Blog

February 27, 2023

Bridging the Gap – the Case for Race-Based Data

  “We need to collect race-based data” – this is the latest phrase to enter recent mainstream conversations about how to combat oppressive hiring practices within law …

January 20, 2023

Best of 2022 – Our Most Popular Blogs in an Uncertain Year

  As 2022 came to a close, economic uncertainty caused much unrest in the corporate world. In 2023, we anticipate the legal industry will continue to transform, …

December 2, 2022

Canadian Legal Market Update

  “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes” – Mark Twain   M&A activity remained strong throughout 2022, albeit not at the historic levels of 2021. Profit …

November 25, 2022

Returning to Canadian practice – a matter of timing

  In 2021, private equity resilience and a flourishing technology sector drove strong M&A activity and unprecedented levels of dealmaking. Demand for corporate associates was exceptionally high …

August 29, 2022

Career by Choice, Not by Chance: How the Power of Focus Can Shape Your Legal Career

  As legal recruitment consultants, we have worked with lawyers who did not put much effort in choosing their career. They stumbled onto their practice area ‘by …

August 26, 2022

SWOT Analysis for Lawyers

Lateral movement is a way of life for both lawyers and law firms. Lawyers can find themselves moving laterally at any point of their career and law …

August 12, 2022

3 Simple Steps to Career Planning

How Associates can prepare to weather recessionary periods   Like the certainty of death and taxes, economic markets shift.  Speculation continues that Canada might head into a …

July 22, 2022

Navigating a ‘3R’ World: How Resignation, Retirement, & Re-evaluation Are Shaping the Legal Profession

Pre-Covid, the legal profession had been in a state of flux for over a decade, owing to new technologies, client fee sensitivities, the rise of millennial lawyers, …

June 30, 2022

The 2022 In-House Compensation & Career Survey

  The 2022 In-House Counsel Compensation & Career Survey results are in! Now in its seventh wave, the report, conducted in partnership with the Canadian Corporate Counsel …

May 9, 2022

Market update – Canadian Legal Recruitment Trends for 2022

  2021 was the year of the IPO and frenzied M&A activity fueled a hypercompetitive market for legal talent, characterized by diminishing talent pools and high turnover …

March 20, 2022

Your Career Highlight Reel: The Importance of Keeping an Up-to-Date Resume

By now, it’s safe to say most lawyers have heard about or been directly affected by the extraordinarily busy legal market. Over the past year, we’ve seen …

February 22, 2022

2022 In-House Compensation – A Forecast in Advance of the Survey Results

The 2022 In-House Counsel Compensation and Career Survey is ongoing and results will be released in May 2022. In this blog, we look back at 2021 and …

January 25, 2022

Best of 2021: Our Most Popular Blogs in an Unprecedented Year

  This was a year like no other. Law firms in Canada and the US shifted into expansion mode, resulting in a hypercompetitive market for legal talent, characterized by diminishing talent pools and …

December 20, 2021

The Legal Industry’s Disruptor: Lawyers

  For many years, both legal and business communities opined over the legal profession’s next ‘great disruptor’. Predictions included changes in billing models and technology, the rise …

December 15, 2021

How to Become a First Choice Law Firm

Today’s market for top talent is more competitive than ever.  Becoming a law firm of choice requires both a clear understanding of exactly what Associates want and …

October 29, 2021

Truths, Trends and Tips on Compensation for In-House Lawyers

I had the pleasure of joining fellow panelists Leanne Hull, Associate General Counsel and Director of Employment, Pension and Compensation Law, Legal & Regulatory Compliance at BMO Financial …

October 6, 2021

Considerations for Going In-House as a Junior Lawyer 

Moving in-house is always a hot topic. In the past, legal departments sought to hire lawyers who had at least four to five years of legal experience, and preferably from a law firm; …

July 23, 2021

Differentiating to Get That in-House Legal Job

After five year’s practice in a mid-sized law firm, you’ve decided to pursue a position in a corporate legal department.  Your technical skill set and educational background …

June 30, 2021

Canadian Legal Market Update: The War for Legal Talent Continues

Earlier this year, private equity resilience and a flourishing technology sector drove strong M&A activity and the biggest ever Q1 crop of IPOs by Canadian companies in the past 15 years. Carrying forward the momentum into Q2, we saw private practice …

May 27, 2021

Three Tips for Hiring in a Hot Market

Lateral movement is a way of life for both lawyers and law firms. As we progress, Canada’s recovery is being described as ‘K-shaped’. The continued strength of private equity and a flourishing technology sector has driven strong M&A activity and the biggest ever Q1 crop …

May 14, 2021

3 Golden Rules to Retaining Associates

High-fives all round…..  You’ve recently hired that highly skilled star quality Associate to your legal team.  The lead Partner and recruiting team take a huge sigh in …

April 29, 2021

How to Best Prepare for an In-House Counsel Job

Every week, The Counsel Network is asked for our advice when associates and partners are considering to make a career move.  Of course we are happy to …

April 22, 2021

How Associates Can Develop Their Star Quality

What makes junior associates stand out amongst their peers? There’s no universal model for ‘rising stars’ in a law firm but given our longstanding history as legal …

April 14, 2021

The Biggest Career Myth to Going In-House

For lawyers contemplating a career change from private practice to become an in-house counsel, exploring the options and various trade-offs is an important component within anyone’s decision …

April 1, 2021

Show Your Translation Skills to Get That In-House Legal Job

Due to the unique nature of the legal profession, as legal recruiters, we are often engaged by the corporate human resources professional to work alongside decision-makers in …

April 1, 2021

A Career Crossroad – Practicing in the Big City or Smaller Community

As legal recruiters, we find ourselves serving as sounding boards for lawyers facing a career crossroad.  For some, they desire a career challenge but also seek a …

February 26, 2021

Yes, We Should Care About Black History Month

In his 1994 interview with the Paris Review1, prolific Nigerian author Chinua Achebe introduced the following proverb to audiences around the world: “[…]until the lions have their own historians, …

February 17, 2021

Deciding Where Best to Practice Law

There are few decisions more important to lawyers (and their clients) than deciding where to practice law. Not all firms are created equal.  The size of the …

February 16, 2021

How External Counsel Can Bring Extra Value to In-House Counsel

Working in-house is an increasingly popular consideration for lawyers.  Their typical day-to-day varies greatly from lawyers in private practice.  As a result they bring differing views on …

February 11, 2021

The Importance of Softer Skills to Land an In-House Legal Job

As legal recruiters who specialize in placement of in-house counsel, The Counsel Network participates in countless candidate interviews each year.  Candidate requirements such as technical competency and …