Legal Field Employs Most of New York State, Providing Challenge for Recruiters

For every attorney, their career path, growth and advancement matters. As an attorney moves from firm to firm, in search for the right fit for what they envision for their future, legal recruitment experts are desperately needed to meet the needs of the countless lawyers searching for the perfect place to expand and grow their legal craft. Sometimes, legal recruiting is even seen as a healthy and profitable alternative to one’s legal career woes. Some attorneys who graduated law school, passed the bar and are ready to begin their journey practicing law, and even seasoned attorneys, may feel like there are too many law school graduates and not enough legal jobs. These same candidates are finding that legal recruitment is a positive alternative.

Responsibilities – It’s All About Finding the Talent

Legal recruiters are responsible for finding top notch talent, or the right talent for a specific law firm or company. These types of recruiters can work with large firms, small firms and even independent firms, as all different types of legal professionals call upon the assistance of a legal recruiter to find the right person to fit the bill as a new member of their team. Most firms in search for the right talent have the same goals and ideas in mind as far as career advancement and growth that a legal job seeker has when it comes to their own career goals.

Sometimes, this poses a huge challenge, finding the right talent to help grow a firm is easier said than done.

Challenges in the Field

Finding the right fit can be challenging, in part, because there are so many legal firms. These firms often need assistance, no matter how small, and this means the market can be overwhelming for those looking for employment, as well as those looking for assistance. According to the United States Department of Labor, in 2014, lawyers occupied 778,700 jobs in the United States, and the 2015 median pay was registered at $115,820 per year, and $55.69 per hour. According to thevaluepenguin.com, listed as number one on their list of “the best cities for lawyers,” The Big Apple, New York City, takes home the gold. According to the site, “New York, which is teamed with the nearby White Plains and Wayne, N.J., in this data set, has 34 percent more jobs (55,480) than the next closest city in our study.”

“New York literally has a lawyer on every block, depending on the neighborhood,” said Dmitriy Shakhnevich, who runs his own law firm, with offices in Brooklyn and Manhattan as well as New Jersey. According to salary.com, New York City, New York, holds the highest median salary for legal recruitment jobs than neighboring cities with a median salary of $99,124, while legal recruiters in Nassau, and New Rochelle, NY have a median salaries of $93,729, Mount Vernon, NY, $96,567 and Albany, NY with a median salary of $82,329 as of September 2016.

Overall, according to labor.ny.gov, legal services make up a whopping 62.2% of the state’s occupational employment. Put simply, this means that almost 63% of the state’s workforce will likely need or work with a legal recruiter.

Sources:

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/lawyers.htm

https://www.valuepenguin.com/2015/05/best-cities-lawyers

http://www1.salary.com/NY/Legal-Recruiter-salary.html

labor.ny.gov