Is the Attorney Market Crappy?

This is an email I received last night from an attorney in Houston needing some advice—and my response to this Attorney—perfect for Today’s Blog…

The Email:
“
Dayna,
Is it me or is the market for attorneys crappy?  Like I said, the salary is horrendous, but it's understood I'm trying to build my client base.  I recently applied for an in-house position, but think my base salary (which I listed as slightly less than my last firm) may have been too high for consideration.  If there are things I can do to increase my marketability, please let me know.”

Response:
“It’s not you—the market is very crappy.  Firms can now get dust lawyers for pennies b/c of tort reform, they can get med-mal attorneys for the same price b/c of House Bill 4 and the bankruptcy attorneys are not far behind.  So, as far as litigation goes—the market is terrible.  I can’t tell you the last time I placed a general, everything goes-attorney.  Now my clients are wanting 3-5 years (only) and specialized experience.  My advice, since you are a Sr. Associate would be to tailor your resume to EACH and every position for which you submit.  Highlight that specific experience as your top bullet point on the resume and don’t even mention your salary during the submission process.  HR will turn you down before they send you through for the attorney to view.  Also, I would be very specific on your accomplishments—using dollar amounts and where you excelled that others didn’t.  If they’re going to pay for you, they need to know why.  I think you are doing the right thing—if you have the ability to build your client base—do it.  You will be so much more marketable than all the other Sr. Associates out there that have nothing to show for all the hard work they did.  I can probably help you when you have a sustainable book of business of 200-250K or more—and want a larger firm for presence and support.  Be sure to have a niche---what niche are you thinking of??  I’m sure you know most of this—but I will tell you that I have a ton of 96-98 grads that are “un-place-able” even with stellar grades.  Don’t feel bad—it’s not you—its’ the market.  Let me know if you have any other questions.  I hope this helps!”

Tort Attorneys

Tort Attorneys--Are you finding it hard to wipe off the dust?

The majority of litigation attorneys have this experience...what to do? Well, you're going to need to re-create yourself. You'll need to go back to those days when you did the general litigation and tout it to potential employers. Everyone knows you'll be looking for a job and why--there's no need to even explain it. You're not the only one's with a difficult job search--med-mal and bankruptcy attorneys are 2nd and 3rd in line. This will be an employers market--we now have an Enron-like exodus on our hands for Attorneys. To play it safe--set your bar high and drive home the experience you had before you started travelling and sitting in depo's 24-7. Stay close to your partners/mentors--they have something else in mind for their future--I assure you-they won't go hungry. Now is not the time to make waves--keep your job and wait patiently for another to come along. Contract Attorneys are not in demand any longer, either--no matter how bad your situation is, my advise: stick-it-out.