There?s hope yet?for people packing portable books o? busine

If you managed to survive a truly terrible Thursday?and actually made it to work this morning after commiserating with fallen comrades over carbombs last night?you may have noticed that The Recorder reports that more ?big? cuts loom, while the New York Law Journal believes there?s still hope for many a few of you. Melissa McClenaghan Martin reports that, while the ?market of hope and possibility? for legal job-seekers has clearly devolved into something far less attractive, areas such as bankruptcy, IP, energy and compliance are still looking for talent. That said, ?strong credentials alone are not enough to get candidates in the door these days?(f)or attorneys at the counsel and partner level, a book of business is essential for firm positions. These days, being a technician is not enough.?

In other words, your best shot at landing a new gig in a time when the associate market is, as Martin euphemistically terms it, ?stalled? (we prefer ?moribund?), is to: a.) be a partner, counsel or senior associate; and b.) carry ?quantifiable portable business.? According to a pair of legal headhunters interviewed for the piece, the ?quantifiable? factor of the equation is well defined and varies by market, firm, and a candidate?s level of experience: West Coast outposts of large firms expect viable senior associate and of-counsel candidates to pack books of around $300,000-400,000, while junior partners should show at least $750,000; the baseline for mid-to-senior-level partners is typically around $1.5 million. Moving east, Chicago?s BigLaw contingent should be prepared to boast a legit $1 mill on their books (though smaller firms may settle for $300,000-500,000), while in New York, ?a partner needs at least $2 million to $3 million of business to get the attention of the larger firms.?

If you don?t fit any of those descriptions?but really, who doesn?t?!?Martin relays a few universal tips for those on the hunt:

a.) Network your ass off: Burn up online professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, make the CLE and job fair rounds, and flog your Rolodex (do people actually still use those?) till it spits out a potentially useful forgotten acquaintance or thirty. Martin reminds readers, however, that ?(n)ow is not the time to hard-sell contacts. With so many hiring freezes in place, it is more useful for candidates to develop relationships with contacts, rather than to immediately ask them for a job.? Just be sure to make your move before the government cuts unemployment to pay for the new stimulus plan.

b.) Tread carefully in negotiations: If you?re fortunate enough to land an interview, now isn?t the time to push for that 25-hour work schedule. Rather, recruits should ?start at a full-time schedule and ask their employer to re-evaluate their schedule at the six-month or one-year mark.?

-posted by ben fuchs