As the new year begins, lateral hiring is picking up speed. Law firms Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Sidley Austin are among the firms with recent hires and were specifically for leadership positions in practices that are experiencing high demand during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the beginning of Big Law, several midsize firms have worn that “Big Law” label with pride. With this label, each firm touts an unmatched culture, a certain attractiveness that makes their firm special, and much more appealing than the large AM Law 100 operations.
The legal field is continuing to take its slow march back to employment prior to the pandemic, with the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report showing 4,800 new jobs this January.
On December 16, the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released an ethics opinion that blesses the work arrangements that countless lawyers have set up since the coronavirus pandemic made lawyers across the country work remotely.
During this COVID Crisis, lawyers have been working remotely. Most experts think working remotely is here to stay, as the new normal. The technology is not new, but the need for more work-life balance is.
Thriving in the Age of Disruption
The demand for associates from law firms in Atlanta rebounded this year after a major slowdown in associate hiring in 2020 from the pandemic.
In the good old days (12 months ago), when lawyers interviewed for jobs, they dressed up in suits, maybe flew across the country, met with numerous people – sometimes sequentially and sometimes together – shook hands, ate a meal, and had a glass of wine. In other words, they exchanged germs in as many ways as possible. Chances are good they even wore shoes.
Big law is continuing to focus on environmental, social and governance practices as this year progresses into April, with one of the more notable moves at the end of March reflecting that focus.