending a conference for web developers, graphic artists, and electronic media professionals.  I'm not attending to meet potential clients or to obtain CLE credit.  SXSWi is my creative spring break.
 
What is a Creative Spring Break?
My best ideas arise when I step aside from my business and allow myself to think - on a daily basis, this thinking often occurs while working out, drying my hair, or reading (anything).  SXSWi offers an opportunity to step away from business for five days and learn from professionals outside the legal field.  Thus, my goal for my creative spring break:  listen, think, create.  I'm confident I will return refreshed, energized and exploding with ideas and information to help me in recruiting, speaking and sharing with clients.   

Creative Spring Break for Lawyers
Can legal professionals enjoy a creative spring break at SXSWi?  Absolutely!  And, very few lawyers attend SXSWi so there's an opportunity for you to gain a competitive advantage over others in your field. 
 
In scanning the SXSWi Schedule, I found a sampling of programs that appear to offer something different, yet beneficial, for lawyers - lawyers looking to grow their practices, lawyers looking to advance in their current careers, lawyers looking for insight about the industries they represent, lawyers looking to identify emerging issues in their practice areas, and lawyers looking to transition into new careers or hire new employees.  I grouped select programs into the following categories:
BizDevBusiness Development
There are several panels on the SXSWi schedule that address issues related to business development such as marketing, networking and blogging.  Moreover, face-to-face networking opportunities for lawyers abound.  For example, panelists often include in-house counsel.  And, many of the attendees own start-ups or high tech companies that will likely retain legal counsel at some point in the future.
 
Job seekers, too, can take advantage of the business development focused panels.  After all, job seekers must market themselves to potential employers.  And, networking with the attendees can't hurt; it's often the mid-sized and smaller tech companies that don't have in-house counsel.  Perhaps some of the attendees have reached a point where they now have a need?
 
Whether your goal is to develop business or find a job, here are five panels that might be worth attending:

 "Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!" covers how to market yourself without looking like an obnoxious self-promoter.

SXSW Self Promotion

 "Networking at a Multi-Day Conference" covers how to make meaningful connections at multi-day conferences.

SXSW networking multi 

"Measuring Blogger Credibility:  FTC Regulation v. Crowdsourced Solutions" examines The Federal Trade Commission's new guidelines, effective December 1, 2009, that govern endorsements and testimonials in your blog. 

SXSW FTC blog

"Don't Get Sued! A Guide for Content Creators" is a panel comprised primarily of legal counsel from corporate legal departments, including Josh Sussman, VP General Counsel Programming at IAC; Koethi Zan, Senior Vice President Business and Legal Affairs & Deputy General Counsel at MTV; Lucas Paglia, Associate General Counsel American Eagle Outfitters; and Robert Strent, Entertainment Lawyer at Grubman Indursky & Shire.

SXSW Don't get sued

"Can You Copyright a Tweet?" is another interesting panel because it covers a legal issue but not a single presenter practices law in a firm - again, I note this because of the opportunities for firm lawyers to interact with both the panelists and audience.  The panelists include Fred Benenson of Kickstarter; Wendy Seltzer of Berkman Center/Silicon Flatirons; and Jon Phillips of rejon.org

SXSW Copyright tweet


CarAdvCareer Advancement
In addition to the networking opportunities available for job seekers mentioned above, there are also panels covering career advancement issues, including the following:

"Jacks of All Trades or Masters of One?"  discusses the strengths of being specialists and generalists for web professionals but perhaps there's some insight for associates who are often concerned about becoming pigeon-holed in a particular practice area?

SXSW jack all trades

"Bumpin' Up: Has The Glass Ceiling Ever Smacked You in the Butt?" covers the advancement of women, an issue that is not unique to women in the legal profession.  The technology profession is also dominated by boys and presents problems for women like venture capitalists who don't fund enough women start-ups.  Perhaps the following panel offers some ideas for women in the legal profession as well? 

SXSW glass ceiling

 "The Happiness Project" is a presentation by a lawyer who left the practice of law for another career - writing.  The Happiness Project is a #1 New York Times bestseller written by Gretchen Rubin who realized she wanted to be a writer after clerking for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. 

sxsw happiness

"Be Your Own Boss: Create a Life You Love" sounds like it could be helpful for lawyers contemplating a solo practice. 

SXSW be own boss


IndustryIndustry Insight
SXSWi also presents opportunities for lawyers to learn about the industries they represent.  For example, one growing industry that will be in attendance at SXSWi is the video game industry.  According to adigitaldreamer.com, this is the fastest growing industry across all sectors and revenue from computer games now exceeds that from the Hollywood box office.
 
Thus, it's probably no surprise that the legal profession has noticed this growing industry.  The SMU Dedman School of Law, the Guildhall at SMU and the Center for American and International Law recently hosted the International Summit on the Law and Business of Video Games.

SXSWi offers an opportunity for lawyers representing this industry to learn more about the industry such as:

"Game On:  Funding Gaming Start-Ups in a Recession"

sxsw gaming

"Power-Ups & Press:  How the Game Media Impacts the Gaming Industry"

SXSW power up games

"How Austin Can Help Your Gaming Career"

sxsw austin game career


EmergingEmerging Practice Area Issues

As social or interactive media invades every area of our life, it's probably no surprise that new legal issues arise in niche areas.  One such area is estate planning and what happens to a social networker's profile upon death.  SXSWi has several panels covering this emerging issue such as:

"People Die, Profiles Don't"

SXSW people die profiles don't

"Your Online Identity After Death and Digital Wills"

SXSW wills


jobThe Job Search
I mentioned several panels related to career advancement issues.  There are also a few panels covering the job search process from both the employer's perspective and the candidate's perspective.   The topics of these panels are also the subjects of my forthcoming books about social recruiting in the legal industry

"Using Social Media to Score ... a Job (Obviously)"

SXSW social media job

"Hiring and Recruitment Goes Social"

SXSW social recruiting


austinKeep Austin Weird

If you know anything about Austin, you are probably familiar with the slogan:  "Keep Austin Weird."  It's only fitting that some of the panels just seem random and weird ... but, probably fun and worth exploring.


"I Can See Russia From My iPhone!"

SXSW can see russia

"How To Not Be a Douchebag at SXSW"

SXSW douchebag

"Facebook Status:  'It's Complicated'"

sxsw it's complicated

"Booze Blogging:  Liquid Conversation"

SXSW booze blogging

Conclusion

Perhaps it's too late for you to make plans to attend SXSWi this year? There's always next year.  Perhaps you'll be presenting at a panel next year?  Or, perhaps you'll find a similar conference to attend that's not CLE but offers enriching, creative programs?  You deserve a creative spring break ... and, your clients will benefit from your creative spring break. 

WorkingRec Working with a Legal Recruiter
by Amanda C. Ellis, Esq.
1.       Understand the terminology.
  • Recruiter/Headhunter/Legal Search Consultant/Placement Director:  work for law firms; help law firms fill attorney openings/positions.  The law firm is the client and pays the recruiter.
  • Career Counselor/Consultant/Coach:  work for individual attorneys; help attorneys find jobs.  The individual attorney is the client and pays the career counselor.
  • Client:  the law firm with an open attorney position the recruiter is trying to fill.
  • Candidate:  the individual attorney the recruiter recruits to fill positions at law firms. 
 
2.       How do I find a legal recruiter?
 
The National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC) is the only national organization for legal recruiters; all recruiters who join NALSC agree to abide by the NALSC Code of Ethics®.  There is a searchable directory on the NALSC website where you can find a NALSC recruiter in your geographical area. 
 
Another group you might find interesting is the Attorney Recruiter Consortium Group on LinkedIn.  The group is comprised of attorney recruiters and individual attorneys and is a great forum where candidates can interact with recruiters and learn from them about the industry and recruiting trends. 
 
Finally, talk to friends and colleagues who obtained their positions through a recruiter and find out which recruiter they used. 
 
3.       What qualities should I look for when working with a recruiter?
 
Transparency/Honesty:  A legal recruiter should provide you with the name of a law firm and obtain your approval before submitting your resume to any firm.  A recruiter should also be able to tell you whether the firm has an actual opening for which he/she is submitting you or whether he/she is simply marketing you to the firm.
 
Knowledge:  You want a recruiter who understands the legal industry and, preferably, your practice area.  How can a recruiter "sell" your background to a firm if the recruiter doesn't understand the key points in a particular practice area?  For example, a good recruiter submitting a candidate for a commercial bankruptcy attorney position would know that "Chapter 13" is not appropriate to discuss with the candidate or firm since Chapter 13 is the Code's section for consumer bankruptcies. 
 
Connections:  If a recruiter placed other attorneys at the firm you are interested in joining, it is likely the firm has strong connections/working relationship with the firm. 
 
4.       Can legal recruiters help any attorney?
 
No - remember, the recruiter works for the law firm so it depends on what the law firm is seeking.  Typically large firms will only look at candidates with strong academic backgrounds (i.e., top law school, high GPA and class rank).  And, both large and small firms typically look for candidates with at least two years of experience (meaning two years of experience working as an attorney since becoming licensed - clerkships and clinical experience do not count toward this experience).
 
NEW Development - Recruiters may not be the best resource of laid-off associates:  Because of the large number of attorneys laid off during the 2009 economic recession and, thus, the large number of attorneys available for open positions, many large firms no longer accept resumes from recruiters if the candidate is unemployed, including laid-off.  In this case the supply of attorneys exceeds the demand and, therefore, firms don't have to pay a recruiter's fee to find the talent.
 
Recent law school graduates:  Most recruiters aren't able to place entry-level attorneys, including recent graduates, attorneys coming out of clerkships and attorneys who have not worked for at least one year as an associate in a law firm or as counsel in a corporation.  Again, most firms can't justify paying a recruiter's fee for someone inexperienced.
 
5.       What is this "recruiter's fee" that sometimes prohibits firms from hiring candidates submitted by recruiters? 
 
The law firm (client) compensates recruiters by paying them a placement fee for each successful placement.  Fees are typically calculated as a percentage of the candidate's starting base salary.  In some situations (as outlined above), paying a recruiter's fee is cost prohibitive. 
 
6.      Can I work with multiple recruiters?

Nothing prohibits you from working with multiple recruiters. However, you should note that candidates who work with one recruiter typically have the most success and the least chance of getting "bounced" as a result of dual submissions.

The general rule in the legal industry is that law firms keep a candidate's resume active for a 6 month to 1 year period. The person who first submitted your resume to the firm during this period is the person who has priority. Thus, if you are working with multiple recruiters, it is imperative to keep detailed notes outlining which firms you or another recruiter has contacted; moreover, you should share this information with each recruiter working on your search.

7.       What if I don't hear back from a recruiter?
 
If you submit a resume to a recruiter and don't hear back, you should follow up at least once.  Keep in mind, however, that recruiters can't help every candidate.  They may have decided based on your resume that you are not qualified for the position.  It's often time-consuming for recruiters to notify everyone who submitted a resume so many don't call candidates unless they have a need for the candidate.  Remember, the recruiter isn't working for the candidate and has no obligation to find the candidate a job.
 
8.       Why should I authorize a legal recruiter to submit my resume to a firm rather than submitting my resume myself?
 
Go Solo:
 
You should submit your resume directly to the firm if the firm is not accepting resumes from recruiters for the particular position.  Law firms typically indicate on their website whether they are accepting resumes from recruiters for the particular position. 
 
Additionally, if you have strong connections to a firm, you may want to go through your connections to get introduced to the appropriate hiring authority.
 
Go with Recruiter:
 
If you are relocating to a different legal market, a legal recruiter can be instrumental in your job search, especially if you do not know much about the new market and do not have time to perform the requisite research.
 
A recruiter can also help if confidentiality is a concern for you.  For example, if a partner at your current firm is married to a partner at the firm you're interested in joining, a recruiter can bypass the partner's spouse and make sure your resume does not land on that partner's desk. 
 
Recruiters are also helpful when a candidate is looking to move from a large firm to a small firm because the candidate might not know as much about small firms. 
 
9.       But, do small firms even work with recruiters?
 
YES!  Many small firms rely on recruiters to fill positions because the small firms don't have internal recruiters to handle the firm's hiring needs.  Additionally, small firms don't receive as many unsolicited resumes from candidates and, therefore, don't always have a pile of candidates on hand like many large firms do. 
 
10.   Why should I even bother reading a recruiter's email or talking to a recruiter on the phone if I know I'm not interested in leaving my current firm or if I know I'm going to conduct my own job search?
 
Recruiters know a lot of attorneys and, therefore, are people you want to know and with whom you should develop strong relationships.  A good recruiter will often tell other attorneys about open positions even if the recruiter isn't working to fill the position.  Additionally, recruiters can be an incredible referral source.  Frequently, lawyers and law firms turn to recruiters when they need a recommendation for local counsel in a particular market because they know that recruiters know a lot of attorneys.  If you have a good relationship with the recruiter, the recruiter might refer the business to you which will help your client development. 


ARCHIVE 
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  • Boutique firm seeks litigation partner with $1M in business to lead the firm's litigation practice

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  • National law firm seeks oil/gas associate with 2-5 years large firm experience. 

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Litigation Partner - (8+ years) Dallas
  • Prominent boutique firm comprised of former big firm partners seeks litigation partner with sustainable book of portable business ($500K minimum) and experience with real estate disputes, lender liability claims, creditors rights and bankruptcy litigation
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 and, as of January 2010, on the placement of all attorneys in Dallas, Texas.  
 
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. The newsletter often covers topics on social networking (still new and different to many attorneys) and how attorneys can incorporate social networking in their job searches or business development. 

In addition to writing about social networking in Something Different, Amanda frequently speaks to law schools and law firms about incorporating social networking in job searches and business development.  In 2009, Amanda created The 6Ps of the Big 3™:  Using Social Networking Sites in Your Job Search and presented the program to lawyers, law firm recruiters and law students in California, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.  Amanda is finalizing two books based on The 6Ps of the Big 3™and scheduled for release in 2010. 

Contact Amanda:
www.aellislegal.com
214.361.0070
© 2009 Amanda Ellis Legal Search.
This material may not be reproduced, republished or redistributed in whole or in part
without the expressed written permission of Amanda Ellis Legal Search.