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NALP 2017: Observations And Takeaways From The ‘Super Bowl’ Of Legal Recruiting

The state of legal recruiting appears to be very good, and 2017 is off to a great start.

By Lateral Link on April 28, 2017 2:14 pm
Scott Hodes

Scott Hodes

Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts from Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. Scott Hodes is a Senior Director based in the Southeast where he oversees attorney placements and client services primarily in Florida, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville. Scott holds a B.A. in Criminology, cum laude, from the University of Florida, a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and an LL.M. in estate planning from the University of Miami. Scott began his legal career as a corporate litigator for a full service firm in Boca Raton, Florida.

Ahhhh NALP. That time of year every April where the best and brightest legal recruiting minds descend on an unassuming hotel in City X and take over for several busy days of trading thoughts and ideas and late nights of “networking.”

Who among us could forget the Wednesday morning buzz, energy, and excitement of entering the Resource Center for the first time and seeing our friends and colleagues, juxtaposed with the Thursday and Friday morning slow migration into the same Resource Center, exhausted, voices hoarse, eyes blurry, and legs ready to fail?

But it’s always well worth it, because at the end of the day, this is indeed the Super Bowl of legal recruiting, and one that cannot be missed. And this year in San Francisco was no exception. There is no replacement or better conference for making new connections and perhaps more importantly, seeing old friends and colleagues, catching up, and strengthening relationships.

With that in mind, here are my top 5 observations and takeaways from this year’s NALP conference:

  1. THE STATE OF THE UNION IS GOOD

Despite the numbers to the contrary, as I covered in my presentation on Thursday, the state of legal recruiting appears to be very good. Although hiring was down in 2016 by a small amount, 2017 has gotten off to a great start by many accounts, and there was a general positivity felt throughout the conference. The sense I picked up personally was that firms and recruiters alike are very optimistic about 2017 and beyond, despite some early year jitters that may or may not have been politically driven. Not only are firms growing in the associate and partner ranks across a diverse range of practice areas, but the commitment to strong relationships and the use of legal recruiters is evident by the attendance and participation at this year’s conference from firms and search firms alike.

  1. CELEBRATE DIVERSITY

San Francisco was a timely and appropriate location for a NALP conference, as diversity hiring at law firms continues to be a primary objective. San Francisco is one of the most diverse cities in the country, and served as a fitting backdrop for a conference that focuses on legal hiring. Lateral Link put its spin on the diverse culture that is San Francisco and hosted a party in the famed Castro District. The party was a success, and we have the pictures to prove it! Please click on this link to view pictures from Lateral Link’s Facebook page.

  1. IN-AND-OUT BURGER IS GREAT…

But it’s even better after 10:00 p.m. This is a universal fact, and needs no further explanation.

Those who attended our event now know the answer to the age-old riddle, “How do you make 200 In-and-Out burgers disappear in 5 minutes…?”

  1. SAN FRANCISCO IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY (WHEN THE POWER STAYS ON)

One of the best-kept secrets of the conference hotel was found on the 46th floor. By day, floor to ceiling windows with clear views of the city for miles, including the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and all points in between and beyond. At night, bright lights illuminating the city provided a great setting and an unparalleled environment to connect with colleagues over a cocktail.

  1. IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

None of this happens without the support and participation of the planning committee, the host city, the host hotel and conference center, and especially the firms and law schools that take a week out of their busy schedules to see their friends and colleagues each year. Year after year, no matter where the conference is held, from Seattle to Tampa, and from Palm Springs to Boston, you all come to hear us speak on panels about the state of legal recruiting and ways to improve your firm’s hiring processes, you fill up overflowing bags with company-branded giveaways and lug them around all day long, and you celebrate with us at night in a more informal setting which is a welcomed reprieve from the stress of everyday work.

So on behalf of my colleagues at Lateral Link, we sincerely thank all of you who make NALP the success that it is each year, and we sincerely look forward to continuing to work with you and seeing you next year to do it all over again.

Lateral Link is one of the top-rated international legal recruiting firms. With over 14 offices world-wide, Lateral Link specializes in placing attorneys at the most prestigious law firms and companies in the world. Managed by former practicing attorneys from top law schools, Lateral Link has a tradition of hiring lawyers to execute the lateral leaps of practicing attorneys. Click ::here:: to find out more about us.