Julie Q. Brush, Solutus founding partner.

Q: I'd like to make a move in-house, but don't know the best time of year to start my search. Is there a predictable hiring cycle for the in house market? If so, what is it?

15+ years ago the hiring market for in house lawyers was fairly predictable and cyclical in nature. Most of the hiring activity occurred in the first quarter (Q1) of the calendar year when legal budgets were created and authorized. Hiring might trickle in to Q2 but by August, the first lull was in full force. September and October usually saw moderate activity with replacement hires, but by the time the holidays rolled around the crickets were chirping. Employers and candidates hunkered down until the New Year when the hiring cycle started again.

Today, it's a different ballgame. And the hiring activity remains generally constant throughout the year. Budgets are still set in Q1 and the beginning of the quarter still kicks off the hiring season. But hiring continues throughout the year. There is a modest slow down in August, but as a whole there's far more activity than in years past. The following months are more active with new opportunities arising and interviews pushing through the holidays. So what accounts for the change? There are a few primary factors:

1. Expanding In House Legal Departments.

With the fast expansion of the in house legal department and desire to hire lawyers much earlier in a company's lifecycle, legal budgets are growing and companies are hiring lawyers in droves. They are also expanding the practice areas housed in the department – which necessitates additional heads. Given this increased coverage, the timing of these hires can be reactive: in response to the needs of the organization. So new headcount arises throughout the year.

2. Lawyers Are Mobile.

Today's lawyers are more mobile than ever. And the profession…and hiring managers are more socialized around it so changing jobs is no longer a straight line to career suicide. Today, the average lawyer will switch jobs every two to four years. This kind of movement creates a lot of empty chairs. In response, replacement searches are conducted to fill those chairs. Many of these hires cannot wait until the beginning of the New Year. So Legal starts the search for such positions immediately. This dynamic can happen at any given point of the year and contributes to the year-round hiring activity.