If you`ve ever attended a legal fair, you`ve been bombarded with recruitment marketing, campaigns, images, givaways, and slogans from various companies. «Press Play», «Be Different», «Broaden your horizons» and «Law worth talking about» are among the most vague slogans we encountered in 2017. Visit law firm websites and you`ll notice that larger companies have websites dedicated to graduates` careers – often with brighter colors and bolder letters than their more sober main websites. But what does all this mean? Well, everything is so murky that we`ve written a separate 12-point guide to law firm marketing on the subject. Vault is a website that ranks law firms based on inside information from verified employees and articling students. This website is best known for its Vault Law 100 ranking, which lists the great prestigious law firms. At Chambers Student, we make it a point to differentiate companies and explain why you want to choose another. We also spend almost all of our time researching law firms, so in this section we`ll outline the steps your search should take to get the answer to the question «Why do you want to work for this firm? Today, cloud-based online legal research software allows you to search remotely when you use it with law practice management software like Clio Manage. The flexibility to search from anywhere streamlines the legal research process and increases efficiency.
Here are some examples: Take this advice with a grain of salt, though, as many comments are submitted by current employees who may have confirmation bias and undoubtedly have nothing to gain by denigrating their company on a major post. In addition, a thorough search of law firms will lead to incredible interviews. Preparation gives you confidence. Instead of being unsure of the answers to basic questions such as «What do you know about our company?» and stumbling over your words to find an artificial answer, you can answer with a strong answer that impresses the employer and sets you apart from other candidates. In a competitive job market, you need every possible advantage. A crucial aspect of preparation is researching your interviewer`s law firms. Even though I had access to resources available online or was able to gather information by talking to employees, I was still wondering how to organize, internalize and use the information during the interview. Here`s exactly how to research these law firms to achieve these goals. Another great resource is www.martindale.com.
Click Search Tools and select Law Firms. Make sure the Law Firms tab is highlighted and enter as much information as possible. The search results can give you more information and are particularly useful for researching the individual lawyers you will be interviewing that will be discussed in a future blog post. In the «Region/Guide» search bar, click on «Search by name» and enter the company name (box in red above). Take the example of Davis Polk. Is money your panacea? Would you sacrifice a paycheck for a better work-life balance? Do you prefer lockstep or a more performance-oriented system? Or eat what you kill (or charge) versus more predictable salaries and bonuses? Would you rather get an annual billing goal or do you trust to deliver what you think you can handle (and is appropriate)? How important is the possibility of other schedules (for example, Whether you are a law student or an experienced lawyer, improving your legal research techniques and using smart search tools can save you time. Developing your legal research skills can also provide the most relevant information – so you can make stronger arguments and ultimately achieve better results for your clients. So, graduate recruitment websites can tell you two things. First, they give a first idea of the type of person the company might be looking for: Weil wants serious and hard workers; Stephen Scown is more on the lookout for the lively athletic type. They may also allude to the company`s broader identity: Stephens Scown is firmly committed to the Southwest; HFW has a strong focus on specific sectors.
Both types of information can help you answer the question mentioned at the beginning: «Why did you decide to apply here?» Every time you visit a law firm`s websites, you ask yourself: What is he trying to tell me? They are already doing it unconsciously. From now on, do it consciously. Click the correct desktop location. When you click on Debevooise`s New York office, we get a snapshot of the company`s information. If we scroll even further, we can see that Skadden offers many pro bono opportunities to its employees. You can also get an idea of an employee`s work (1800 billable hours per year) and the company`s prospects in the «Strategy & Future» section. Step Three: Check out a law firm`s recruitment website and documentation After the search, click on each of the top results and read. This will give you a general overview of what the company does. You will probably find their website. Read all and remember that this may not be entirely useful. Many companies say they are involved in all areas of practice to maximize their customer base. In practice, however, they often specialize in only a few areas of law.
This is one of the best ways to research a business. You have a better chance of getting an answer from a junior associate who graduated from your school. After your coffee conversation, you can even mention the junior partner`s name during your business interview if you really met that junior associate during your coffee conversation. There`s so much to gain by browsing a company`s website, and if you take away all the superlatives and self-praise, you`ll have a good understanding of what a business does. Since these websites are primarily designed for customers, the usual approach is to say what the company does and what kind of customers for. As a rule, companies present themselves in a way that emphasizes the scope of their activities. But be aware that this doesn`t necessarily tell you what things a company is best for and what it`s getting into. A law firm can reposition itself in the market and advance certain areas of activity that are not really a big part of its work. So how do you research law firms before your interviews? Here are four resources you can use: Vault, Chambers Associate, NALP Directory, and Chambers & Partners. Next, you`ll want to go to the www.nalpdirectory.com, which is run by the National Association for Law Placement. Click Quick Find and enter the company name in the Employer Name section. Click Search.
If the law firm is located in this directory, click the search result displayed. This shows a variety of information such as the main areas of practice, the number of lawyers in the firm and a narrative that summarizes what the firm is all about. This information should give you a better idea of what the company does. Recruiting is similar to dating in many ways – the company often uses vague and unnecessary terms like «click» and «chemistry,» and in the same way that you don`t get very far on your first date if you`re not careful, a law firm also likes to feel wanted, and especially when they interview you. «You were the only ones who offered me an interview» may be your most honest answer to the question «Why this law firm?», but it is certainly the wrong answer.