Following on from the theme of my previous post on law firms and Facebook, here is the requisite nod to the other big internet phenomenon. In this tightly competitive market for legal employment, firms are turning to the video-sharing site YouTube as part of their recruitment strategy. From an article in the Herald Tribune, we learn that:
Several firms are trying to parlay that discovery into a hiring tool, creating recruiting videos and Web sites with the look and feel of YouTube. They hope to persuade students that their lawyers and, by extension, the firms, are young-thinking and hip.
(What is it about using the word 'hip' that automatically proves that you are, in fact, not...)
Brian Dalton, from Vault.com, is quoted saying that "A lot of them come off seeming like hostage videos,", which is actually pretty accurate from the videos I've seen. The exception being the Choate Hall & Stewart videos, which take of the Mac v PC ads by taking a swipe at the ominous "Megafirm".
Sure, it's not likely that "Megafirm" will come up with a snappy response to these adds, but that's also the point illustrated here. They don't need to turn to these marketing exercises because, for now, they don't have to 'recruit' anybody...
See. 'Old-line law firms join the YouTube generation to recruit students' [IHT]
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Law firms recruit through YouTube
Monday, September 24, 2007
Follow up: WSJ covers law grads, Loyola 2L
On Saturday I posted about Loyola 2L and the more serious underlying theme of the job market for law grads.
Demonstrating that I have my finger right on the pulse, I see that Monday's WSJ has a full Page 1 story on the issue - including, funnily enough, a mention of Loyola 2L.
Some thank "L2L" for articulating their plight; others claim L2L should complain less and work more. Loyola's Dean Burcham says he wishes he knew who the student was so he could help the person.
You can't help but feel sympathy for the Dean having to fend off the implicit criticism of the L2L gag...
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Who is Loyola 2L? The true value of a law degree
Just an observation of something quirky in the law blogosphere. After having spent a bit of time wading through the blawgs out there, I've started to notice that the poster "Loyola 2L" seems to be omnipresent. While I'm not certain about it's origin, it seems to be a running gag. The gist of it is that they are law students who are not from a top tier college who can't find work.
They complain that they feel deceived by the perception that there are plenty of well paying opportunities available for lawyers.
"University of Iowa sociologist Michael Sauder, who has interviewed more than 120 law professors and administrators for his rankings research, heard examples of alumni taxi drivers who are “employed” for the purposes of U.S. News rankings." American Lawyer (June 1, 07)
Basically, these guys are ticked off about the huge investment of time and money in a legal education that they don't think will pay off, and the way that they feel the law school misled them with false hope.
A little sad. But some posts are funny, and they do raise a legitimate question: are the rewards of a legal degree overstated by grad schools?
In this great post on Empirical Legal Studies, we see a chart showing the distribution of legal salaries.
It is described as a classic example of a 'bimodal distribution'. You see two peaks, representing the fact that, of the full-time salaries for all members of the Class of 2006:
" Over a quarter (27.5%) make between $40k-$55k per year, and another quarter (27.8%) have an annual salary of $100K plus. "
ELS note that making $40-55k won't be enough to pay down the $85 in student debt, making getting a JD "a very risky financial proposition".
But, "[o]n the other hand, if you are
You can't help but feel a little sympathy for those who have made it through law school, bar exams etc. and are still unsure whether the investment will pay off... perhaps there needs to be greater 'consumer protection' or at least more transparent accountability when it comes to student recruitment at these law schools?
To see more examples of Loyola 2L posts, check the comments section of WSJ Law Blog posts or the comments in this example from the NY Observer.
Also, on a similar theme http://temporaryattorney.blogspot.com/
