NALP Bulletin, December 2014

Earlier this year NALP conducted its biennial Survey of Legal Career Professionals, collecting information on compensation, job functions and responsibilities, and selected demographic information from individuals in NALP law firm/employer organizations in the U.S. involved in recruiting, professional development, diversity, and other lawyer personnel management duties.

This column focuses on the demographic information provided by survey respondents. A total of 458 individuals completed the survey, reporting as of April 1, 2014. (Not all respondents completed all items, however.)

It is evident that in 2014 a JD degree is typical, particularly among directors and managers in the professional development realm — and more specifically among those who are relatively new to the field. At the same time, a BA/BS is not uncommon among directors and managers involved primarily with recruiting or in a hybrid role of recruiting and professional development, and among directors and managers who have been in the field for more than ten years. Those who are coordinators most typically have earned a bachelor’s degree, although among coordinators working in professional development an advanced degree is about as common. Finally, it is evident that a number of individuals who have been in the field for more than ten years started in the field with a high school or two-year diploma. (See Table 1.)

Also in 2014, directors typically have been in the field for more than ten years, particularly those in recruiting. Over one-third of managers have been in the field for more than ten years, with this figure higher among managers of recruiting. Almost half of managers and directors reported having spent time in law practice. (See Table 2.) For those with a JD, this means that most spent some time in law practice.

How Does This Compare with 2004?

The 2004 report analyses used somewhat different groupings of respondents appropriate to the responses in that year. The response numbers were also considerably lower, and managers and directors were combined in the analyses. Looking at the 2014 responses in the same way as in 2004 shows that about two-thirds of directors and managers of professional development had obtained a JD degree in both years, as had 14-16% of directors and managers of recruiting in both years. Directors and managers in a hybrid role are more likely to have a JD in 2014 — about half compared with about one-third ten years ago.

Experience levels are generally up. In 2004, for example, the percentages were reported for eight or more years in the field. In that year just over one-third of directors and managers of recruiting fell into that category. In 2014, about 70% do so. Among directors and managers of professional development, the respective percentages were about 37% and 57%. Among directors and managers in a hybrid role, in 2004 about 40% had eight or more years in the field; in 2014 about two-thirds fall into that category.

Notes on Survey Methodology

Respondents were categorized as to type of job — e.g., director, manager — based on their self-reported title and the title of the person to whom they report. Although the title made this classification self-evident in nearly all cases, it should be noted that in some cases the director or chief individual retains the title of partner even though he or she is no longer practicing. For purposes of these analyses, coordinators also include individuals with an “administrator” or “specialist” title.

Respondents were further assigned to a function area based on their reported time allotments. Recruiting includes individuals who typically spend 60% or more of their time on law student and/or lateral recruiting. Professional development includes individuals who typically spend 60% or more of their time on professional development. For purposes of this survey analysis, time spent on diversity matters was also counted toward professional development. As might be expected, the “both recruiting and professional development” category includes professionals who work in both areas on a relatively equal basis. Finally, a new grouping, “human resources with some recruiting” is for those individuals who are primarily human resources generalists but spend a measurable fraction of their time, 15-25%, on recruiting activities.

Table 1. Characteristics of Legal Career Professionals — Education and Years in Field

Note: A few respondents reported either a PhD or “other” educational attainment. Hence percentages do not add to 100. Groupings with fewer than five respondents are not shown. Assistants almost all reported having earned a BA/BS.
Overall, about 15% of respondents indicated that an advanced degree (e.g., education beyond a BA/BS) was required for their current job. Individuals working in professional development were twice as likely to report this. Most typically, that required degree is a JD. About 30% of respondents indicated that an advanced degree was preferred for their current job, with a JD overwhelmingly the preferred degree. Again respondents working in professional development were more likely to report this (about half), followed by respondents with responsibilities for both recruiting and professional development (about 40%).

Table 2. Characteristics of Legal Career Professionals — Years in Field, Prior Practice

* Fewer than five respondents in this category.
Note: Among directors reporting prior law practice, the median number of years reported was 6, with half of responses in the 4-10 year range. For managers, the median was about 4 years, with half of responses in the 3-7 year range. For the few coordinators reporting prior law practice, the highest figure reported was 7 years. The handful of assistants responding to the survey not surprisingly all have less than 5 years of experience in the field and have not practiced law.