A reporter’s view of the Bay area small firm market is that, while they are being more aggressive about trimming spending, they are busy with client work and they are, to some extent hiring.
News from the World of Small Firms Somewhat Optimistic
The Art of Networking
A recent article in the Marketing the Law Firm Newsletter offers some good pointers on how to connect with clients. The adivce is equally applicable to the job search context. The author was here at Berkeley Law last year presiding over our Business Etiquette Dinner and discussion.
For more on networking, see the “Career Development and Job Search Skills” section of the CDO website. We also have some good recent print resources on the Art of Networking available in the CDO Library.
Careers in Entertainment Law and Energy, Climate & Clean Tech Law
If you are interested in learning more about these practice areas, you should check out the career guides that were recently produced by two student groups here at Berkeley Law.
The Boalt chapter of BERC — Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative — produced the Career Guide for Energy, Climate & Clean Tech Law and the Sports and Entertainment Law Society (SELS) wrote the Guide to Entertainment Law.
We link to them from the Practice Area Exploration page of the CDO’s website.
Thanks BERC and SELS for your great work!
Regional Law Firms — Great Alternative to BIGLAW or Dying Breed — We Report, You Decide
The trend in the large law firm market toward consolidation (growth and expanded coverage through acquisition of small and medium sized firms) has continued over the past year (during which there were 55 U.S. law firm mergers). Recently, the Recorder, the local newspaper of the legal profession, profiled a few firms based here in the Bay Area that have bucked that trend (there are others not mentioned in the article). Who’s right? Are they right/wrong for you? Who knows? I found a reprint of the article on the web here. It raises some interesting issues that I thought would be timely as OCIP approaches.
Litigation vs. Corporate Practice?
Prof. Jeff Lipshaw from Suffolk law school offers some advice about choosing between transactional and litigation work over at the Legal Profession Blog.