Limited optimism, despite drop in law firm layoffs

Overall US unemployment remained flat last month—“bolstering hopes that the worst may finally be over in the wrenching event known as the Great Recession,” declares the Times—and it dropped significantly in the legal sector. According to BLS statistics, only 100 jobs in the legal industry were lost in February, compared to 1,100 in January and 2,100 in December 2009.

That said, as Law Shucks details, a decline in layoffs doesn’t necessarily represent an uptick in jobs: “One reason for fewer layoffs going forward is simply that hiring is falling off a cliff.” But, even if the job market for law grads has “tanked,” some law schools aren’t sitting by quietly, instead tapping into their alumni network to beg for help.

For those lucky enough to garner an actual interview, legal search consultants Valerie Fontaine and Roberta Kass offer more tips at law.com on how to get through the encounter with class (or at least minimal embarrassment). In this week’s lesson, “Mind your mannerisms,” the authors tout the benefits of good posture (slouching suggests “low self-esteem” and “lack of energy”); warn of the perils of a high-pitched voice (it “can undermine your authority by sounding childish, overly excited or emotional”); and caution against excessive smiling and nodding (you’ll “risk looking like a bobble head”).

- posted by vera