This week’s job is another in-house position with one of Lateral Link’s financial services clients. In January, Lateral Link placed several attorneys in-house at international companies in the U.S. and Asia. If you are currently employed at a law firm and looking to make the jump in-house, apply to become a member of Lateral Link at www.laterallink.com.

Position: ISDA Attorney

Location: New York, NY

Description: Major investment bank seeks an ISDA Negotiator with at least 5 years experience in negotiating ISDA Schedules, Credit Support Annexes, Contracts for Differences Annexes, guaranties and ancillary documents. Ideal candidate will have previous investment bank experience. Must have outstanding credentials.

If you are interested in this position, please contact T.J. Duane at tjduane@laterallink.com. If you are a current Lateral Link Member, please see Position #5873 and contact your personal search consultant for more information.

Associate - ISDA Negotiator [Lateral Link]

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

While associates at some firms are still waiting to learn what their 2009 bonuses will be, associates at other firms are learning more about what the future holds in store for them, as more firms announce new compensation structures for 2010 and beyond.

Check out the ATL Career Center, powered by Lateral Link, for the latest information on which firms are making a full recovery and which firms are still stuck in the downturn.

In the last week, we have updated the firm snapshots for Vinson & Elkins, Wachtell, Irell & Manella, Paul Weiss, Wilson Sonsini, Hughes Hubbard, Quinn Emanuel, Chadbourne & Parke, Latham, Cooley Godward, Goodwin Proctor, Bryan Cave.

Below are a few of the latest updates from the Career Center firm snapshots:

• This firm not only avoided layoffs and pay freezes last year, it had its most profitable year ever in 2009.
• While 2010 has brought salary thaws at many firm, salaries at this firm remain frozen. 
  
• In addition to recently raising salaries to pre-freeze levels, this firm awarded make-whole bonuses to associates to make up for salary lost during the freeze in 2009.  

After the jump see which firms were most popular in January.

If you’re in the northeast and not enjoying today’s frigid temperatures, consider the latest Job of the Week. It’s a position for someone who wants to head to Florida and help structure the estates of all those other people heading to Florida (aka the T&E jackpot). With fine white sand beaches, beautiful sunsets and pina coladas, who could ask for anything more?

Position: Trusts and Estates Attorney

Location: Sarasota, FL

Description: A prestigious Florida firm is looking for a Trusts and Estates attorney with 3-5 years experience drafting estate plans in Florida. Interested candidates must be a member of the Florida Bar, and must have an LL.M. in Tax or Estate Planning. Experience with Form 706 Estate Tax returns is required, and the ability to handle probate administration is also a plus. This firm is looking for someone who is community oriented, a team player and a good personality fit for the firm’s sophisticated Estate Planning practice group.

If you are interested in this position, please contact Scott Hodes, the newest member of the Lateral Link team, at shodes@laterallink.com. Scott handles attorney placement for the Florida market.

Lateral Link is actively hiring additional attorney recruiters with prior recruiting experience. If you are qualified and interested, please contact Michael Allen at mallen@laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

Our recent Career Center survey asked about whether you think layoffs and salary cuts are a thing of the past or if 2010 will bring more of the same.  The majority of respondents — 70% — are optimistic about salaries, saying they do not expect any further salary cuts in 2010. 

However, respondents were not so optimistic about the chances of future layoffs.  After a year in which over 75% of respondents saw layoffs at their firms, almost half — 45% — think there is at least a 50-50 chance of more layoffs in 2010. 

Check out the full survey results after the jump — and visit the Career Center, powered by Lateral Link, for more on which firm has announced above-market bonuses for the second year in a row and which firm is so confident about recovering from the recession that it is opening multiple new offices.

Full survey results, after the jump. 

At right, you will find the old logo for the American University - Washington College of Law (WCL). It’s a typical law school logo. There’s little particularly objectionable about it. We’re not graphic design experts here at ATL, but we would only criticize it for being a little too busy and incorporating too many fonts.

The WCL administration recently decided to revisit its logo, perhaps in hopes of convincing prospectives that it’s still worth going to law school if they don’t get into Georgetown. (Over at Concurring Opinions, law professor Sarah Waldeck would say no, unless they’ve scored a free ride.)

The WCL students are not too happy about the new logo, so they’re getting their protest movement on. They’ve started a Facebook group! They’re soliciting angry comments at the SBA Student Thought Spot! And they’re sending the media long, impassioned letters about the wrongs being perpetuated against them by the Man!

One revolutionary writes:

The students have dubbed [the logo] “progressive preschool,” with its mismatched typeface and colors. This is one sad day for AU Law students.

See the revolution-inciting abomination, after the jump.

Many associates are hoping that 2010 will bring an end to the layoffs, pay cuts and deferrals of 2009. But so far January has brought more of the same at several major law firms.

This week, our ATL / Lateral Link survey asks whether you think your firm will institute more layoffs and pay cuts in 2010 or if things are finally on the rebound.  We’ll use the information to update the ATL Career Center and bring you the results next week.

If you have information about your firm that you want to share with other career center users, please email us at careercenter@abovethelaw.com.

Longtime Above the Law readers will be familiar with Peter “P’Ta Mon” John, aka “The Thugs’ Lawyer.” We named him a Lawyer of the Day back in 2007, for his aggressive advertising campaign touting himself as “The Thug’s Lawyer” (along with the catchy slogan, “No Evidence — No Conviction!”). We mentioned him again in 2008, when he started offering a $500 “Expungement Special” (which perhaps the good Professor Jones availed himself of).

Well, Peter John is back in the news again — and not for positive reasons this time. From the Baton Rouge Advocate:

Peter Q. “P’Ta Mon” John, who advertises himself as “The Thugs Lawyer,” was indicted Thursday on charges that he conspired to have attempted murder charges against two local rap music executives dropped….

An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury Thursday accused John, 39, 11110 Boardwalk Drive, of conspiring with Moore, Demond Eames and Carter to commit perjury in the civil cases and obstruct justice in the criminal case.

In an interview with ATL, Peter John explained his “thugs’ lawyer” ad by saying, “Look, I am close to the streets.” Did he perhaps get too close to the streets?

If you are a federal law clerk, now is the time to start thinking about your next career move. Law firm positions for clerks finishing up in fall 2010 are filling up fast, and if you are among this group, this Job of the Week is for you.

Position: Litigation Associate

Location: New York, DC, LA or Chicago

Bonus: These positions qualify for Lateral Link’s $10,000 placement bonus.

Description: Several top firms (including prominent national firms and several NY boutiques) have engaged Lateral Link to identify judicial clerks to join their associate ranks. Clerks should have previous big firm experience and be coming from a federal clerkship. Outstanding academic credentials.

If you are currently clerking, please sign up for Lateral Link at www.laterallink.com, and a Lateral Link search consultant will contact you about these positions. If you are currently a Lateral Link member, please view Position #5808 and request to be contacted by your personal search consultant.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

Welcome to the next article in our series of monthly Ask the Experts Career Development posts, brought to you by the ATL Career Center.  Just a reminder that previous Career Development articles, as well as career coaching information, are available in the Resources section of the Career Center.  

This week, we spoke with Jordan Abshire, Managing Director at Lateral Link who works with partner and associate candidates on law firm and in-house searches in Washington D.C and the Southeast.  We asked Jordan for advice on networking – what it is, how it works, and why you need to do it even if you are not actively looking for a new job.  

If the economic downturn has taught attorneys anything, it is that meeting the annual billable hours requirement no longer guarantees any kind of real job security.  Networking is more crucial than ever for attorneys who want to stay in control of their career development.

Q: Why do so many people cringe when they think about networking?

Find out the answer, plus more, after the jump.

Happy New Year! Let’s put the bad news of 2009 behind us and get things back on track by getting all those bankrupt companies back in the black. The first Job of the Week for 2010 is for a junior attorney to work on front-page bankruptcies at one of the most prominent firms in the country. If you are not a bankruptcy attorney, don’t worry, because Lateral Link has hundreds of law firm and in-house positions at all levels and practice areas. You can apply to join the Lateral Link attorney network at www.laterallink.com.

Position: Bankruptcy Associate

Location: New York, NY

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 placement bonus.

Description: Top firm is seeking a junior bankruptcy attorney. Must be currently employed, have 2 to 3 years of experience from another top 25 firm and have a JD from a top 10 law school (this firm can be choosy).

For more information about this position, please view Position #5773 on Lateral Link or you can contact your personal search consultant. Also, with the market picking up, Lateral Link is actively hiring additional attorney recruiters with prior recruiting experience. If you are qualified and interested, please contact Michael Allen at mallen@laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

While layoffs dominated the law firm landscape in 2009, the worst of the downsizing seems to be behind us.  But it looks like 2010 will be bringing major changes to compensation structures at law firms.  Check out the ATL Career Center, powered by Lateral Link , for the latest information about which firms are moving away from lockstep compensation and how they are doing it.  In the last week, we have updated the firm snapshots for Kramer Levin, Mayer Brown, Kirkland & Ellis, Weil Gotshal, Cravath, Quinn Emanuel, Hogan & Hartson, Wachtell Lipton, K&L Gates, Cadwalader, Akin Gump, and Jones Day. 

Below are a few of the latest updates from the Career Center’s firm snapshots:

•   This firm announced it would be moving to a hybrid lockstep compensation structure.  Salaries will no longer be tied to seniority level, but based on a combination of objective and subjective factors.

•   This firm’s new compensation structure regroups associates into three seniority levels rather than class years.  Under the new plan, the firm will also withhold 15% of associates’ salaries until a year-end performance review. 

•   This firm is phasing in a new compensation structure over the next two years in which a larger percentage of each attorney’s total compensation will be in the form of individualized bonuses.

Use the Career Center’s firm snapshots and comparison tool to learn about other bonus news at firms around the country.  And as always, we encourage to send information about your law firm experience to careercenter@abovethelaw.com.

Yesterday we asked if lateral hiring is picking up, and here is yet another Job of the Week to suggest that it is. To further confirm this, Lateral Link tells us they have five lateral associates starting at big law positions next week (filling several recent Jobs of the Week). If you’re thinking of making a move, head over to www.laterallink.com, or give your Lateral Link personal search consultant a call to see what is out there.

Position: Fund Formation Attorney

Location: New York, NY

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 placement bonus.

Description: Large international firm is seeking a mid-level corporate associate with fund formation and hedge fund experience. The attorney should have 2-4 years of relevant experience, and some private equity deal experience is required.

If you are a Lateral Link member, please see Position #5695 on the Lateral Link site. If you are not a Lateral Link member, you can sign up for free at www.laterallink.com.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

A quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law:

• Ally Bank

• Cypress Recruiting

• Kinney Recruiting

• Lateral Link

• LexisNexis

• Probono Manager

• The Red Cross

• The Atlantic

• West LegalEdcenter

If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, download our media kits, or email advertising@breakingmedia.com. Thanks!

Happy Holidays! The new year is just around the corner — might that mean a new job? After that bonus check clears, many associates step up their job searches.

Here’s one opportunity for your consideration, from our friends over at Lateral Link.

Position: IP Associate (EE)

Location: Washington, DC

Bonus: This position qualifies for Lateral Link’s $10,000 placement bonus.

Description: The Washington, DC office of a prominent international firm is seeking an intellectual property associate with an electrical engineering background. The attorney should have 2-5 years of experience from another top firm and an electrical engineering degree.

If you are a Lateral Link member, please see Position #5705 on the Lateral Link site. If you are not a Lateral Link member, you can sign up for free at www.laterallink.com. You may also contact Jordan Abshire at jabshire@laterallink.com for more details on the position.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

We received over 1,000 responses to last week’s Career Center survey on whether your vacation plans have been affected by the economic downturn.  The results reveal that almost 70% of associates are still taking vacation time, regardless of whether they have met their billable hours or not.  Less than 10% of respondents say that they are not taking vacation because they worry it might look bad.  However, almost a quarter of respondents report that they are actually too busy to use their full vacation time this year.

Check out the full survey results after the jump — and visit the Career Center, powered by Lateral Link — for more on which firm has deferred start dates again, which firm recently announced a mega-merger with a London-based firm, and which firm reportedly awarded 2009 bonuses of up to $90,000.

Full survey results, after the jump.

The weather is getting colder, but the job market is heating up. This week’s job, brought to you by our friends over at Lateral Link is for a senior corporate associate.

Lateral Link continues to be successful helping attorneys find new jobs, and this past week it placed another attorney in-house at the online retailer that was the most visited site on Black Friday (a prior Job of the Week). If you are looking for a new law firm or in-house position, sign up for Lateral Link.

Position: Senior M&A associate, with experience working for investment funds

Location: North Carolina

Description: Unique opportunity to enjoy a high-quality, international transactional practice in a regional setting. Firm seeks senior associate with 5-8 years of significant M&A experience in a law firm setting. Excellent professional and academic credentials are required. The ability to run deals and to work effectively with staff, attorneys and clients in a team-oriented, collegial environment is required. Securities regulation and investment fund experience are a strong plus.

If you are a Lateral Link member, please see Position #5320 on the Lateral Link site. If you are not a Lateral Link member, you can sign up for free at www.laterallink.com. You may also contact Jordan Abshire at jabshire@laterallink.com for more details on the position.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

With the holidays approaching, associates find themselves facing a quandary. Since work is still slow at many firms, associates may be tempted to take vacation before the economy bounces back and brings 70 hour work weeks with it.

On the other hand, does taking vacation in a recession send the wrong message?  This week, our ATL / Lateral Link survey asks what you think about using vacation time while the chips are still down.  We’ll use the information to update the ATL Career Center and bring you the results next week.

If you have information about your firm that you want to share with other career center users, please email us at careercenter@abovethelaw.com. Thanks!

A quick word of thanks to this week’s advertisers on Above the Law:

• Ally Bank

• Kinney Recruiting

• Lateral Link

• LexisNexis

• Probono Manager

• The Atlantic

If you’re interested in advertising on Above the Law or any other site in the Breaking Media network, download our media kits, or email advertising@breakingmedia.com. Thanks!

Today’s job is another position with one of Lateral Link’s in-house clients, located in the great city of Philadelphia. Lateral Link has now successfully placed over 20 attorneys at in-house positions in the second half of 2009. If you are considering a new position, apply to be a member of Lateral Link at www.laterallink.com.

Position: Associate Counsel, Derivatives

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Description: Major international company is seeking a senior derivatives attorney. This individual will be responsible for legal advisory aspects of derivatives strategies to include, swaps, futures, forwards, and other rate derivatives, and work with the company’s investment management teams (Fixed Income Group and Quantitative Equity Group), on risk management, documentation, collateralization, and counterparty management. As a derivatives expert, this individual will devise portfolio management use of derivatives and partner with the company’s investment management teams to perform risk assessment and risk management. This individual’s business clients will include, Portfolio Management, Risk Management and Strategic Analysis, Corporate Strategy and Fund Financial Services. The ideal candidate will have between 7 - 10 years of securities law experience, primarily focused on derivatives and complex investment products and strategies. Knowledge of the Investment Company Act of 1940, SEC guidance on use of derivatives, CFTC regulations, and pending legislative and regulatory proposals on derivatives. Major law firm experience required and in-house experience with an investment firm or financial institution is viewed as desirable.

If you are a candidate, please see Position #5661 on Lateral Link. If you are not a member, you can sign up for free at www.laterallink.com. If you are an employer seeking top legal talent for your company, please contact Michael Allen, Principal of Lateral Link, at mallen@laterallink.com or 213.785.2344.

Earlier: Prior Job of the Week listings

For your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures from Above the Law’s recent holiday happy hour, sponsored by Applied Discovery.