Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Law Firm Recruiting Coordinator
We resume our series of open threads on career alternatives for attorneys. If you have a law degree, but can’t get into / aren’t interested in Biglaw or contract attorney work, what are some other good options?
One of you snarkily suggested manager at Legal Sea Foods (which, by the way, has excellent clam chowder). But in an effort to cabin the universe of possibilities, we’re going to focus on fields where a law degree adds significant value or is at least somewhat relevant.
Thus far we’ve discussed working as a law librarian or for a major accounting firm, two fields popular with holders of J.D. degrees. If you have a suggested alternative career path, please email us (subject line: “Career Alternatives”), and include some basic info about the field that you’re nominating (e.g., how to get into it, pluses and minuses, salary data, etc.).
Today we’re going to focus on the people who bring you aboard in Biglaw: law firm recruiting coordinators (or, to use the NALP terminology, “legal recruitment and attorney management professionals”). They’re the law firm employees who work with law schools to set up the fall interviewing process, coordinate on-campus and callback interviews, run summer associate programs (read: plan awesomely fun events for aspiring pro wrestlers), and generally oversee the process of hiring and recruiting qualified attorneys at major law firms.
(Note: Also falling under the broad terms “legal recruiter” or “recruiting professional” are people who work for legal search firms / headhunters — e.g., Kinney, Lateral Link, Mestel. We’ll discuss them in a future post.)
If you’re curious about opportunities in law firm recruiting departments, read more, after the jump.
As in the past, we had a tipster to guide us through the field. We’ve restructured this as a Q-and-A.
What is the typical track for a law firm recruiting coordinator? What does the job ential?
The career track is: assistant (typically non-JD), coordinator, manager, director. To get a sense of job responsibilities, look at these job descriptions from NALP. Here’s an excerpt from a sample job description for the post of Director of Layer Recruiting:
Manage firmwide Recruiting Department. Provide day to day work direction and professional development, conduct periodic performance evaluations and annual reviews for the department. Responsible for hiring, training and evaluation members of the department.Formulate, administer and maintain recruiting policies, operational procedures and practices consistent with the goals and objectives of the firm….
Develop and manage annual recruiting, diversity and attorney functions budgets. Investigate, analyze and budget for new recruiting initiatives; develop and analyze expense reports.
Oversee summer associate and fall recruitment programs in all offices. Work with Managing Partner annually to determine summer associate capacity and fall associate capacity.
What is the compensation like?
Pay varies from market to market and depends on firm size/duties/etc. Generally speaking, average salaries averages are around $45K for an assistant, $60K for a coordinator, $95K for a manager, and $150K for a director. It’s not a gig that you take for the money, but the work-life balance is good and it’s a pretty fun job.
Update: For detailed data about salaries in the law firm recruiting area, see here (gavel bang: commenter). Note that directors of recruiting at large firms in New York can earn as much as $450,000.
How can people get into the field?
Getting into the field should be easy for attorneys who use their networks. Those interested in recruiting should check out NALP and any recruiting organizations in their area (e.g., DC - WALRAA, NYC - NYCRA, Bay Area - BALRA, Chicago - CALPA).
What are firms looking for in recruiting coordinators?
Ideal candidates are social/outgoing, work well under pressure, possess a high level of professionalism, have excellent organization skills, pay careful attention to detail, and have strong communication skills.
[Ed. note: Based on our (admittedly anecdotal) experience interviewing with law firms, it seems that hotness doesn’t hurt. Rather attractive women are well-represented in the ranks of top law firms’ recruiting departments. We’re not saying this is a good or bad thing; we are merely making an observation, with which you are free to agree or disagree.]
Sample Legal Recruiting Job Descriptions [NALP]
Salary Survey: Legal Recruiting Professionals [Wisnik Career Enterprises]
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Comments
Totally not a serious alternative career track for men. Although maybe it should be.
lol @ the article snark that a law degree isn't even "somewhat relevant" to a managerial position at Legal Sea Foods
So it's a good career choice if you're a hot woman who couldn't snag the guy summering at Cravath, but still want to marry a rich or future rich lawyer. Is that about right?
This is the perfect job for someone who couldn't make it into biglaw. If you actually pass the bar, then itis completely accurate to say "I'm a lawyer at Biglaw."
The caveat is that you have to swallow the taste of bitter, everyday at work.
The inanity of the suggestions* indicates that, beyond the legal field, there are few alternative career paths for a JD. Once you have litigation or corporate experience, it’s possible to lateral into finance or in-house, but a JD usually confines you to a quasi-legal path. I’ve yet to meet anyone who left the law and still thought their JD was useful, unless “useful” meant being able to pick apart the reasoning of appellate opinions.
Am I right?
* This one is particularly silly. You forget to mention “wedding planner” for young, time-crunched associates. Or how about BigLaw cook? ::rolls eyes::
4:36: hot women don't try to snag guys summering at Cravath. Sorry. You should've started a hedge fund or something. Hey, at least you have job security.
Do some firms' recruiting people actually have JDs? At my firm, the Director of Recruiting doesn't even have one, much less the Coordinators or Assistants
Right, like Cravath needs to recruit.
I know someone who works in recruting, < 1 year, at Biglaw in Chicago who told me the following: "The summer associates will make more in 3 months than I will in an entire year. " Ouch!
4:50: keep in mind that was probably a blonde woman doing math in her head.
If you are the head of recruiting from a top law firm, you are probably taking home around (or over) $200K.
4:53: whats your source for that? Possible but I highly doubt it
You absolutely don't need a JD to the job. Some firms have leaned towards this at the director or higher level, but being an attorney doesn't make someone a good manager. This position requires vrey strong people skills while managing needy summer associates, partners, and headhunters. While you might think it's fun to do all the social events, it's not as fun when you are the person responsible for making it all come together and having it seem seemless to those of you attending.
Just rumor at my firm (V5). Not confirmed I admit.
v5 I believe
What about a separate series of posts on Alternative Careers for Top Legal Talent? I'm pretty sure my credentials could land me something more glamorous than accountant or recruiting coordinator. (T5-->V10)
Directors aren't making over 200k, but C level executives are.
Sorry for the confusion - I posted at both 4:53 and 4:56.
In addition to the V5 part, I should mention that she has been at the firm for a while and is beloved by the partnership.
4:59: You're probably right, but do you have any examples? Maybe I-banking when the market picks up again but not now of course.
Don't worry, TLT 4:59. Legal recruiting requires social skills - you're not qualified for the job anyway.
4:59(1) - Investment banker? Hedge funder?
I think these threads are more aimed at people who graduated in the middle to bottom of their class at non-elite law schools. They are the ones who need advice, not you.
Actually I'd say social skills are the icing on the cake, not a requirement. If you have a pretty face and/or large breasts, you can make it as a recruiting coordinator without social skills.
LOL@4:51
The recruiting people (director, coordinator and assistant) at my Chi office last summer were superb. Very professional, accommodating and always enthusiastic, they put the firm's best foot forward from the callback to the perm offer. Managing upwards of 100 summers and ensuring that each has an exceptionally positive professional and social experience cannot be an easy task.
For real recruitment salary information:
http://wisnik.com/salary_survey_jfr.php
In the pdf download you can also see that in 2007 18% of NY recruiters had JDs
I would think most heads of recruiting earn decent six-figure salaries. But recruiting coordinators probably earn less than 50K.
OTOH, I know an associate who was ready to quit her firm to become a headhunter. They actually asked her to join the firm's recruiting department at her associate salary!
Shouldn't this story be qualified with the FACT that most recruiting coordinators at firms are women? I rarely see men as recruiting coordinators of firms. In fact 99% I've seen are women, and more than half are young and attractive.
I-banking is lucrative but not very glamorous. I was thinking more along the lines of something connected to the worlds of movies, music, fashion, and/or sports.
Making $150K or more, at a 9-to-5 job involving a lot of party planning, is not a bad gig.
There's a hot recruiting coordinator at Paul Hastings in Orange County. Tall, blonde, long legs, looks great in a skirt. Might be something there.
happy birthday, lat!
5:42 -- I just got that recruiting coordinator at PaulHastings pregnant, so don't expect to see her at the firm for too long.
How about a discussion of who has the hottest legal recruiters? Surely there are some floating around, especially in New York.
The career services counselor I worked with in law school (was head of career services) was a BigLaw accociate, then in recruiting at BigLaw (dont know if it was the same place) and eventually landed in career services, where she claims to be quite happy.
Head/director of recruiting "taking home" $200K? Meaning a gross salary of around $300K (probably more in NYC)? Even at a V5 firm, this seems doubtful. That means the director is making more than a fair amount of senior associates? That's a hell of alot of money to pay a non-revenue producing employee, now matter how well-liked.
5:52 is right.
ATL hasn't had a hotness contest in age.
Hottest Biglaw Legal Recruiters would be a great one!
I completely agree. Throw in the mean heffers too who made you not want to work there.
Every legal recruiting person I've ever seen at my BigLaw firm looks like they were dropped in right out of a sorority. They also act like it. It's horrible.
CAREER ALTERNATIVES FOR ATTORNEYS: CLERKING AND CARING FOR THE MORBIDLY OBESE JUDGE**
We resume our series of open threads on career alternatives for attorneys. If you have a law degree, but can't get into / aren't interested in Biglaw or contract attorney work, or, lets face it, you cannot find a law firm job at all, under any circumstances, even a runner job like that big retard guy Lenny on LA Law, what are some other good options?
Today’s Halverson post has reminded us that obese judges are people too, and they do not function by legal research alone! Thus, a new alternative career path is born!
But, you may ask, how do I begin to prepare for such “massive” challenges?
TIP: LEARN NOW TO GIVE THE EXTRA HELP YOUR JUDGE NEEDS. AND DO IT WITH SENSITIVITY.
Judge X just won her state supreme court case. She won’t have to stand for re-election after all. In a phrase she’s Baaaack. Oh, one more ting, Judge X weighs in at just over 600 pounds.
Judge X isn’t a real judge; she's a composite of many (literally). Anyhow, lets get to judge X’s special needs, and how you will be fulfilling them in your new career in the law.
Expanded needs
When a morbidly obese judge enters the courthouse, routine legal procedures (heck, even going from point A to point B, let alone the judge wiping her won ass) can be complicated by lack of proper equipment.
Standard desk chairs, food trays, water pitchers, doorways, and court room benches are too small. (Waaaay too small.) In fact, even standard lifting devices may not accommodate her.
Four or five court staff members may be needed to simply lift her onto the bench. In such cases, coordination is essential.
Preparation, preparation, and more preparation is the key to this job—that and hours at a bench press machine at your local gym. Also, read all standard equipment manuals that are avaible in your local library—from Tommy Lifts to specialized toilets.
TIP: LEARN THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT CAPACITY OF THE COURT HOUSE ELEVATOR. IF NECESSARY, USE THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR. IN RARE CASES, THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN SUPPLY A CHERRY-PICKER TO INGRESS THROUGH A COURT ROOM WINDOW.
Caring for Judge X’s painful diabetic feet is of major concern. Hey, you took the job, now get down on all fours and rub those feet and toes. While you’re at it, apply some tasteful nail polish.
Remember, she can't assist herself t because of reactive airway disease and the overlap of her large, pendulous abdomen. That’s where you come in. Fill those oxygen tanks. Then, grab some Nivia, and moisturize that belly.
TIP: MAINTAINING A PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE (LET ALONE A STRAIGHT FACE) CAN EARN YOUR JUDGE’S TRUST. SPEAK OPENLY WITH JUDGE X ABOUT HER SPECIAL NEEDS WITHOUT DWELLING ON THEM.
Proper hygiene is key
A proper court room, chambers and chambers bathroom configuration is rendered more complicated because she needs an expanded-capacity bench, bench-lift, commode, and chair. In addition, the Toto automatic toilet is highly recommended, as it may make your daily routine a heck of a lot more pleasant (if you know what we mean).
Finished with the potty? Not so fast Ms./Mr. clerk! Judge X’s groin folds are reddened and excoriated. You apply topical cream to them and develop a creative way to keep the area dry.
Special feeding needs
Extra large capacity dishes, cups, utensils, and, of course, massive quantities of snack food and an oversized rubberized bib should all go on your check list.
TIP: IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE JUDGE’S MICROWAVE OVEN BE LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE IN-CHAMBERS BATHROOM.
Trust us; we learned that one from painful personal experience (LOL).
Personal-care items, such as extra-extra-extra large-sized linen (for those in-chambers naps) and plus size judicial robes, must also be obtained and at the ready.
Solve problems creatively
Let say your judge is REALLY humongous, and even after you worked up to 500 pounds on the bench press machine you just cannot budge her off the scooter.
A trapeze bar attached to a 1,000-pound ceiling lift over the courtroom bench should get your judge on and off the bench and in and out of a heavy duty motorized scooter.
Still need more lift? Try affixing an industrial traveling lift to the court room ceiling with a steel I-beam track, that starts over the bench and curves right on into chambers. Then just grab that controller panel, and ready-go-lift. Remember, think creatively!
Ok, you are mentally and physically ready. You can bench press 500 pounds. You can Sheperdize and Auto-Cite with the best of them. You have read your manuals.
Now go get that clerkship!
**With apologies to David Lat for poking fun at his Career Alternatives for Attorneys series.
Agree with editor's note and commenters above- all biglaw in-house recruiters I have met are cute, and some are bordering on hot. (Relatedly, most seem to have large chests.)
Thursday, June 19, 2008 7:33 PM
I dunno. My bosslady in legal recruiting is a little bit...out there. Earlier today she asked me if her slip was bunching in the back and if her butt looked okay. I was like "Oh yea no, your butt totally looks fine" but in my head I was thinking "Weiiiirdo." (I'm female btw)
But everyone's hitting the nail on the head with these cute recruiters comments.
Are there any male recruiting coordinators? I have never seen one.
When I think of some of the hot little recruiting muffins I have met, maybe I could be a recruiter....
our head recruiter has a JD and was a practicing attorney for awhile. AND is hot. So there.
Hey Lat, Happy Birthday bud.
I find some of the comments above pretty amusing. You seriously don't get why that job might be more appealing that being a big firm associate? Even as you sit at your desks for another few hours tonight? I think I have met only one recruiting coordinator who WASN'T formerly a practicing attorney. I sincerely doubt it means they aren't smart eough, can't cut it at a big firm or even find a job at one, whatever you think the rationale is. Being a big firm lawyer is one of the stupidest decisions I have ever made, and the implications above that anything less than that is a ridiculous idea...makes me wonder why you think that.
sorry - "than" not "that", and "enough" not "eough" - see what the big firm job does to typing abilities
What's next? Business development drones? My firm's BD department is full of hideous, maladjusted trolls, so it can't be that hard to get a BD job.
A partial list of non-law law jobs:
law professor
university administrator
hospital administrator
law firm administrator
grant writer
copy clearance
paralegal
real estate agent (18 months ago)
writer
revolutionary
wedding photographer
personal assistant for the rich and famous
agent
trophy spouse
waiter/waitress
snake oil sales person
me too web 2.0 company founder
compliance manager
homeless dude
5:59 are you seriously that dumb? Obviously when the person said "taking home 200K" he/she didn't think people would read it as after-tax pay.
the head recruiting coordinator at a top firm most likely does not take home 200k, but even if he / she does (and again, that is highly doubtful), the number 2 through 10 RCs would make much much less, so it would take a while to reach one of those top end and rare positions (even if they do exist) and impractical to plan for. I am former biglaw attorney who moved to recruiting (headhunter side) and have been asked to consider top 20 US firm recruiting coordinator postiions (granted, not the top RC spot in the whole firm worldwide, mind you) and the salary that would have been offered was extremely low (about 80k per year) so I did not pursue when asked.
It never struck me as a stress-free job, frankly. The recruiting coordinator at my firm was asked to leave after a less-than-stellar recruiting season (numbers-wise). i wouldn't want my fate to rest on whether some 25-year-old takes my employer up on its offer. i know there's more to the job than that, but it seemed to have its worries. I also heard it's not all that well-compensated, 12:16.
First, the job isn't 9 to 5 for several reasons. Most RC's are in around 8 to 8:30 to get prepared for 10 o'clock interviews. They also are on call if an attorney drops out at that last minute. During the summers, the entire RC staff, not just summer RC's, are on hand until late at night dealing with events, summer hand holding etc. Then the fall is much the same as the needs for fall recruiting run from mid-August until late November and can take RC's all over the country.
Second, as 6:52 eludes to there is pressure to land the right class, right numbers or get the right laterals in - which a recruits acceptance generally has nothing to do with the RC but the people behind the desk so they can get canned for nothing more than a partner being a jerk to a recruit and not accepting.
Third, the pay is all over the board but usually better than expected. Sure, some firms don't emphasize the position or pay well and get low end candidates. While others see recruiting as the life blood of the firm. A director at a top end firm (top 50 vault) can easily make 300K+ without bonus. Director's responsibilities are much more than summer and lateral recruiting but include marketing develop, lateral partner acquistions and negotiations, partner business planning, Exec committee gofering, etc.
For example, on craigslist in DC, here is a midsized law firm's ad low to mid 100's.
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/lgl/718696050.html
Does anyone know a good way to find out about these types of positions and what is available?
i agree with 522 and 626 for the contest. ny has some hot ones out there
The people at my law school career services office were also, for the most part, former practicing attorneys.
WOW 6:55, funniest thing I've read on here in a long while
I too have a friend at the top of the recruiting food chain at a large, well-known firm (V10) and she is (a) gorgeous, (b) a former practicing attorney at a V20, and (c) paid the same as an associate of her class year, plus associate bonuses!
Anyone else notice how frequently Lat uses "snarkily" to describe tipsters?
The firm I'm summering at has a gorgeous recruitment manager in NYC.
The head of recruiting at Chadbourne and Park is a rich old lady who, despite her age, still wants to engage in sorority girl talk. Her golden girl counterpart at Drinker Biddle with a false, batty persona allows the firm to perpetate a scam of not reimbursing recruits as per the NALP forms.
12:21 - No. I can't remember him ever doing that.
I'm 4:53. The poster at 12:01 is correct. When I referred to "taking home 200K", I was not referring to after-tax pay.
There's a guy pretty high up in our recruiting department he's pretty awesome.
At my old firm, the overweight recruiting coordinator was an attorney in another state. She was worthless.
I'm a 2004 grad of a Top 20 law school, and have worked as both a career counselor in a law school career services office as well as a recruiting coordinator at BigLaw. These jobs are GREAT!! Being a BigLaw associate is a miserable existence. They couldn't have paid me enough to stay. Career Counselors make a pittance, but the pay at Big Law in the recruiting dept is not bad at all... The job is definitely NOT 9-5, especially during the summer months and during the fall recruiting season. There are a lot of loooong hours and working with partners and associates to get them interested in the recruiting process can definitely be a challenge. Working in Career Services was almost ALWAYS a 9-5 job (sometimes a 9:30-4:30 job!) and was pretty low-stress, but I was poor, living off ramen noodles and in a townhouse with 2 roommates!
Anyway, I think BigLaw recruiting is a decent alternative legal career. There is a nice career trajectory - coord, mngr, Dir - and the Directors definitely make 60-figures at least... BUT, you have to be willing to pay your dues and have to work hard to be able to snag one of those top-paying jobs. In addition, being a people person helps when you have to deal with obnoxious partners, retarded associates, and annoying summer associates... gotta keep on that happy face at all times. (Big hurdle.) Also, you must like adminsitrative work because there is a lot of busy work like making nametags and posters and b.s. like that.
Just my $0.02
11:27 - thanks for that information, I'm actually applying for a job in recruiting right now to make the switch from associate and it sounds so much more up my alley- even the busy work!
Can anyone elaborate on the ease (or lack thereof) of transitioning BACK into the practice law after stepping out to try other things, i.e. law firm recruiting?
11:54- I was kind of wondering that too since after my June 24 post, I found out I got a job managing recruiting at a big firm. I definitely think its the right move to quit associate life, but just in case I'm wrong, I was curious about anyone who worked in recruiting and switched back. I intend to keep up my license and do pro bono legal work during any traditionally "slow" periods (not so much to keep a return open, but more to have some chance to do on a small level what I actually wanted to do with my law degree)