2017 was a very good year business-wise for us and I am very grateful! Looking back at the 153 jobs we worked on this year, there are definitely some trends that appear.
BD Manager Roles and Mar/Comm Roles on the Rise
We continued to see more new BD roles than any other type of jobs and received 67 new positions from 42 different law firms. The majority of these positions were manager roles. Another new trend we witnessed was a significant increase in law firm marketing/communication roles, up 100% from 2015 to a total of 40 new positions. On the recruiting and PD side, the number of new positions that we were asked to fill was about equal to last year.
Active Hiring vs Some Layoffs
We are pleased to see that many law firms are actively hiring BD and Marketing/Communications, PD and Recruiting roles! This suggests that some firms are doing well and looking to grow their marketing/BD departments. However, the data we have collected in our nation-wide salary surveys indicates that there all also firms of all sizes that are still laying off marketing/BD and recruiting/PD professionals and shrinking these departments in an effort to reduce overhead from non-income generating jobs.
Recap on 2017 and a Little Wisnik Wisdom “To Go”
I truly believe that law firms remain great places to work because they are filled with smart and professional people who respect talent. When looking at the hiring trends, I urge you to do your due diligence and make sure the Firm you are with or are thinking of joining has leadership that values and supports marketing and business development. A strong marketing/BD or recruiting professional can have an impact on new business and revenues, or make sure the Firm has the right talent to serve its clients.
Overall, there is definitely growth in the legal services market, with a strong emphasis on roles that will help firms to grow their business. Great talent is at a premium and since January 2017 we have experienced having many more roles than qualified candidates. We hope to see our client firms continue to invest in talent and grow their teams in 2018!