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The Benefits of Contacting Law Firms and Companies Without Openings

published May 29, 2014

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

( 31 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
One of the questions we often receive at Legal Authority is why would you possibly want to send your application materials to a law firm without openings? This question doesn’t take into account the business model of most law firms or their internal economics.

Law firms typically bill out by the hour for their services. Lawyers can only work a certain number of hours per day. If a law firm has more work than it can handle, or could be billing more to cases and matters, the work simply doesn’t get done and the law firm loses money.


When you send out resumes in an unsolicited manner, you are essentially presenting law firms with a business proposition. If they have work you can do, they can bill out your work. The amount a law firm bills for generally exceeds what the law firm pays you and the law firm makes money.

Law firms often get so busy that they don’t even take the time to advertise their jobs. If they see your resume when they’re busy, they’ll often choose to bring you in because they can make money from hiring you. When you mail your resume to a law firm, you’re more likely to stand out and catch their attention. Letters are personally delivered, have to be opened, and generally people are flattered and like to receive mail. This is especially true in today’s day and age when people are emailing resumes and applying through databases.

Simply stated: Law firms will hire in response to an unsolicited resume, because they can make money from your work.

Companies are the same. Companies rarely receive unsolicited resumes from attorneys. Companies typically pay outside counsel very high legal fees. The average law firm charges over $300 an hour. The law firm also charges for faxing, photocopying, research, paralegal support and more. The result of hiring outside counsel can be extremely expensive for law firms.

When you apply to a company, the first thought that crosses their mind is can you help them save money. In today’s economy, companies are extremely interested in saving money and bringing in an attorney can help. Companies are also very inexperienced in their ability to recruit attorneys and many don’t know where to start–they’re concerned about the business they’re in. They may be experts in hiring engineers or executives, but don’t know the first thing about hiring attorneys. I have seen numerous attorneys get some pretty incredible positions due to this knowledge gap.

Both law firms and companies LOVE unsolicited resumes. This is an incredibly effective way to get a job. They like it for business reasons that have nothing to do with whether they have openings or not. One of the best ways to get a legal job is just to be there at the right time. This is what we help you do at Legal Authority.

See 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP If They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms for more information.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.
( 31 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.