Did you just pass the bar in Texas? Congratulations! Maybe now is a great time to find a job.

The Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, is with a stellar boutique that is looking for a superstar associate to join its growing ranks. Even in a strong economy, great opportunities like this one don’t come along very often.

Title: Litigation Associate

Location: Houston

Description: A high-end litigation boutique is seeking a 2007 or 2008 grad with general commercial or IP litigation experience. The firm requires stellar academic credentials and writing skills, and the ability to manage cases by yourself. Clerkships are preferred but not required. The firm is open to relocators.

For more information about this position, please contact Lateral Link’s Texas Director, Gary Cohen. Current Lateral Link members can also view Position #5397 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

In addition, we are still collecting salary data for the Career Center so please take a minute to tell us about compensation at your law firm — AFTER THE JUMP.

[Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past two years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Evan here, writing from New York. Apologies for no new post for a few weeks. It was an extremely busy October, including multiple trips to NYC and Asia (and those trips are of course continuing, with two more NYC and one Hong Kong trip scheduled over the next few weeks).

For the die-hard AC readers, next week we plan to launch a new daily Asia blog over at kinneyrecruiting.com, so you can keep up with the Asia biglaw lateral markets and our goings on much more frequently.

I will be in Hong Kong again from November 21 to December 5, so feel free to reach out if you would like to meet up with me there. Of course, Alexis is there full time and available. For the law student readers out there, on November 19 I will be participating in a seminar in NYC sponsored by the China Business Lawyers Association and the Asia Law Society of NYU. The event’s target audience will be law students who are interested in future biglaw careers in Asia. While I don’t always have time available (I wish I did) to talk to each of the many law students that reach out to us about future potential careers in Asia, events like this can be very helpful for those interested. The event’s sponsors have done a great job of securing speakers / participants for the seminar, including a few law firm partners and myself.

It has been a solid past couple of weeks for us in Hong Kong, with one partner placement and three associate placements. There has also been a lot more interview activity recently in Asia, especially in HK / China, so we are expecting more results for our associate candidate clients in the short-term.

***More after the jump.

Although Halloween is just around the corner, things are looking less scary in the Bay Area. With tech stocks soaring, start-ups and emerging companies are doing more deals and looking to grow.

Time for more lawyers! The Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, is with a prominent firm that’s back on the prowl for the best and the brightest corporate lawyers to handle these deals.

Title: Corporate Associate

Location: Bay Area

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 placement bonus.

Description: A top-tier firm is seeking a mid-level corporate associate with 3 to 4 years of strong corporate experience at a reputable law firm, and excellent academic credentials. Experience should include public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity, venture capital investments, and/or technology transactions. Candidates with strong experience representing emerging companies are preferred. California bar is required.

For more information about this position, please view Position #5440 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free, and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

[Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past two years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Evan here, writing from Hong Kong. The past week has been very busy, thus it has taken a couple of weeks to put up another post.

The number of US associate openings continues to increase in Asia, especially in Hong Kong and Greater China, and especially in now-busy capital markets groups. Two particularly special and urgent openings are for M&A 4th to 7th year associates for Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Shanghai opening, a private equity-focused position, does not require Mandarin fluency, but the Hong Kong opening, a more general M&A spot, does. I consider these openings very special opportunities for a number of reasons, including firm, supervising partner, and the realistic partnership track available in both of them. I am not going to go into great detail here, but suffice to say that I believe these are A+ positions and arguably among the best private equity/M&A spots in all of Asia. They are both extremely selective openings, will be filled soon, and the new hires will likely come from a top 10 US firm, most likely from NYC. We know both supervising partners very well and of course we are happy to fill you in on the details. I am cutting this Asia trip shorter than planned for some business in NYC next week, so can also meet in person with qualified and interested persons.

Last week, we made another placement of a US associate in Hong Kong (continuing a nice placement run of the last few months in Hong Kong and Greater China) and moved very close to placements (offers in hand) of a US partner, a US counsel and two more US associates in Hong Kong. Those successes were all expected, as they have been in the works for some time.

Robert and I spent most of last week together in Hong Kong meeting with partner-level candidates and clients. Many of these meetings were set up by our US and Asia-based recruiting back office. This week the focus is more on associate and firm client meetings, something our HK based recruiter, Alexis Lamb, does on a weekly basis here. It is truly a team effort of our Asia group that allows us to have the privilege of representing so many very impressive senior attorneys, and remarkable people, in Asia. The meetings happen from three sources: a) already established personal relationships (past career consulting or recruiting for partner’s firm); b) referrals; and c) our impressive back office team of recruiters based in the US and Asia.

***More after the jump.

The last couple Jobs of the Week have featured positions with AmLaw 100 firms on the East Coast and West Coast. We feel that we may be neglecting those of you in the middle of country, and since the hiring freeze is starting to lift at some companies, we decided to offer up an in-house position in Ohio for the Job of the Week, which is brought to you by Lateral Link.

Title: Corporate Counsel

Location: Cincinnati, OH

Description: Bank holding company with more than 1,200 branches in the Midwest and Southeast is seeking several attorneys with corporate experience to join their in-house team. Attorneys with experience in one of the following areas will be considered - general corporate (2-6 years), commercial creditors’ rights (5-15 years), bank regulation (4-8 years) and consumer regulatory (2-6 years). Candidates should have significant experience with a law firm or corporation in the relevant areas of expertise. Ability to interface successfully with senior management. Knowledge of the areas of expertise including technical knowledge. Good issue spotting, risk assessment, and problem solving skills.

For more information about each position, please view Positions #5458, #5457, #5456, #5455 on Lateral Link.  Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

Green shoots are here again. The Dow is back over 10,000 and litigation is picking up. Today’s Job of the Week brought to you by Lateral Link, is one of several new openings at big firms around the country. If you are an associate considering a lateral move, contact your Lateral Link search consultant to discuss the options.

Position: Litigation Associate

Location: Washington, DC.

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 law firm signing bonus.

Description: The D.C. office of this AmLaw 100 firm is seeking an excellent 3rd-5th year commercial litigation associate (2005-2007). The firm is looking for an attorney with a general commercial background. Candidates must have a broad range of litigation experience, not a niche practice. Some experience with bankruptcy litigation would be helpful. Top law school and excellent credentials required. Strong preference for former judicial clerks.

For more information about this position, please view Position #5433 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

The Dodgers win, the Angels win, and everything is looking up in Los Angeles — including the job market.

The Job of the Week is brought to you by Lateral Link. As we mentioned last week, things are picking up all over — Lateral Link has opportunities for corporate attorneys, tax attorneys, and IP attorneys, all over the U.S. and Asia.

Position: Litigation Associate

Location: Los Angeles, CA.

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 law firm signing bonus.

Description: A litigation powerhouse is seeking a mid-level litigation associate. This firm is very particular and candidates must have prior experience from an AmLaw 100 firm and should have graduated in the top 10% of their law school class.

For more information about this position, please view Position #5414 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

You can’t have $17 billion in proposed deals on Monday and not need a few extra lawyers to make them happen. So the Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, is a spot for a strong corporate lawyer. Beyond corporate, things are picking up all over; this week Lateral Link has sourced opportunities for litigators, tax attorneys, IP attorneys, and, of course, bankruptcy associates.

Position: Capital Markets Associate

Location: New York, NY.

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 law firm signing bonus.

Description: A top midsize New York firm is seeking a midlevel capital markets attorney with 4 to 6 years of experience from an AmLaw 100 firm. This firm boasts a 1-to-1 partner to associate ratio and its capital markets practice represents numerous well-known private equity funds and institutional investors.

For more information about this position, please view Position #5367 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

As always, the Job of the Week is brought to you by our friends over at Lateral Link. Dallas should be looking for a new quarterback, but instead the city just looking for a new litigator. Although attorneys think things are bleak, Lateral Link tells us things are getting better — their team has sourced over 50 positions throughout the U.S. and Asia since Labor Day.

Position: Litigation Associates

Location: Dallas, TX (but the firm will consider attorneys relocating)

Description: The Dallas office of a prominent litigation boutique is seeking associates to join the firm’s broad litigation practice. The ideal candidate should have at least 3-8 years of experience in the field of complex litigation and dispute resolution. Candidates must possess a record of academic and personal achievement in addition to a commitment to excellence. Relocating attorneys will be considered.

For more information about this position, please contact Lateral Link’s Texas Director, Gary Cohen (gcohen@laterallink.com). Current Lateral Link members can also view Position #4945 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free, and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

[Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past two years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Evan here, writing from Miami, working from home base on the beach for a two week stay sandwiched between hectic Europe (London and Warsaw, of all places) and Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing) trips. I will return to our Hong Kong offices for a few weeks starting this weekend and will also be in NYC for a couple of days this week.

Robert will be in HK next week as well. It is the third extensive China trip since June for both Robert (who also had a recent Europe trip) and me. Of course, Alexis, our resident HK recruiter, will be in town as usual. We have a packed schedule of mostly prospective partner candidate and law firm meetings on tap. We are also in town to help close a few placements and help with current interviews. It is probably going to be too busy to take the usual fun side trip (Bali or Thailand) this time around.

It has been a nice couple of weeks for our Asia team, with 5 of the US associate candidates for whom I was responsible being placed in HK / China (3 at firms, 2 in-house). I expect another associate candidate to be placed this week. Further, several of us are very close on partner placements in HK (in addition to successes in our other markets, which has also accelerated of late). Daniel Roark, our newest recruiter to become involved in our Asia business appears likely to close a very nice partner placement in China alongside Alexis Lamb. Our St. Petersburg, Russia and Miami based recruiter, Yuliya Vinokurova, is close on a couple of associate placements in Tokyo (the Russia biglaw lateral market remains extremely slow, but we remain very committed to that market and Yuliya will be in Russia for most of the next year). Our team-based approach continues to pay dividends and I’m happy to be leading such a good group.

To be sure, the biglaw lateral market in Asia is showing stuttering signs of improvement, but things are still much slower than the sizzling levels of mid ‘06 to mid ‘08. We are seeing a lot more interview activity recently (although the competition for such interviews is fierce, as selectivity remains extremely high), but not many of the top firms are urgently hiring (more are interviewing but moving slow with offer decisions). Some of the most attractive target firms remain on hiring freeze, but if current deal flow is sustained through end year, we expect such freezes to thaw.

***More after the jump.

Birds are smart enough to fly south when things get rough up north. Can attorneys figure out how to do it too? As always, the Job of the Week is
brought to you by our friends over at Lateral Link. As we mentioned with yesterday’s career survey lateral hiring is picking up. Lateral Link has added over 25 new jobs in the last week and has placed attorneys in over a dozen law firm and in-house positions so far this month. If you are looking for a new position, consider registering for Lateral Link.

Position: Litigation Associate

Location: Miami, FL

Description: The Miami office of a prominent national firm is seeking a mid-level litigation associate. Ideal candidate would be a 2005 graduate, but a 2004-2006 graduate will be considered. Florida bar is preferred.

For more information about this position, please contact Lateral Link’s Director for the Southeast, Jordan Abshire. Jordan is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a former Troutman Sanders attorney. Current Lateral Link members can also view Position #5296
on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

H to the K (Hong Kong) and B to the J (Beijing), things are picking up in Asia a bit. Our Director - Asia Markets, Justin Flowers, will be in China for the next month making rounds with firms and Fortune 500 companies as well as meeting candidates, so if you are interested in Asia-based opportunities, law firm or in-house, give him a shout. This Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, is hot off the press.

Position: Mid - Senior Corporate Associate

Location: Hong Kong, SAR

Description: The Hong Kong office of a top US firm is seeking a mid to senior level corporate associate to join their strong China platform. Candidates should have 2-5 years’ M&A and Capital Markets experience with a top-level US or Magic Circle firm, preferably in the region, and must be currently employed with an international firm. The firm has an excellent Asia platform, specifically in China. The successful candidate must have strong drafting skills and be able to speak/read/write in Mandarin.

For more information about this position, assuming you qualify for it, please contact Justin Flowers (Email: jflowers@laterallink.com | Phone: 646.257.4886), who oversees attorney placements (both partner and associate level) and client relationships with the top international US- and UK-based firms in Asia, the Middle East and Emerging Markets. Prior to joining Lateral Link, Justin recruited for both an international search firm and a New York-based domestic legal search boutique. He practiced law as a litigator for several years before becoming a recruiter. Justin earned a J.D. from NYU School of Law and an undergraduate liberal arts degree, cum laude, from the University of Oklahoma, where he attended the Honors College.

[Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past two years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Partner recruiting season is never closed, and there’s normally no bag limit. Nevertheless, as new sharing ratios get set to be announced over the coming months, this is the time of year that many ultimately fruitful and plenty of fruitless discussions between law firms and potential lateral partners begin. The meat of these discussions varies little, whether in Asia, the US, or Europe. Unfortunately, many of the partners who are looking at their options could be saved a lot of time for themselves and the firms that they are considering with some introspection. Particularly in this über-cautious economic environment, prospects for marginal players are slim. With this in mind, since many of our readers are partners and some of our associate readers ultimately will be partners, it seems that now is as good a time as any to discuss what makes a partner a viable lateral candidate.

Every firm asks for some of the same data points which give them information about the financial picture of a lawyer’s practice, not merely billed hours. All of the relevant, basic economic factors can be determined using three pieces of information: personal billable hours for each team member, working attorney collections for each, and billing and/or originating attorney collections for the partners. From these pieces of information, one can derive hourly rate, revenue per lawyer, and most other relevant raw data. But each situation is different and distilling the data to these simple figures is rarely enough. One example (not necessarily from Asia, but very possibly…) may illustrate the point.

The candidate team was from an international law firm. The lead partner came to us with a sizable book of business and a loyal team. He was around 50 years in age. His skill set, the size of the business, his ability to move it to several of our client firms, and his well-constructed team all looked promising because it folded well into the business plan of a couple of our client firms, at least tangentially.

***More after the jump.

Join the likes of stardom in sunny Southern California, but no need to get sunburned. Just check out the latest Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link.

Position: Senior Litigator (Class of ‘95 - ‘00)

Location: Century City, CA

Description: The Century City office is seeking a senior litigation associate/junior partner to join a thriving litigation practice. Lateral Link Members describe this firm as “family friendly” and a place with “sophisticated work” and “great people.” That said, the firm is a firm, and requires strong litigation experience and ability to independently manage cases, including taking/defending depositions, arguing motions in court, and handling all aspects of the discovery process.

California bar required. Portable book of business is not required.

For more information about this position, assuming you qualify for it, please contact Gloria Noh Cannon (email: gcannon@laterallink.com; phone: 213.784.3892). Gloria is a Director at Lateral Link and oversees attorney placements in Northern and Southern California. Gloria started her legal career with Milbank, where she worked as an associate and was part of the hiring committee and recruiting committee, and she then subsequently joined the in-house legal department at Oaktree Capital Management, LLC as a Vice President. Prior to joining Lateral Link, Gloria was a Managing Director for five years with a large national attorney search firm, placing attorneys and partners with law firms of all sizes, including Am Law 100 law firms as well as highly-regarded boutiques.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

[Ed. note: This post is authored by Evan Jowers and Robert Kinney of Kinney Recruiting, sponsor of the Asia Chronicles. Kinney has made more placements of U.S. associates and partners in Asia than any other firm in the past two years. You can reach them by email: asia at kinneyrecruiting dot com.]

Evan here. Although not all US practices in HK / China are currently very busy, many have seen deal flow pick up dramatically in the past couple of months. The outlook is good for most US practices to stay fairly busy through the end of this year and beyond. Some groups are becoming understaffed. The China economy is on a full-fledged rebound, notwithstanding the drop in exports. It is a domestic consumer driven recovery that has taken much of the world by surprise. The Shanghai Index has risen already about 90% this year and had doubled since its November ‘08 low.

This is about the point in this Kinney-sponsored post where you probably expect me to go on and on about all the hiring that is about to happen, to call Kinney and an apartment broker in China, right? But I can’t quite take you on apartment hunting trips to Asia, because the lateral hiring, although it has picked up from the dead period earlier this year (we continue to be put on more attorney searches in Asia, especially in HK / China each week), is just not there for most junior to mid-level US associate candidates. Hiring likely won’t be even close to what we started in 2007 to consider “normal” until at least late ‘09 to early ‘10.

Why? Here are some factors that are coming into play:

- Many US firms are understandably very concerned about their profit per partner numbers for ‘09. It has obviously been a brutal 18 months in the US economy and of course we all know that US biglaw has been very negatively affected. One substantial factor in successful senior partner recruiting and partner retention is of course PEP numbers. Unfortunately, layoffs, de-equitizing partners, and hiring freezes are effective in propping up PEP and in such a climate it is not easy for even very busy US partners in Asia to simply get clearance for all the associate hires they want / need. At some US firms there is a lot of pressure for continued lay offs in the fall, further making new lateral hires overseas a complex issue.

***More after the jump.

The latest Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, is for someone who wants to relocate to Atlanta. To those of you living in New York and other expensive cities: just think of that cost of living adjustment!

Position: Employment Attorney

Location: Atlanta, GA

Description: A medium-sized Atlanta-based firm is seeking an employment litigation associate with 3-4 years of employment lit experience, preferably with some ERISA class action experience. The firm offers associates the chance for significant responsibility and lean case staffing and is known for maintaining the flexibility of a smaller firm, while providing a level of sophistication usually associated with much larger firms. The quality of the Firm’s attorneys is evidenced by numerous honors and awards, including recognition as one of Atlanta’s top law firms by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Big firm experience and excellent academic credentials required. Out-of-state candidates preferred.

For more information about this position, please contact Lateral Link’s Director for the Southeast, Jordan Abshire. Jordan is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a former Troutman Sanders attorney. Current Lateral Link members can also view Position #5207 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

Do you love your job?

Do you wake up on Monday morning looking forward to the week ahead? Does your current job?

If the answer is “No” to the questions above, then it is probably a sign that you are not in the right job. Working out what to do with your life is not always easy, and many people often find themselves in jobs that are financially rewarding but leave them feeling empty and unfulfilled.

If this sounds like you, then you should speak to us. We help executives all over the world work out what they should do with their lives by teaching them about themselves. Our programs are designed to figure out who you are, what really motivates you and where your real talents and passions lie. Once you have learned everything there is to know about “you” we will help you put a plan together to help move you into a career that has real meaning and purpose.

If you want to find out more, then you can join our FREE Career Change webinar with Paul Lanzarotti, CEO & Co-Founder of The New World Institute.

Details of the FREE webinar are as follows:

Date: Thursday August 27th
Time: 7:30pm EST
Access: PC or Phone

Space is limited to click here to reserve your spot. As with all our events there is absolutely no obligation to buy and you can choose to participate or just listen in.

If you would like to know more about us and what we do then email us at info@thenewworldinstitute.com or call 347 445 5763 to get more information.

Laurel Donnellan is the President and Co-Founder of The New World Institute. www.thenewworldinstitute.com

There are opportunities in England for those willing to brave the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. This week’s Job of the Week, brought to you by Lateral Link, indicates a bit of recovery in the international markets. Although candidates for this position cannot have been laid off, we are currently working with a number of corporate in-house clients, both domestically and internationally, who are considering applicants who have been deferred or subject to a reduction in force. Email bridgeyear@laterallink.com for more information. Now, to the position…

Position: Mid - Senior Corporate Associate

Location: London, UK

Description: The London office of a top US firm is seeking a mid to senior level UK-qualified corporate associate. Candidates should have 2-6 years’ corporate transactional experience with a top-level US or Magic Circle firm in London and must be currently employed with a top firm or investment bank. Must be UK-qualified. The firm is an international powerhouse, and is busy with high level public and private M&A transactions from the addition of a partner from another well known international firm.

For more information on this position or to apply, please see position 5244 on Lateral Link, or contact Justin Flowers at jflowers@laterallink.com / 646.257.4886. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Today’s job of the week, brought to you by Lateral Link, is at a prominent New York boutique. In addition to covering major international law firms, Lateral Link also works with smaller regional firms. If you are a legal employer seeking to hire a well-credentialed experienced attorney, please contact us.

Position: Senior Litigation Associate

Location: New York, NY

Description: A prominent general practice firm is seeking a senior associate for its litigation group. The work done by the litigation group focuses on general commercial litigation, specifically, corporate and securities matters, contests for corporate control and shareholder disputes and broker-dealer disputes. The department also handles contract, employment, intellectual property, bankruptcy, and real estate litigation, as well as health care regulation, administrative and white collar criminal matters. Position requires 5 to 7 years of litigation experience at a top firm, courtroom/deposition experience, and New York state bar admission.

For more information on this position or to apply, please see position #5234 on Lateral Link, or contact Ryan Belville at rbelville@laterallink.com. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

The California economy is deeply troubled right now. But some firms out there are doing fine, thank you very much (and not just Jones Day). One leading firm is even hiring on the transactional side — yes, you heard that right — for its L.A. office.

Check out the latest Job of the Week, brought to you by our friends over at Lateral Link. They have secured over two dozen attorneys interviews in the last couple of weeks (in New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, Dallas, Silicon Valley, even Oregon and North Carolina).

Position: M&A Associate

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Description: Prominent national firm looking for an attorney with 3 to 5 years of corporate/M&A experience. Do we need to say more? Polish up your resumes and make them sparkle, because they want all-stars for this spot — top law school, top firm experience, and a strong work ethic.

For more information on this position or to apply, please see position #5201 on Lateral Link. Membership in Lateral Link is free and you can apply at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings