Legal Jobs and Market Analysis

One of the most important steps in the career planning process involves evaluating the market to see what is available. Some students may need to spend less time on this step because they already have a clear idea of what and where they want to practice. On the other hand, realities of the job market may require subsequent modification of initial objectives.




For many law students, taking a broad look at the job market can be a useful or even necessary stop in the selection of alternatives. Surprisingly, a substantial number of law students do not have a good feel for what opportunities exist for lawyers.

Click Here to Find Law Student Jobs on LawCrossing

There is a great deal of misinformation floating around. Some of it is perpetuated by the news media and legal press. Some of it is passed from student to student at school. Some of it is perpetuated by pre-law advisors, practicing lawyers, and other supposedly informed individuals. As a smart consumer, you will undoubtedly listen to what everyone has to say, but believe only what you can verify yourself.

Another reason to conduct this market analysis is that the market itself is always changing. Whatever you read or hear should be subject to review to determine whether the information is still valid.

There are five areas which you will want to investigate in your market analysis:

1. What substantive areas of law or fields where law training is useful are possible alternatives?
    
2. What organizations will be employing law graduates at the time you want to go to work?
    
3. What credentials will employers require of prospective employees?
    
4. Where are these employers located?
    
5. What economic conditions will come into play in the hiring decision? (Not only what is the state of the economy generally, but what are the financial rewards and prospects with individual employers?)

Market analysis is a component of the career planning process and should precede the job search itself. To establish priorities upon which a job search will be based without looking at the parameters of job availability would be an exercise in futility. You are much more likely to conduct a successful job search campaign if you take a look at the job market opportunities earlier in the process rather than later.

There are a number of common types of career choices. You should look at these choices as jumping off points for your own research rather than the research itself. You must also consider some basic questions about where you will work and live. Each of these factors should play an important role in your analysis of the environment.

Places to Work

Substantial differences exist in the way you are likely to spend your time on the job in different areas of law practice. This may be relevant to the type of organization where you work.

Larger organizations, whether law firms, corporations, or agencies are likely to be more hierarchical, structured, and institutional than smaller organizations. Organizations may vary widely as to how entrepreneurial they are, as well as how entrepreneurial they expect their employees to be.

Different organizations may have different ideas about acceptable deviation from group norms of behavior, dress, attitude, and philosophy. Different organizations espouse different views about training and nurturing new employees. And different firms will hold widely varying institutional goals and objectives that inevitably have an impact upon the careers of the people who work for them.

It is not always easy to get a feel for the "personality" of legal employers from the literature or statement of official representatives. It is even more difficult to make generalizations about classes
of employers.

You should investigate different sources to gain a clear picture of the various job market settings. A conscientious investigation should lead you to some conclusions about the various categories of employment that interest you. In one sense, you are comparing your career skills to the requirements of the market in order to ascertain where you are most likely to be successful and consequently happy.

Places to Live

Where you live can be as important to your happiness as where you work. You should look carefully at different localities not only in terms of the jobs that are available, but also the lifestyles that are likely to be supported in that setting.

Click Here to Find Summer Associate Jobs on LawCrossing

As for the job market, how many lawyers practice in the area? What do they do? Do they practice in law firms or Corporations or Government agencies? What substantive fields of law are supported by the state and local economy? What are the prospects for growth in population? In the business community? In the legal field? What opportunities for professional development are you likely to find in these various geographic settings?

Places vary widely, as to the types of lifestyle they support as well as those they tolerate. Urban, suburban, and rural areas offer unique advantages and present discrete disadvantages. The considerations that go into this analysis are limitless. They can include everything from whether there is a church or community supporting your religious faith to whether you can get to the opera often enough to satisfy your cultural pang.

Increasingly, cities, states, and regions are becoming less unique. You can get tacos in Boston and lobster in New Mexico. Shopping malls all seem to have the same stores. Some factors such as climate, ethnic mix, and history may distinguish geographic areas but on the whole there are more similarities than differences from place to place today than ever before.

This does not mean that you should not look at a geographic setting; it only means that your investigation may not be an easy one. It may also be the case that some of your preconceptions about places prove to be inaccurate or dated. It is likely also that you will be able to find opportunities in similarly situated cities in different parts of the country. Those who are not tied to a particular geographic location by family, working spouse, or other roots, may find greater flexibility than previously imagined.

Narrowing the Options

Before leaving this subject, it may be useful for you to put some flesh on the bare bones that have been presented. Before you start, try to make a list of all the settings you might consider. "Anything" is not a sufficiently narrow response.

Combining the factors, find out the type of organization, type of practice, and type of community, list all the combinations you would be willing to consider.

Based on this list, spend some time investigating the job market in these settings. Look carefully at your own needs and requirements. Use information interviews and other oral techniques as well as reading to collect your information. This research process can take days to months depending on the number of options investigated, the depth of research, and the amount of time available. You will find, however, that this provides a much clearer picture of the prospects than simply listening to one or two people or reading a single publication. After completing your research, you are ready to establish some priorities and develop a timetable for your job search.

Click Here to View the 2015 LawCrossing Salary Survey of Lawyer Salaries in the Best Law Firms