In-house hiring during Covid-19 is going to look a lot different than the rip-roaring in-house market of just a month and a half ago. But in-house hiring will continue both for short-term needs and for positions that are needed for the long term. Many General Counsel are discovering (along with their entire organizations) that Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses and holes that need to be addressed and mitigated going forward, and a good number of these will involve effective in-house counsel to guide the way. As large law firms contract, expect new talent to enter the in-house market looking for spots to fill. Competition will be fierce in the Covid-19 aftermath, just as it was after the 2008 financial crisis. Prepare to see more purple squirrels in the in-house hiring process.
“As general counsel of your organization during this pandemic, you are likely overwhelmed with myriad issues. Most likely, you are fielding questions and making decisions ranging from how to create and communicate a coronavirus health and safety policy for company employees, to how you can ensure that your company has the technology for telework….With all of that going on, it can be very tempting to put the hiring process for your legal department on hold. We understand. You want to be judicious in how you apportion your time. Yet, keep in mind that you should be careful not to let immediate needs entirely block those long-term issues that are smoldering out there on the horizon. Losing that “30,000 foot” view of your legal department, and your organization, could be costly. In fact, this health crisis may actually be creating new, and unexpected, in-house hiring demands in the short term. And, of course, those in-house positions that you want to fill in the long-term will still need to be filled when we ultimately get past the current crisis.”
Read: Should COVID19 Change Your In-House Hiring? at Princeton Legal Search Group