Small-Firm Job Search Requires Persistence

While small law firms are a big source of jobs, getting a job at a small firm may entail more research and diligence than it takes to land a job at a big firm.

Smaller firms typically don't plan as far ahead as large firms in their hiring needs, and they are less likely to advertise job openings or to recruit students on campus.


That means that students who are interested in working for small firms must be more aggressive and resourceful to get hired.

Experts suggest tapping law school alumni networks to find out about job openings at small firms. Also, check out directories of law firms, such as Martindale-Hubbell's database of law firms and lawyers, bar association directories' small-firm sections and the National Association of Law Placement's directory of employers.

And while it may not be a new lawyer's first choice, experts suggest grads consider part-time employment at several small firms. Although a small firm may not require a full-time associate, it may need someone to work on a part-time basis. Part-time work is a chance to get a foot in the door, and can lead to full-time employment.

The frequency of part-time employment is small, but measurable, accounting for about 2.8 percent of law firm jobs for law school graduates. Most of the part-time jobs were in small firms of 25 or fewer attorneys.

Experts also suggest graduates consider contract or temporary work as a door to full-time employment. Contract attorneys are hired through agencies to help out law firms with particular issues or cases. Temporary attorneys, who are also usually hired through agencies, fill in for other attorneys out on leave or when a firm suddenly has more work than it can handle.

Be flexible in terms of what you're looking for, not just the size of the law firm, but the type of work. A new attorney may work for three small law firms doing different types of work at each one.

The small-firm job search can be "daunting" to students who are used to breezing through the large-firm recruitment process.

But the fact that the smaller law firm search is a little more protracted and confusing forces people to reflect more on what they really want, and has the side benefit of really making inroads and numerous contacts into a market where they're going to establish their career.