Finding that cultural fit when practising law in the

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Finding that cultural fit when practising law in the US

While domestic and international relocation has always been a popular option for lawyers seeking a change of lifestyle, career development or a new specialist sector to target, the pandemic has boosted these moves to a new level.

With stark differences between states, both technically and culturally, moving to another state or coming to work in the US as a foreign-trained lawyer thus becomes more than a simple equation, with things like requalification (we’re covering in an upcoming article) coming into the picture. Ensuring that you choose a location that matches your lifestyle is also important, so we’ve highlighted some of the key destinations below to help you determine where to go.

New York City

NYC houses some of the oldest and most well-known white-shoe law firms, servicing major clients in the Wall Street financial services sector. These prestigious firms have stringent selection criteria, but if you secure a move here, you will be paid one of the highest salaries in the industry along with the associated status of being a New York attorney.

If you’re looking for that NYC buzz and want to enjoy all that the Big Apple offers, then living in the city would be an obvious choice. Its strategic location also allows you to do quick getaways to other East Coast locations like Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, DC. Alternatively, if you’re looking to enjoy a quieter life, there’s always the option to live in the more family-oriented areas like New Jersey or upstate and commute into the city like many of our candidates do.

California

California’s laid-back, outdoor vibe has stereotypically been associated with innovative industries, such as technology and entertainment. It’s often a magnet for younger attorneys who might prefer to align themselves with fast-paced, smaller companies and startups that have more risk. Spread over a large area, the north includes San Francisco’s Bay area and Silicon Valley, while SoCal is all about Los Angeles and all that the city offers.

San Francisco:

As the second busiest market after NYC, legal salaries in San Francisco match the Cravath scale, with the Bay area becoming one of the most competitive, sophisticated legal markets around, hosting local, national, and international firms. As a unique, picturesque city, San Francisco provides the best of both worlds – city living with easy access to miles of outdoor pursuits, from trails to wine country. It is also a popular destination for many Asian Americans, thanks to its renowned Asian food influences.

Silicon Valley:

More than just the tech capital of the world, Silicon Valley is a great option for those who prefer being in a more family-friendly laid-back area, while still having excellent transport links into the city. Due to the size of some of the tech giants, there are generally more in-house opportunities here compared to on the East Coast, which results in California firms having more incentive to provide a first-class corporate culture to retain attorneys.

Los Angeles:

Aside from the glitz of Hollywood, Los Angeles also provides a good balance of beach and city lifestyle for those looking for life in the sun, with a Latin American vibe. It is also fast becoming another tech and startup hub, on top of its traditional entertainment focus, with Tech giants like Google, Amazon, Tesla, and Apple all expanding their LA operations and providing a wide range of opportunities for lawyers. However, the transportation system has considerably more limitations than its California neighbours, which is worth considering.

Washington, DC

Texas is popular for relocation, most notably to Houston, Dallas, and Austin, due to its outdoor way of life and consistently good weather. Home to some of the major players in energy and infrastructure, Texas has also welcomed some hip, young businesses to Austin’s growing tech scene. And with the lower house prices and lack of individual income tax, salaries that match the Cravath scale tend to go further in Texas, plus there is a strong family focus, both in the culture and several established businesses.

Florida

Traditionally a destination for those wanting a lifestyle change and a move to a warmer, tropical climate, Florida has been evolving as an option for attorneys over the last couple of years since the pandemic kicked in. While multicultural Miami has always been a strong draw thanks to the beaches and vacation vibes, the state has seen an increasing number of Wall Street partners working remotely from their South Beach and Boca Raton second homes since the beginning of the pandemic. The knock-on effect is that one major firm has now relocated 37 attorneys permanently to Miami, with other names now considering office space in South Florida. Legal salaries are generally below the Cravath scale, but this could change if more East Coast players arrive. Florida also provides an excellent location for those looking to focus on LatAm work and we certainly see this as a hub for international arbitration in the region.

The US has a plethora of cultures across its states & regions, so it’s important to also consider the lifestyle of the location when you plan the move, just like how you’d normally assess whether the culture of a potential employer is a fit. If you’re a lawyer and would like to learn more about a move to the US or need more help deciding where in the US suits you best, don’t hesitate to get in touch by filling in the form below or reaching out to one of our specialists:

Thomas Hartwell - thomashartwell@hydrogengroup.com / +1 (310) 256 4492 or +44 (0) 207 002 0217

Adam Smith – adamsmith@hydrogengroup.com / +1 (619) 344 8173 or +44 (0) 207 002 0048

Kai Fogarty – kaifogarty@hydrogengroup.com / +1 (619) 831 8184 or +44 (0) 799 071 8887

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"2025 and Beyond" Question and Answer session

26 Feb, 2024

Our webinar 2025 and Beyond: Why Your Hiring, Learning, and Culture Need to Evolve brought together thought leaders Enrique Rubio (Hacking HR), Lisa Skinner Källström (Teamtailor), and Hydrogen Group’s Dean Jennings and Michelle Miller. The conversation explored strategies used to tackle the challenges of the future workforce, shift organisational cultures towards lasting partnerships, and ensure teams are equipped for the age of artificial intelligence. _ The Q&A box was brimming! Our webinar offered participants the chance to consult our HR experts on addressing shifts in the people and culture realm as we approach 2024 and beyond. Interesting questions were raised, and we compiled them all to seek and reached out to our experts to get some definitive answers. For a recap on the webinar, check out our blog Navigating the Future: Insights from our Webinar "2025 and Beyond" So, here we are. Your questions - answered! - How can companies make people feel more secure in their jobs? Is it just a matter of increasing communication? Lisa suggested a shift towards a more sustainable approach. 'In recent years, we have seen many companies experience massive growth, and the need to get great talent onboard - hence offering extremely generous compensation packages. Unfortunately, many have now faced layoffs, and while the compensation and benefit strategies are not the sole reasons, I would like to propose a more sustainable approach for the future. [Increase benefits as the company grows, and as business results allow, we can increase pension levels or similar benefits – and discuss it internally! Open dialogue about results, investment choices, and their rationale fosters a sense of involvement among team members and signals the company's commitment to a sustainable direction.]' Dean echoed concerns about job security in today's volatile economy and advises, 'In today's uncertain economic climate, job security is a concern. However, by becoming indispensable and embracing tools like AI, individuals can enhance their value to employers, securing their positions for the future. Apart from using Chat GPT, what other tasks can be automated with AI? Lisa commented, ‘We’ve mentioned a few examples already, but I would look at all the systems your company allows you to use and question your suppliers on what features are or will be based on AI. For example, many applicant tracking systems allow the opportunity for AI to summarise CVs for an easy overview, generate interview questions and suggest more personalised replies to rejected candidates based on their CVs. Also, the opportunity for AI to transcribe an interview is an amazing tool which allows the interviewer to solely focus on listening and talking to a candidate as opposed to taking notes. As always, AI in these types of systems is not designed to make the decisions for a recruiter or business - but serve as an assistant to save time and work more efficiently.’ Dean added, ‘There are far too many to list. The AI directory https://aitoolsdirectory.com/ does a really good job of showcasing what does what and where you can find it.’ What is the impact of AI on employee engagement and how can HR teams use AI to promote engagement? Also, what precautions should professionals take when using AI? Dean offered his perspective by stating that ‘engagement and AI may seem contradictory, but there's a clear benefit when HR uses AI to streamline admin tasks, freeing up time for vital human interaction. Tools like Koios, for instance, offer Acoustic AI, helping HR understand team and individual personalities better, for more tailored approaches. Professionals must approach AI implementation carefully, ensuring ethical use to maintain trust and transparency in the workplace.’ How can we make sure our services stay personalised while using AI? Dean responded, ‘By leveraging AI to handle time-consuming tasks. The best thing about AI is that you get to choose what it does and what it doesn’t. If you feel strongly about human interaction to enable personalisation, you don’t have to let go of that – just embrace AI to make those interactions better. Get it to strip data in the background for you, or to type up your notes and actions as you have the conversations. The possibilities are endless, and they can be tailored to your needs.’ Within your businesses, have you experienced any resistance to the adoption of AI? How have you handled these objections? Dean responded, ‘A lot of the resistance I have seen has either been a fear of trying or a fear of being caught. There seems to be a negative connotation with AI, that if you get it to do something for you, are you cheating? The answer is a resounding no, you are working with the tools available to make yourself more productive for your organisation. Robot proof recruiter, if you haven’t read it, you should. Especially if you are a recruiter or if recruitment is part of your job role. I’ll spare you the details, but it is an amazing read that showcases the fact you can never take the people part out of recruitment - you’ll always be able to provide a better level of service than a robot (at least for now) and you need to focus on the parts of the process where human interaction is at its most vital and automate/utilise AI to get back time in your day to improve that social element of the process.’ Do you feel Employee Resource Groups will be on the rise with the future generation of workers? Dean replied, ‘A truly hybrid workplace cannot function effectively without the right technology in place. That doesn’t even need to be AI. For employees to feel a sense of belonging in a workplace, there should be a seamless experience that goes beyond just having teams up on 1 laptop in a room full of 30 people. Again, this will only advance with time ... my eutopia is to have my whole team (who are based in the UK + Thailand) sat around a virtual desk, on a beach with an interactive whiteboard we can utilise in real time via virtual and augmented reality. You may laugh now, but in the next couple of years, VR and AR tech will be the staple of hybrid working and teams coming together around the globe. This doesn’t take away from the in-person experience and nor do I think it should. It should be a tool that compliments real-time working solutions.’ How can we support older generation employees in the changing landscape? Dean offered his perspective, ‘AI is truly remarkable. It embodies the futuristic vision many of us had as children—computers and programs taking on tasks for us. For those uneasy about it, I believe it's a matter of not fully comprehending it or lacking the skills to use it effectively. AI has quietly become a part of the workplace, and many are still navigating its intricacies. The focus should be on empowering employees to leverage AI to enhance productivity and value to the organisation. Those who resist or fail to adapt won't be replaced by AI but by individuals who embrace change and view AI as a tool for greater contribution.’ How can we safeguard against the risk of AI stifling creativity in the workplace? Lisa said, ‘I would say the opposite, if we use AI for the more regular and routine tasks then we will have more time to use to be creative! For example, instead of spending hours on creating a presentation for an important project - let AI do this creating for you and spend the time on how you want to engage with your audience instead. Using ChatGPT to find easy tasks that I would previously have spent a lot of time on has been a big change in how I work and allows me find space in the day.’ Is there a regional divide across different parts of the world? Are Europeans more prone to appreciate safety/job security than Americans? Lisa commented, ‘My thoughts are that globally we have been through a lot in recent years, covid affected everyone regardless of location. After that, we had war in Europe for the first time in many years which had major effects on the economy, which I believe has made people appreciate job safety even more and value this in choosing their next employer. However, in some parts of Europe employees are still very protected by labour laws etc so I believe it is different from America where it is more common to have short notice period and less resistance from employers to terminate an employment.’ Expanding on the key themes discussed in our webinar, we're thrilled to introduce our Thrive Guide – a practical roadmap for building a thriving workplace. Within the Thrive Guide, discover actionable strategies to enhance employee engagement, foster diversity and inclusion, and implement flexible working models. Discover practical solutions to enhance workplace productivity and satisfaction. As our expert Dean Jennings emphasises, 'adapting to evolving workplace dynamics requires strategic initiatives.' This sentiment is echoed by other industry leaders in our webinar. In the Thrive Guide, these insights converge to offer practical solutions, providing a roadmap for organisations navigating change. Revolutionise your workplace. Download the Thrive Guide now!