Ask A Recruiter - Law

Is anyone else jaded with the idea of starting over at a new firm even though they know they need to leave? New partners and systems and new expectations...sounds exhausting.

Does anyone else feel like they came back from the holidays with less patience for firm politics? Something about stepping away for a few days made the nonsense way more obvious.

Job hunting this week bc I'm out of here in 2026. I’m answering emails but my brain is already on January moves and lateral plans. Anyone else making moves?

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Ask A Recruiter – Law lets legal job seekers and attorneys connect with recruiters to learn about hiring, interviews, and career growth. The Elder Law Coach s… more

I’ve been in interviews where the feedback was positive on skills and experience, but the decision seemed to come down to “fit.” Sometimes that feels fair, other times a bit vague. how much weight doe… more

I recently interviewed for a role where I was asked to provide a writing sample, but the prompt was extremely specific, like a real world scenario about setting up a data exchange system between affil… more

Is there a ‘best’ time to switch jobs? I was thinking to wait until after bonus season, but my friend said move when the market is hot, but real life isn’t always that tidy. Sometimes the push to lea… more

How negotiable are offers really once they’re made?Candidates are often told “this is our final offer,” but sometimes there’s still room. From your side, what parts of an offer are usually most flexib… more

I have law firm recruiters reach out to me on a near daily basis. I have never had an in-house talent team reach out to me. How do companies source legal talent and how can I put myself in spaces to b… more

How do you know which recruiter is the best fit for you? Is it good to work with multiple recruiters or should you narrow it down to one?

My last interview process had 6 rounds spread across 2 months, including a case exercise I worked on over a weekend. After all that they told me they were reassessing headcount. I don’t even feel angr… more

Is ‘work-life balance’ actually role-specific, not company-specific? seen people at the same company have totally different WLB experiences depending on team and manager. It’s so hard to assess befor… more

I relocated from the Bay Area to the Sacramento area nearly two years ago and have over 20 years of experience as a legal admin assistant supporting corporate practice groups. Since the move, finding … more

How long did it take you to find your next legal role after deciding to leave? I thought once I made the decision, things would move faster. Instead it’s been weeks of applications, networking calls, … more

What do you do when recruiters keep reaching out but nothing ever closes? I’ve had multiple conversations that turn into nothing. It’s starting to feel like I’m being used but I can't figure out t… more

For attorneys in their job search requesting the recruiter’s assistance: if a firm you applied to likes you, but they’re hesitant in bringing you on due to concerns over the corporate client’s reserva… more

Is it worth it to use a recruiter to find entry level associate positions?

How do you react when a recruiter tells you details that the hiring manager clearly didn’t intend for you to know? Now I know too much and I can’t unknow it. Do you pretend you didn’t hear it?

I was denied a job due to a medication I was on and I have a prescription and I was told solely that was the reason I was being denied. I know this is against ADA laws. and should be protected from di… more

Do you ask for signing bonus? especially when companies want someone to move quickly or give up a bonus elsewhere — but it still feels inconsistent. how common are signing bonuses really for in-house… more

I was recently laid off and it has been very hard emotionally. My family is not in a financial situation where I can enjoy taking time off and I have been looking for a new role day and night. I hav… more

Going for an in-house role, they said they want someone who can move quickly, but they’re on their fourth rescheduled interview in a week. I'm hoping all this patience pays off. Is it worth it?

Cold applied online to a role out of state. Someone from talent acquisition reached out to confirm that I'd be comfortable with relocating for the role, but didn’t offer an interview. I responded … more

Does asking for more ever hurt your candidacy?Everyone says “always negotiate,” but I’ve also heard candidates worry about pricing themselves out, it’s so hard to decide if we should ask for more and by %. … more

How do you handle it when a firm tells you the billable requirement is “flexible,” but every associate you talk to hints it’s actually 2,300+? I’m trying to figure out who’s lying politely.

Interviewing a role that promises good WLB, but I know reality often looks very different once you start. in-house lawyers, what signals are you really look for to judge WLB before accepting an offer?… more

Is ‘career growth’ just a buzzword in job offers? Every offer promises growth, exposure, and opportunity — but once you’re inside, the role can look very different.When evaluating an offer, how do you… more

What's the best way to phrase a layoff during the interview process? I've never been in this spot so I'm a little unsure how to navigate this. FWIW I was laid off for "performance rea… more

Two jobs can look similar on paper, but the RTO vs. hybrid requirement completely changes how attractive they feel. My current job is 3 days in office, I am evaluating an offer, 5 days RTO with 20% in… more

Does anyone know anything abt pharmagenetics inc? They’ve reached out to me in regards to a rep position. I’d appreciate any insight. Thank u!

I’m interviewing for an Associate role and every partner I’ve spoken with keeps hinting that the last person “left suddenly,” but nobody will say why. The silence is making me more nervous than an hon… more

I can't decide if its worth continuing this process, the company keeps adding extra interview rounds with new people who weren’t on the original schedule. The finish line keeps moving and meanwhil… more

How hard is it to transition to a different state to practice? I'm in transactional Real Estate in Texas, two years of experience, and my husband really wants us to move to Denver. However, I just… more

I’ve been seeing some in-house lawyers step into business roles like ops, strategies etc. It makes sense — we sit close to the business and see how everything fits together. For those who’ve seen it h… more

Why can't I break into legal biz dev? Post grad I moved to CA and did biz dev for startups (2 years). Post dotcom bust moved back east. Doc review off & on since then. Attempted to break out &… more

I’ve noticed some in-house job postings strongly prefer candidates from the same industry — tech wants tech, finance wants finance, retail wants retail. But I’ve also seen lawyers break into totally n… more

@Visit Us:https://www.theelderlawcoach.com/
Law Coaching to provides students and aspiring legal professionals with a clear, reliable way to understand what today’s law firms look for in new talent. By… more

I had a recruiter tell me I was a perfect fit for a role and then disappear for three weeks. Now they’re emailing me like nothing happened. Should I re-engage? I don't want to waste my time on som… more

Saw lots of posts complaining about recruiters, I have to say it’s getting worse these days. One recruiter reached out to me for a job only pays 1/3 of my current base. I ignored her at first because … more