NALP Bulletin, March 2002
NALP's Snapshot of the Recruiting Season Survey requested information on lateral hiring in 2000 and 2001. Results are based on 594 employers and are shown in the table below.
Overall, based on aggregate hiring of 6,224 lateral attorneys in 2001, this survey indicated that the volume of hiring decreased by almost one-quarter, with a median figure of six lateral hires in 2001. The average number hired was ten. At the same time, the number of offices that reported an increase of 10% or more about equaled the number of offices that reported a decrease of 50% or more. Firms of more than 100 attorneys reported the largest decreases, about 24%.
At the regional level, the largest decreases, about one-third, were reported from the Northeast and West, followed by the Mid-Atlantic region. In contrast, lateral hiring in the Midwest was almost steady, a weak market in Chicago notwithstanding. Most cities reported an overall decrease as well, with the exception of Houston, San Antonio, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. Declines were particularly steep, more than 50%, in Miami, Denver, and Orange County, CA.
The results this year contrast with a similar survey last year which found about a 40% increase in aggregate lateral hiring between 1999 and 2000. Survey results, of course, reflect the respondent pool. It is worth noting, however, that the newest edition of NALP's Patterns and Practices: Measures of Law Firm Hiring, Leverage and Billable Hours, which provides information on lateral hiring between 1999 and 2000 from more than 1,100 offices reporting in the NALP Directory of Legal Employers, shows about a 30% increase in lateral hiring for the same period. This figure thus parallels the findings of last year's Snapshot Survey, at least at the national level, and demonstrates that the Snapshot, although not as comprehensive as the Directory information, provides a good measure of the lateral market.
Lateral Hiring in 2001 and Comparison with 2000
|
% of Offices Reporting A: | ||||||||
|
# of Offices Reporting |
Median # Hired in 2001 |
Average # Hired in 2001 |
% Change in # Hired 2000-2001 |
Decrease of 50% or more |
Decrease of 10-50% |
Change of less that 10% |
Increase of 10% or more | |
|
Nationwide |
594 |
6.0 |
10 |
-22.8 |
31.5 |
23.0 |
12.3 |
33.3 |
|
By Number of Attorneys Firmwide | ||||||||
|
50 or fewer |
92 |
2.0 |
3 |
-6.1 |
29.1 |
14.0 |
22.1 |
34.9 |
|
51-100 |
71 |
5.0 |
6 |
-13.9 |
33.8 |
14.7 |
8.8 |
42.6 |
|
101-250 |
155 |
8.0 |
10 |
-24.6 |
27.5 |
28.2 |
10.7 |
33.6 |
|
251-500 |
114 |
9.0 |
15 |
-23.6 |
26.9 |
26.0 |
16.3 |
30.8 |
|
501+ |
159 |
6.0 |
14 |
-23.5 |
38.8 |
25.0 |
5.9 |
30.3 |
|
By NALP Region and City | ||||||||
|
Northeast |
93 |
8.0 |
13 |
-30.0 |
36.0 |
22.5 |
9.0 |
32.6 |
|
Boston |
14 |
9.0 |
12 |
-46.6 |
53.8 |
30.8 |
0.0 |
15.4 |
|
New York |
48 |
9.5 |
17 |
-27.6 |
35.6 |
24.4 |
11.1 |
28.9 |
|
Mid-Atlantic |
115 |
7.0 |
12 |
-25.5 |
28.2 |
29.1 |
10.0 |
32.7 |
|
Philadelphia area |
12 |
6.0 |
10 |
-18.2 |
33.3 |
25.0 |
0.0 |
41.7 |
|
Richmond |
5 |
11.0 |
9 |
-10.0 |
0.0 |
40.0 |
20.0 |
40.0 |
|
Washington, DC area |
51 |
6.0 |
10 |
-26.5 |
27.7 |
21.3 |
8.5 |
42.6 |
|
Southeast |
132 |
5.0 |
8 |
-20.1 |
31.2 |
17.6 |
12.0 |
39.2 |
|
Atlanta |
16 |
9.5 |
13 |
-37.7 |
31.3 |
37.5 |
0.0 |
31.3 |
|
Austin |
11 |
4.0 |
5 |
-27.9 |
30.0 |
30.0 |
20.0 |
20.0 |
|
Dallas |
13 |
6.0 |
10 |
-9.1 |
46.2 |
7.7 |
23.1 |
23.1 |
|
Houston |
15 |
6.0 |
8 |
19.1 |
15.4 |
23.1 |
15.4 |
46.2 |
|
Miami |
7 |
6.0 |
5 |
-52.9 |
57.1 |
42.9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
San Antonio |
5 |
2.0 |
3 |
62.5 |
50.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
50.0 |
|
Tampa/St. Petersburg |
7 |
2.0 |
4 |
13.0 |
42.9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
57.1 |
|
Midwest |
105 |
7.0 |
14 |
-1.9 |
20.6 |
23.7 |
15.5 |
40.2 |
|
Chicago |
22 |
9.5 |
11 |
-42.1 |
33.3 |
33.3 |
14.3 |
19.0 |
|
Cleveland |
5 |
8.0 |
7 |
-12.1 |
25.0 |
25.0 |
0.0 |
50.0 |
|
Columbus |
6 |
2.0 |
3 |
-29.2 |
20.0 |
20.0 |
0.0 |
60.0 |
|
Minneapolis |
9 |
14.0 |
15 |
13.4 |
11.1 |
11.1 |
11.1 |
66.7 |
|
St. Louis |
7 |
4.0 |
9 |
-4.4 |
14.3 |
28.6 |
14.3 |
42.9 |
|
West/Rocky Mt. |
145 |
4.0 |
8 |
-33.2 |
39.4 |
23.4 |
13.1 |
24.1 |
|
Denver area |
11 |
4.0 |
6 |
-55.3 |
30.0 |
50.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
|
Los Angeles area |
27 |
6.0 |
11 |
8.8 |
32.0 |
24.0 |
8.0 |
36.0 |
|
Orange County, CA |
8 |
3.5 |
3 |
-57.4 |
57.1 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
42.9 |
|
Phoenix |
7 |
7.0 |
7 |
-23.0 |
28.6 |
42.9 |
14.3 |
14.3 |
|
Portland area |
9 |
4.0 |
4 |
-9.5 |
33.3 |
22.2 |
22.2 |
22.2 |
|
San Francisco |
14 |
4.5 |
7 |
-38.6 |
38.5 |
23.1 |
15.4 |
23.1 |
|
Seattle area |
18 |
3.0 |
6 |
-38.7 |
55.6 |
16.7 |
11.1 |
16.7 |
Source: Snapshot Survey, December 2001/January 2002.
Note: The number of
offices reporting both 2000 and 2001 figures is somewhat smaller than the figure
shown, which is the number of offices reporting a 2001 figure. Firms indicating
that they recruit for multiple offices are excluded from the city figures. The
Philadelphia area includes Bala Cynwyd and Haddonfield, NJ. The Washington, DC
area includes Reston, Vienna, and Tysons Corner. The Los Angeles area includes
Pasadena and Long Beach. Orange County includes Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Newport
Beach. The Seattle area includes Bellevue and Kirkland. The San Jose area
includes Menlo Park, Palo Alto, San Jose, and Sunnyvale. The Denver area
includes Broomfield. The Portland area includes Lake Oswego.
