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Monitor Those “Lawyers in Transition” News Items

The countless digital and print legal and business trade publications providing enough information overload to disrupt and confuse the most organized and disciplined among us almost always contain an immensely valuable news nugget for job-seekers: the “Lawyers in Transition” column or article (a.k.a. “People in the News” or something comparable).

These gems typically read something like this:

Promoting From Within

“Jane Bookworm has been promoted to Deputy Chief Legal Officer at Bookbinder Amalgamated, Inc. She has been with the company for five years. Her most recent position was Assistant General Counsel for Technology.”

This kind of news item can be a wake-up call alerting you to an opportunity. Many companies’ initial inclination is to promote from within their ranks. As everyone moves up the ladder to a new level, a new job vacancy occurs at the bottom of the legal food chain.

Hiring From Outside

When an organization brings someone in from outside, that usually means that a job opportunity has opened up in the “losing” entity. When you see an outside hire reported in a people-in-the-news column, google the name of the new hire in order to find information on the name of the losing establishment. Then, if the stars line up right and you find the outfit attractive, submit an application geared to the vacancy.

Act Fast

Timing in either case described above is everything. If you can get your application in before the new vacancy is advertised, you may have a golden opportunity to impress the hiring official(s) in a time of more quiet contemplation than once a job ad is publicized and the company is besieged by a barrage of applications.