New market entrants, thriving lateral and in-house mobility, and legal services segmentation are changing legal talent market dynamics. Burgeoning Big Four legal units and large alternative legal service providers are siphoning talent from law firms. Career options are snowballing for new and seasoned lawyers. As these trends play out, tectonic change is coming to the legal talent market.
Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal Services, observes that new entrants and a short supply of high-skill lawyers (those from Tier 1 law schools and those with a book of business) are making for a very competitive market. Sullivan sees this trend intensifying over the next five years.
