Archive for the ‘attorney job’ Category
The National law Journal took a look at what it takes to get a law jobs in the new environment. In a down economy, law firms across the spectrum of size, geography and practice concentration have reduced their hiring goals. We all know about the layoffs – boring. But while some law firms have disappeared and law jobs have gone by the thousands, the financial turmoil may herald changes in the recruitment process that could eventually work a fundamental restructuring of employment in the profession. Here are some steps jobseekers may consider to help adapt to the new recruitment practices. 
n a buyer’s market, law firms can afford to be more selective. Reduced profit margins and client demands for more efficient service, moreover, make every hiring decision more important.
As a result of these economic changes, firms have begun to apply more stringent criteria in hiring, and some have employed more rigorous new forms of screening. Both the ABA Journal and American lawyer, for example, recently reported on the use of “behavioral interviewing,” in which candidates are asked specific questions about how they have handled difficult circumstances in the past.
Just as the legal jobs scene in the UK looks better, theres talk of dumping the lockstep promotion model for associates, reports The lawyer. Freshfields has already revealed details of its new ‘career milestone’ model, which will replace the lockstep with a system based on specific development criteria. Several firms, including Norton Rose and Pinsent Masons, have already abandoned PQE, while CMS Cameron McKenna and Simmons & Simmons are among those understood to be reviewing their systems. However, one partner at a City firm believes the moves could backfire. “I’m sceptical about what will happen,” he said. “My worry is that, as soon as the market picks up and everyone wants to keep associates, you can’t risk it.”