A reporter’s view of the Bay area small firm market is that, while they are being more aggressive about trimming spending, they are busy with client work and they are, to some extent hiring.

Law.com features an article from the Legal Intelligencer reporting that firms are expecting more work as a result of an anticipated post-election push to pass new regulation in the financial sector (and, to some extent, in the area of environmental law).

A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal’s Career Journal highlights fellowships as a way of opening new doors on one’s career path.  The article talks about the White House Fellowship program and quotes Boalt alum (and former White House fellow) Diane Yu who talks about her own career path. 

The CDO will be hosting an informational conference call about the White House Fellows Program with Boalt alums who served as fellows   

A recent article in the Marketing the Law Firm Newsletter offers some good pointers on how to connect with clients.  The adivce is equally applicable to the job search context.  The author was here at Berkeley Law last year presiding over our Business Etiquette Dinner and discussion.   

For more on networking, see the “Career Development and Job Search Skills” section of the CDO website.  We also have some good recent print resources on the Art of Networking available in the CDO Library. 

In case you missed it in this past Sunday’s SF Chronicle, here is a link to an interesting article about how the economic downturn is likely to impact emerging technologies (Clean Tech, biolfules, etc), which make up a larger part of the Silicon Valley’s business sector.

The popular wisdom is that, in an economic downtown, firms’ transactional practices slow down, but that new litigation and bankruptcy matters often make up for this loss of business.  Today’s NY Lawyer reports that litigation practices have, in fact, not picked up in several areas of the country (although it appears that NYC is currently bucking this trend). 

Law.com links to two stories today:  one is about how the Lehman bankruptcy and the sale of Merrill Lynch is likely to affect Biglaw corporate practices.  A managing partner of a major NY firm is quoted as saying:  “It’s a question of whether you’re fortuitous enough to be representing a financial institution that survives or whether you represent one that’s not going to be around much longer.”  The article also points out that the plaintiffs’ bar will also likely be negatively affected.

The second story reports on one bright spot in the legal job market: the growth of in-house Clean Tech opportunities. 

2Ls:  A BigLaw Recruiting Manager provides her take on the guidelines governing the acceptance of summer offers here. 

From time to time, we are asked whether pursuing a joint degree will enhance a student’s marketability.  The answer, of course, depends on the particular degree and who the potential employer is.  

A partner at a large NY law firm recently provided his take on this subject in a piece appearing in the Legal Times. 

Interesting article in the National Law Journal discussing how associate hiring is linked to predictions about the future direction of the economy. 

One large firm’s chairperson reported that they are shooting for the same summer associate hiring target as last year.  The NY office of another has decided to forego on campus recruiting entirely this year.  Both admit to the difficulty in trying to predict their need for associates two years out.  It’s definitely worth a read.