Are you planning to spend your summer kicking back?  Taking a break from recruiting because the market is not as hot as you’d like? Or will you be spending your time planning, building and working to be the one on top when the market turns around?

There are a few recruiters who have decided to ‘take the summer off’ and intend to return to work when the market is bullish and jobs are more plentiful. It makes for pleasant musing, like dreaming of how you’d like to spend your lottery winnings, but I think that their plan may have a fatal flaw.
 
The likelihood of the legal job market returning to the dizzying heights of the last few years is dim for the near future.  Law firms have discovered they can make do with less and they will continue to do so.  (Not to say that there won’t be a moderate hiring boom, there will!) There will most certainly be a correction and law firms will definitely need to fill their now decimated ranks with attorneys, but it will not be within the framework of old nor will the volume be the same. First, salaries have declined and they will NOT return to their pre-recession levels within the next few years.  Placements will be made, and commissions paid, but the amount paid for each placement will be lower.  Firms will hire, but they will not be filling all the slots they recently shed.  The number of attorneys working in law firms will not match the numbers of ‘07 and ‘08. Associate deferments will bring their own wave of ‘hiring’ into the firm, but will also create a gap of experience within the ’09 and ’11 year range. 
 
Recruiters who see an opportunity in this climate will choose to continue to work, making new contacts and forging new relationships. They would be contacting recruiting coordinators that they know, and don’t know, working to expand their network. They would also contact those newly hired associates who have not only managed to be hired, but have also managed to keep their positions while their contemporaries did not. Those folks (low in number) are going to be in very high demand in just a few short years. They will have the working experience that will make them very valuable laterals in the near future. They are the lucky few and creating a relationship with them now, could mean enormous dividends in the future.

Time is a great asset if you use it wisely.  Investing your time now could put you in an excellent position when the market correction occurs.  Who are they going to call when they need help with a placement? Someone who has virtually disappeared over the last few months, or someone who has developed a relationship and proven his or her worth?  That should be easy to answer! Common wisdom is to ‘invest in a downturn’. Sage advice, smart recruiters will heed it.

When preparing to interview for a judicial clerk position, candidates need to have a strategy and be ready to prove to the judge and his/her staff that they are the right fit for the team.  Here are some tips on how to put your best foot forward at the judicial clerkship interview:

1.    Before you send off your application package, make sure you understand why you want to be a judicial clerk.  How will a judicial clerkship help you move closer to your career goals?  The candidate should be able to eloquently and clearly articulate why he/she wants to work as a judicial clerk because the judge and his/her team will ask about it in the interview.

2.    Be prepared to discuss your writing sample and any legal issues that the judge may feel passionate about.

3.    Make sure you're familiar with and can discuss current and/or newsworthy legal cases that have come from the judge's court. 

4.    Make sure you're familiar with the judge's opinions and personal history so that you can anticipate what he/she will discuss in the interview.

5.    During the interview candidates should discuss their strong points (i.e. writing, analysis, research etc.) and emphasis what makes them a good addition to the judge's staff.

6.    Candidates should prepare a list of questions about the position's responsibilities, working conditions and other aspects of the job before arriving at the interview.

The interview typically takes place in the judge's chambers and lasts anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Travel expenses will be the sole responsibility of the candidate so try to interview with multiple judges in the same area if possible.