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Looking for a few good lawyers
The legal sector continues to shed jobs — 1,300 nationally in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — but that doesn’t mean there are no jobs to be had. BLS data shows 561,350 lawyers earning income as practicing attorneys as of May 2010.
According to a spokesman for recruiting firm Robert Half Legal, the local and regional hiring picture is in line with what the firm is seeing nationally.
“Clients are looking to bring on candidates who are going to be able to make money for their company right away, so definitely people with several years of experience, as opposed to lawyers right out of school,” said Jon Witmer.
So what is out there? In a wholly unscientific survey, we found opportunities in a mix of practice areas, including products liability, bankruptcy, business, corporate and securities, labor and employment, real estate, litigation and financial services. And, while all of the eight employers sampled below are looking for lawyers with experience, some of them also have an opening for an entry-level associate.
Gordon Feinblatt
Gordon, Feinblatt, Rothman, Hoffberger & Hollander LLC, a 70-lawyer Baltimore firm, is reviewing resumes for three open positions.
The firm had four openings, but it filled one last month. The remaining positions are for two bankruptcy lawyers and one business lawyer.
One of the bankruptcy openings is for an attorney with at least 10 years of experience in complex Chapter 11 and reorganization cases, work-outs and the acquisition of financially troubled businesses. The other bankruptcy position would ideally be filled by someone with two years of experience in the same areas.
Managing partner Barry Rosen said he has gotten the most interest in the business position, which is an entry-level job.
Despite the economy, Gordon Feinblatt has stuck with the same hiring plan it’s always had.
“We’ve always been cautious,” Rosen said. “During boom times we hired one new associate a year. And during the recession we hired one new associate a year.”
Shulman Rogers
Potomac-based Shulman Rogers Gandal Pordy & Ecker P.A. is seeking two attorneys to fill positions in its business and financial services and real estate practices.
Both openings are for mid-level associates in this firm of more than 90 attorneys.
“We try to appeal to the attorney that’s kind of growing their practice and looking at the long-term benefits of joining our firm, where they may not have the same restrictions and dynamics of a D.C. firm,” said Maura Bowen, the firm’s human resources manager.
Shulman Rogers is seeking an attorney with at least four years of experience for the financial services job. Qualified candidates would be able to draft business transaction and entity formation documents, as well as shareholder agreements and operating agreements for LLCs.
The real estate associate position requires five or more years of experience in commercial real estate transactions. Past experience with litigation in land deals is helpful.
“One advantage [to the firm] is lower billable-hour rates which clients like, so attorneys with some portable business are attracted to our firm because the clients are happy,” Bowen said.
The Mount Washington office of DLA Piper LLP US, a 150-lawyer outpost of this international firm of 4,200 attorneys, has two openings on its team.
New cases DLA Piper has picked up have created a spot for a staff attorney in its products liability practice, according to Matthew Gorra, the firm’s hiring partner in Baltimore. The ideal candidate would have three to six years of experience in a large, multi-jurisdictional law firm.
The other spot is for an associate with at least three years of experience in corporate and securities law. The firm is looking for someone who can assist in the management of the transaction team “from beginning to end,” Gorra said.
This Maple Lawn-based mid-Atlantic law firm is interested in hiring a labor and employment attorney with three to five years of experience. The firm is looking for an attorney who has represented management, but would consider someone who has done union or employee work.
The rapidly growing firm has gone from employing about 20 attorneys to 80 attorneys in the last several years, and it is looking to continue expanding.
“We believe that firms that don’t grow stagnate and in this economy don’t do well,” said name partner Howard Kurman.
Offit Kurman is also considering adding a “competent” real estate attorney and potentially an intellectual property attorney.
“We’re looking for attorneys with established books of business,” Kurman said. “We’ve met with lots of attorneys who are with larger firms. We’re always and constantly looking for and interviewing attorneys.”
In 2007, the firm said it had a goal of reaching 100 attorneys in five years, and Kurman said it looks like the firm is still on track to reach that milestone. Offit Kurman hopes to achieve the goal by expanding into Northern Virginia and adding attorneys to its five existing offices in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
This public interest organization has five openings for attorneys in several locations. When it’s fully staffed, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau Inc. employs 150 attorneys.
Spokesman Joe Surkiewicz said Legal Aid has weathered the recession well compared to other public interest groups that are laying off attorneys.
“We’ve done a reasonably effective job of maintaining our funding,” Surkiewicz said, —though that doesn’t keep pace with demand for services. “We should be hiring hand-over-fist based on our need,” he said.
Two of the jobs are in the group’s Riverdale office. The first is a general legal services position that requires Maryland Bar admission. Legal services experience and Spanish language proficiency are desirable.
The other Riverdale opening is for a supervising attorney in elder law and public benefits. Preferred candidates would have three years of experience in legal services, management or elder law.
There is an administrative law position open in Baltimore, and in Frederick, there is another general legal services attorney job open, which requires three years of legal experience.
The group also has an opening for a staff attorney on its long-term care assistance project in the statewide advocacy support unit, representing low-income older adults and people with disabilities.
Also hiring
– Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver PC is looking for two attorneys, one for its Baltimore office and the other for its Washington, D.C., office. In Baltimore, Ober|Kaler is seeking a corporate mergers and acquisitions associate with four or more years of experience.
The D.C. office is seeking an attorney to fill a role in its litigation practice. The firm says for both positions, “stellar academic credentials are a must.”
– University of Maryland University College, an online higher education institution in Adelphi that serves 90,000 students worldwide, is seeking an attorney fellow for a one-year contract position. The position would provide a new law school graduate with experience in the office of general counsel.
UMUC also has an opening for an assistant general counsel. The ideal candidate would have two to five years of experience as a lawyer, preferably for an institution of higher learning or a state or local government.
– The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is seeking applicants for assistant U.S. attorney positions in Baltimore and Greenbelt. Applicants must have at least three years of experience as a lawyer.
The office is also seeking attorneys to serve as special assistants to the U.S. attorneys in the criminal division in Greenbelt or Baltimore, or in the civil division in Baltimore. To be qualified, candidates must already be employed by a federal government agency.
