After a year of the pandemic, closed offices, and virtual meetings, not only is March Madness back, but so is Lateral Link’s $10,000 Texas Placement Bonus! Here’s how it works: if you start working with a Lateral Link Texas recruiter before the end of the March Madness Tournament (April 5) and we ultimately place you, Lateral Link will pay you $10,000 just for working with us.[1]
Texas has four major, bustling, and diverse big city centers, and it’s home to many Am Law 100 firms and high-end boutiques. While the Texas market slowed down last year because of the pandemic, the legal market has come back in full force, and firms cannot hire fast enough.
The current demand for associates in Texas is remarkable. There are over 70 corporate associate positions in Dallas, Houston, and Austin combined. The litigation market is equally busy, with over 65 posted associate positions in Texas. And these figures do not include the numerous unposted opportunities we are currently working on with some of our top law firm clients.
Texas continues to be a top destination for legal talent, with its low cost of living, lack of a state income tax, and competitive salaries compared to other major markets. Over the last five years, over 50 Am Law 200 firms have opened offices in Dallas, Austin, or Houston. The firms with the most growth in the associate space over the past six months include Kirkland & Ellis, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, Winstead, and Akerman.
The practice areas with the most hiring over the past six months include corporate and finance, litigation, labor and employment, and real estate. Some of the highest Vault- and Am Law-ranked corporate practice groups reside in Texas. In particular, Kirkland, Sidley, and Latham lead the way on headline corporate and private equity transactions on an international scale. In the past six months, corporate and finance had 60 new attorney hires in Texas. Within these practice areas, corporate hiring has been primarily concentrated in M&A and, especially, in the private equity space. With regards to finance practice groups, debt finance, including syndicated and leveraged lending, was the busiest hiring area.
Real estate continues to be a busy practice area, especially in Dallas. These associates handle a wide variety of sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including purchases, sales, leasing, development, management, and ventures. There are approximately 20 associate real estate opportunities currently in Texas.
The tip-off for the March Madness Tournament started yesterday, so let’s get started! The Texas legal market is back and is busy, with available positions for associates of all practices and seniority levels. There have been approximately 200 associate hires since September 1, 2020. Law firms are very open and happy to relocate candidates coming from other markets.
Stay tuned to see what’s next… A Texas team hasn’t won the NCAA Tournament since 1966. This year, there are seven teams from the Lone Star State that made the tournament. If a Texas team wins it all, Lateral Link will extend the March Madness Placement Bonus until June 1.[2] Enjoy the games, and Hook’em Horns!!
If you are interested in hearing more about the Texas market, please feel to reach out to me, Wendy Boone Jaikaran, at [email protected]. Thanks!
[1] “Working with a Lateral Link recruiter” means we have to have received a resume from the associate candidate and have formal permission to submit them to a position. The associate candidate has to start at his/her new firm by December 31, 2021.
[2] A Lateral Link recruiter will have received a resume from the associate candidate and have formal permission to submit them to a position by June 1. The associate candidate has to start at his/her new firm by December 31, 2021.
Please join us on Monday, March 29, for a captivating, one-of-a-kind experience with the first woman to serve as General Counsel of a Fortune 500 company, Mary Ann Hynes, in conversation with her longtime colleague and friend, Christine Castellano, who is currently serving in her second role as a Fortune 500 General Counsel. Our discussion will cover a range of themes from the Am Law to the C-suite, as we create a space for women to share their unique experiences within the legal profession. This event is sponsored by the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), and it will be neither reported nor recorded. You will not want to miss this candid, dynamic discussion.
Wendy Boone Jaikaran
Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts from Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. This post is by Wendy Boone Jaikaran, a Principal based in the Houston office, where she oversees associate placements and client services in Texas. Wendy has over 7 years recruiting experience focusing on associate, counsel, and partner placements in the Texas market with leading AmLaw firms and high-end boutiques. Her market intelligence and deep understanding of the Texas market, allows her to place attorneys at both firms and companies, where they will have long and successful legal careers. Before joining Lateral Link, Wendy was a Senior Partner with a national recruiting firm. Prior to recruiting, Wendy spent seven years as an IP litigation associate at a well-respected IP boutique in Houston. She received her J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and her B.S. in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin. Outside of work, Wendy enjoys spending time with her husband (Aggie) and daughter. She also loves cooking and arguing over which college football game to watch (UT Longhorns or Texas A&M Aggies).
Lateral Link is one of the top-rated international legal recruiting firms. With over 14 offices worldwide, 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.