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.
Overheard at the 2017 NALP Conference: “Next year, the conference is in Hollywood!! I can’t wait. Movie stars, beaches, surfing, In-and-Out Burger!!!! I need to make the pitch to my firm to send me right away. It’s going to be so awes…Wait. What??!! Hollywood, Florida? Is that a thing?”
And yes, I can make those jokes. Some of my best friends are Floridians (heck, I live here too).
Yes, indeed, NALP. The annual “World Cup” of recruiting. Three days of exchanging ideas, shaking hands, air-kisses, catching up with old colleagues and making new connections, and witnessing Herculean efforts to make even the most mundane panel topics entertaining.
Once again, this year did not disappoint and had it all, from a lively and informative Exhibition Center and educational and interactive panel discussions to Wednesday evening’s NALP Prom and noble, commendable efforts to help those in need (the good people of Puerto Rico) and effect change (school safety).
But in addition to all of the above reasons we attend each year, I think it is very important to take a moment to recap and consider some of the takeaways from this year’s conference.
The most important takeaway from my perspective is that the lateral hiring market remains very active, which is consistent with what we as recruiters are seeing on a daily basis. Firms’ hiring departments are open for business for top-notch associates, and as always, if you are a lateral partner with portable business, well, you know the drill. And not just in large markets. Smaller markets are booming as well. And the fears of a new administration negatively affecting the legal job market have fortunately (and admittedly, perhaps surprisingly) been to date unfounded. Time will tell, but I am hopeful that this will remain the case.
One of the things that stood out to me this year was the increasing focus on the partnership between recruiters and recruiting personnel at law firms. A few years ago, I spoke about the importance of a cohesive unit comprised of recruiters, recruiting managers/coordinators, and hiring partners. By all indications from last week, we are getting there and we are on the right track. If all parties view each other as partners in the recruiting process, and not as an obstacle or even worse, a prohibitive cost, recruiters and firms, and indeed the lateral market as a whole, will greatly benefit. I was personally encouraged to find that many of my colleagues on all sides of the equation wholeheartedly agree.
In addition to the general positivity surrounding the conference, there was a focus on hotbutton, important topics like diversity hiring and recruiting in the #metoo era. As valuable members that help shape the legal community, NALP conference attendees have a responsibility to make sure these issues remain at the forefront. Having a place for an open, honest dialogue about what we do right, what we do wrong, and how we can do better is a huge part of why NALP is a success year after year.
As a whole, this year’s conference left me, and I hope you too, enthusiastic and optimistic about the short and long-term prognosis of the lateral hiring market.
And as always, a special thanks to the planning committee, and all of you who take time out of your work schedule to come see us and who continuously make this conference the success that it is. It was a pleasure hosting you all in sunny South Florida, and I hope we made your trip worthwhile. If nothing else, you left with more schwag than you came with. We’ll see you next year when you run out of pens and candy.
So on behalf of my colleagues at Lateral Link, a sincere thank you.
Overheard at the 2018 NALP Conference: “I’m never going to another NALP for the rest of my life unless there is a pool and a beach right at hotel, like the one in Hollywood, Florida.”
As the sun sets on this year’s conference, we look towards NALP 2019.
A city I love. It’s a fact. It’s the greatest city in the history of mankind. Discovered by the Germans in 1904. They named it San Diaaago (translation and meaning censored).
I’m sorry. I was just trying to impress you. I don’t know what it means. I’ll be honest I don’t think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.
Or perhaps it does simply mean, “Saint Diego.”
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