Jessica Markowitz’s Post

The in-house legal market is warming up! Over the past 12 months, we saw a slow down in hiring. But, it seems that the market is starting to gain strength. Talking with GCs at VCs, it sounds like their workload is picking up and we're seeing the knock on effect with hiring in the tech space. Businesses focusing on profitability have increased the sizes of their sales teams and the demand for commercial counsels is high. I'm hiring for a few roles currently that are worth mentioning: - Head of Commercial Law (Berlin) - Commercial Counsel (Berlin or remote) - Legal Counsel - Commercial, IP, IT, Privacy (Berlin) DM for more info. #Legal #LegalJobs #InHouseCounsel

I spend a lot of time speaking with people who are looking to change legal ops roles. I encourage them to think about the following: ✋ Head of legal ops or not: Do you want to be the person running the function? I know people who stepped up into the role and enjoy it; I also know people who are happy to remain individual contributors in legal ops. 💡 Originate or inherit legal ops: Do you want to be the company's first legal ops hire? Building a function from scratch can be exciting. It can also be a slog. To be sure, it's a different kind of challenge altogether. 🏢 Company/legal team size: Do you want to work in a small, medium, or large company (which usually maps to legal team size)? IMO there *is* a "right answer" for each individual based on experience. At this point you can say (for example), "I want to originate the legal ops function at a medium-sized company." Then it's a question of comparing offers against one another. My strong recommendation is to prioritize as follows: 👱 Work for the best boss you can find. A great boss is what will ultimately get you the scope, comp, and title you want. 📑 Scope is so important because, uh, it's what you'll actually be doing. Make sure it aligns with your ambition and interests. 💵 Say it with me: Comp is more important than title. Comp is more important than title. Comp is more important than title. #legalops #legaltech #hiring #jobsearch

I'm often asked for a sample job description for a head of legal operations, so I've worked with some friends from Fortune 100 companies to crowdsource and create this ideal one. Scoping and positioning this role for success is critical and not easy to do. This isn't meant to be perfect, but I hope you find this document to be a useful starting point for your organization to edit as appropriate. Note that this was drafted with a large corporate setting in mind, specifically for roles involving team management or future managerial responsibilities. #jobs #legaloperations #legalops #jobdescription

Exciting News for Legal Ops Professionals - we have launched the first global Legal Operators Job Board! 🚀 Whether you're looking to join a cutting-edge startup, a well-established corporation, or anything in between, our job board has you covered. Explore a curated selection of roles that span the full spectrum of legal operations, from contract management and compliance to technology implementation and beyond. Link is in the comments! Tag somebody who is looking for a new role. #LegalOps #JobBoard #CareerOpportunities #LegalInnovation

“No one ever got fired for hiring [BigLaw]”. Well, sometimes they should 🤯🤯 As a leader of a legal department, you are responsible for your budget. Full stop. It is 100% your responsibility to get the highest value for every dollar of your already tight budget to accomplish the goals of the department. That’s the job. The same way it’s the job for sales, for marketing, for engineering, for the CEO etc, etc. So, if you’re throwing away your already-too-small budget on the heavy horsepower of BigLaw for work that does not justify the cost and you do not receive the value, then, maybe the age-old adage of “no one ever gets fired for hiring [BigLaw]” should go out the window. Forward-thinking & business-minded GCs are managing their budgets like the rest of the business. Rightsource the work, leverage all of the tools in the toolbox. The choice is no longer just in-house or law firm to get the work done. And those who are stuck believing biglaw or in-house is the only way, well, let’s talk. The only way to get started is to get started. #legalops #legalinnovation #legalservices

Ready to build a solid legal team? 🏛️ Here’s how to start hiring the right talent: 1️⃣ Identify your key needs 2️⃣ Define the roles clearly 3️⃣ Streamline your recruitment process Start assembling your dream team today! Lawfirm.careers 💼 #LegalHiring #BuildYourTeam #LawCareers"

Do you have a career story to tell? Legal Ops Career is currently looking for people to share their legal ops career stories. This could be in any of the following formats: 👉 What you do now / How did you get there / What tips would you give for getting to a similar role; OR 👉 A focus on a particular stage of your career (e.g. how did you get that first legal ops role, moving from junior to senior position); OR 👉 For career changers how did you decide on the move into legal ops / What tips would you give to those making a similar move Sharing experiences like this is hugely beneficial to others. Feel free to reach out to either myself or Ariana Vojvodić if you're interested in sharing! For those reading this post - if there are people out there you think have a great career story to tell then please do tag them in the comments! Happy sharing/tagging! #legalops

There's a lot of talk about the highly sought after "first legal hire" role. Rightfully so - it's an exciting position! But so far this year, I've seen a greater number of 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 legal hire roles. Startups obviously took a beating in 2023. But now that the market is correcting itself, the GCs who toughed it out solo are finally getting the approved headcount for a 2nd hire. Naturally, it's 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 tempting to rush into hiring after being solo for so long. But hiring needs to be done with strong & clear intention. Before running to get the first "perfect candidate" you can find, you HAVE to take a step back and evaluate your needs, or you risk an unnecessarily drawn out search and/or quick turnover. These are 3 big 2nd legal hire trends I've been seeing: ✨ 1: Specialized GCs are bringing on attorneys with completely different skills to balance out the in-house coverage & reduce outside counsel spend. Lots of corporate-focused GCs hiring healthcare/regulatory attorneys. ✨ 2: Generalist GCs are more keen on all-around support. Think more junior versions of themselves who have a solid foundation & a hunger to develop/grow. ✨3: Both types of GCs who are drowning in paperwork and processes are turning to legal ops pros, contracts managers, and/or paralegals. Like I said before - while it can be tempting to chase after the shiny senior attorney, depending on your workload, these can be more efficient & cost-effective hires.

Embarking on a transformative journey through the legal hiring landscape in a post-pandemic world! Join us at PS Companies for key insights and best practices that will guide you to career excellence. Your pathway to professional growth awaits – let's navigate it together! #LegalInsights #CareerAdvancement #PSCompanies

Embarking on a transformative journey through the legal hiring landscape in a post-pandemic world! Join us at PS Companies for key insights and best practices that will guide you to career excellence. Your pathway to professional growth awaits – let's navigate it together! #LegalInsights #CareerAdvancement #PSCompanies