- Quickdraw McLaw
- Job Tips
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A year ago, we featured a post on resources for finding legal jobs in Las Vegas. Since January is generally a time of year when firms start hiring again and people look to make lateral jumps after receiving little or no bonus, we thought we would revisit that list of resources. Look it over and let us know if there are any resources we are missing or other tips that you think should be included.
1. Talk to people you know. This one is a line of crap from the OCS offices. No one you know ever gets you a job, unless his name is “Daddy.” The most others usually do is tell you about a place to send your resume. You can certainly email your resume to people you know, but it will generally be a wasted effort other than to let them know you’re looking. Some of your best chances are to apply to posted jobs. That said, leave no stone unturned and take advantage of every leg up you’re given.
3. NVBar.org. Click on “For Lawyers,” then “Find a Job.”Or just click here. This is a good source, but tends to be lightly populated–probably because employers have to pay to post listings here.
6. Clark County jobs. This is where you will find postings for District Attorney/County jobs.
7. http://hr.nv.gov/Sections/Recruitment/Unclassified-Non-Classified_Positions/. This is a list of Nevada State unclassified jobs, i.e. Supreme Court clerk jobs, administrative attorney jobs, etc.
8. Usajobs.com The Federal government’s jobs website.
9. Recruiters. This is a hit and miss source of jobs. While we appreciate their service (and involvement in the comments of many posts here), recruiters are not always the answer. When you go through a recruiter, the firm hiring you is going to be paying them a handsome fee. What does that mean for your salary? Recruiters cannot do much for first years, it is just a fact of life. Firms do not generally pay people to find them brand new attorneys. Once you have a few years under your belt and perhaps a book of business, recruiters can be useful. Go ahead and send your resume to recruiters though. The worst that can happen is they will let you know about jobs for which you may qualify.
10. Casino HR websites (Wynn, MGM, Caesars, etc).
What else? Let us know in the comments.
The Federal Defender has a pretty slick site. USAJobs probably has the same postings but the FPD's site is easier. Pretty slim pickin's.
http://www.fd.org/navigation/employment/view-vacancies
I think they have a general hiring freeze. The Las Vegas office has been laying lawyers off. So, yeah, not much there.
No lawyers have been laid off, only staff
It is because of Sequester
DOJ has one too: http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html
I am a 3rd year/80k a year, no benefits. Mediocre academic credentials. Is it realistic for me to find a better paying job? If so, what is the best way to accomplish this?
Yes, definitely. You just have to keep an eye out and send resumes to everything that looks like it might work. You can't win if you don't play. It may take a year, but you'll find something better eventually, and unless you're working public interest law, $80K/no benefits seems low for a third year.
I can tell you that at a lower-tier insurance defense firm a 3rd-year associate should be making at the very least $86k plus some sort of bonus. This would also include benefits for you, but probably nothing for your family. However, if you don't have any friends at other firms and if you are bad at interviewing, you should probably be happy with your current situation. There are still a lot of guys that would kill for $80k right now.
In fact, go get this job right now: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/lgl/4281876467.html
As someone who has spent a fair amount of time on both the side of looking and interviewing people (though I don't get the final say), I can say the process feels arbitrary and capricious on both sides. If you are out there looking, just keep in mind the whole process just sucks all around and try not to let it get to you as much as it probably is since looking for a job is a miserable and soul-sucking experience.