- If you been waiting to make your next career move
wait no more.
For the first time in at least a generation
the legal job market is tipped in favor of lawyers.
And in today's video I'm going to show you how to capitalize
on this rare opportunity.
Welcome back.
If you're new here I'm Annie Little,
I'm an ICF certified career coach,
and former lawyer.
And I created this channel for lawyers
who are looking for a practical process for finding,
and landing their ideal job.
The pandemic was rough on lawyers in so many ways,
but law firms found a bit of a bright spot
in the form of record setting profits.
Now, those profits are probably the result
of hiring freezes in 2020,
and increased productivity among lawyers
who were working remotely.
And surprise, surprise
employers' self-imposed hiring moratoriums
led to overwhelming workloads,
and extreme lawyer burnout.
And understandably,
many of those lawyers are leaving those same employers
as they're being asked to return to the office full-time,
and/or maintain their astronomical workloads.
And normally I would tell lawyers to avoid these employers.
But these are not normal times.
So working remotely during the pandemic
demonstrated that lawyers can be imminently
productive when working remotely.
And it showed lawyers how much time
they were spending on commutes,
and office distractions which were detracting
from their personal time.
So as the Great Resignation
ripples throughout the legal sector,
employers are scrambling to find lawyers
who can handle their massive workloads.
Which means they are willing to pay
a premium for talent. Finally!
And you are now going to insist that they pay that premium.
So first of all I need you to reframe your mindset
to one that recognizes that they are lucky to have you.
And you've probably felt wildly fortunate
when you've received a job offer in the past.
And of course, gratitude is certainly in order there,
but there tends to be this little hint
of a sense of unworthiness
when it comes to accepting certain types of employment.
And I've seen that prevent people from negotiating
for the best possible compensation package.
And when I'm referring to compensation
I'm talking about money and other kinds of benefits.
While I believe that legal employers
are always lucky to have found their legal talent,
right now I really want everyone to lean
into this understanding that lawyers
are doing a huge favor for legal employers right now.
So before you apply for your next job
I want you to reframe your approach.
In particular you are not begging for a job,
you are not desperate for a job,
you are doing willing to do anything
to work in a systemically broken system.
Instead you are offering your services to an employer
if that position fits your values, priorities, and skillset.
Know this, employees are desperate to hire you.
If they extend you an offer
it's because they want you desperately.
Next, you're going to negotiate for what you want.
Now that we're clear on where the bargaining power lies,
it's time for you to decide
what type of employment arrangement you want to.
Of course traditional compensation elements
are certainly in play,
things like base salary, bonus opportunities,
401(k) matching, health insurance, vacation time, the work.
Oh, and don't forget signing bonuses especially right now.
So while those traditional compensation elements
are always in play,
now employers are willing to entertain
alternative work arrangements
in particular working from home.
And thanks to the wealth of data
that's been generated during the pandemic
which shows how productive lawyers are
when they work remotely
seems to suggest that they're actually more productive
than when they're in the office,
we lawyers finally have the leverage
to negotiate for these remotes work options.
Now those old excuses as to why remote work wasn't an option
no longer hold water.
And you know the greatest hits,
lawyers aren't as productive from home,
the law firm just doesn't have the right technology
to make it work.
And my all time favorite,
lawyers need to be in the office
where we foster an environment
of collaboration and innovation.
Reality check,
none of that existed when we were working
full-time in the office.
All that to say you've got the upper hand here.
Remember, you don't you have to accept their offer.
And I know your lawyer brain is likely chiming in right now
saying something like,
but if I asked for exactly what I want
there's no way they'll give it to me.
Maybe but that's on them because listen,
if you negotiate in good faith,
meaning if you're willing to compromise here and there
where it makes sense,
then you can confidently walk away when the employer
is unwilling to budge.
Remember, they're lucky to have you always
but especially right now.
And you will not be the only one walking away
from less than ideal circumstances.
And my biggest hope in all of this is that as lawyers
continue to insist on more humane work conditions
that little by little our dysfunctional legal industry
is going to change for the better.
So if you're ready to go out and find a better job
that's offering the kinds of work arrangements
that are better aligned with your values and priorities,
I want you to check out my masterclass,
it's free and it's called three simple strategies
for uncovering any lawyer's transferable skills.
And it's going to help you identify
the skills you already have,
and learn how to communicate the value of those skills
to any employer.
And I've linked to the masterclass in the description below.
And now that you see that you've got the leverage
to negotiate a profitable and humane work arrangement,
that's just one less hurdle between you and your ideal job.
(upbeat music playing)