Biglaw

No T14 Degree? No Peer Firm Work? No Problem! Biglaw Firms Change Hiring Criteria In 'White-Hot Market'

Straying from tradition is opening up an entirely new talent pool for Biglaw firms.

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Biglaw firms are doing everything they can to hire new associates in this super-competitive, post-COVID market, and to snatch top talent, some of them are expanding their searches outside of their traditional recruitment criteria. If you work in a sought-after corporate practice area but don’t have a degree from a top law school or have never worked at top Am Law firm, then it may be time to brush off your resume because opportunity apparently awaits.

“In the past, they would have easily gotten a rejection,” said Katherine Loanzon, New York-based managing director of Kinney Recruiting, in an interview with Bloomberg Law. “But now, because the talent is so tight, they’re getting a response. They’re getting hired.” Michelle Fivel, a partner at Major Lindsey & Africa, elaborated, saying, “The last time I saw this really happening to the degree that it’s happened was back before the last recession. Those are things that only happen when it’s a white-hot market—and it is a white-hot market right now.”

Typically, Am Law 50 firms poach associate talent from peer firms. But over the last few months, associates from regional firms are getting scooped up by top firms. Those firms are primarily concentrated in corporate transactional groups like capital markets, financing and mergers and acquisitions, said Loanzon.

“It’s so unusual because in the past, its almost unheard of, and now it’s great for these associates who may never have had that opportunity to go to a global law firm,” Loanzon said. This is particularly true if they have the right experience in terms of M&A and capital markets, she said.

Firms are also straying from their T14 law school fanaticism as they expand into secondary market searches because a top law school in a smaller market isn’t necessarily one of the nation’s most elite. Just ask Jennifer Bluestein, chief talent officer at Perkins Coie, who says, “Somebody who took a scholarship and went to a lower ranked law school because they didn’t have the finances and didn’t want to take the risk of $120,000 in loans is still the same person had they gone to the more expensive T14 law school.” How nice that firms have finally come to this realization.

The pandemic has given some associates more freedom to work remotely, and now it’s giving others opportunities to work for global law firms. For those looking for a chance to hit it big, let’s hope this curve isn’t one that gets flattened.

Some Law Firms Change Hiring Habits in Hunt for Associate Talent [Bloomberg Law]

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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