Current Landscape of the New Jersey Legal Sector
The New Jersey legal market is as diverse as the Garden State itself. Major cities such as Newark, Jersey City, and Camden play host to a large concentration of lawyers in both private practice and within the government. The closer to Philadelphia or New York City that one gets, the more lawyers there are. Within these major metropolitan areas, there is a high concentration of financial services and healthcare related law firms and the largest employment law and intellectual property firms practicing in the state . In addition to the small and mid-sized Jersey City, Millburn, Princeton, Red Bank, Hackensack, and Fort Lee law firms, many statewide firms also have offices in the major counties each housing 20+ lawyers. Manhattan law firms have recently been opening up New Jersey offices, while at the same time some New Jersey firms have also opened branch offices in Manhattan. The NJ legal job market is highly competitive and as recent layoffs at several Am Law 200 law firms reveal, job availability is declining statewide.
Most In-Demand Legal Positions in New Jersey
Legal professionals in the Garden State include a diverse array of occupations and include both the public and private sectors. From administrative support to partner, the range of available roles can be compelling for paralegals, legal assistants, and even attorneys. While the nature of law firm operations often means competition for the most sought-after positions is stiff, job openings are available if you know where to look.
While the highest profile roles in New Jersey legal careers are those with attorneys in the title, other experienced support staff members are also in demand. Paralegals and legal assistants serve a similar function in private law firms as they do in-house, while records management professionals and directors of compliance are essential in governmental organizations and corporations.
Attorneys: Of course, this category includes all lawyers working in NJ -partners, associates, in-house, and those working in law firms and corporations. It can be a very lucrative and satisfying career path for self-motivated individuals with the ability to provide excellent client service, as well as attention-to-detail and superior organizational skills.
Paralegals: Supporting attorneys, paralegals perform various tasks under the supervision of a licensed attorney. As paralegals are not permitted to provide any type of legal advice or counsel to clients, prospective paralegals in NJ must possess great attention-to-detail, as well as extensive organizational abilities. Work often focuses on legal research and drafting, tracking billable hours, and filing case documents with the court. Paralegals may also interview witnesses, retain experts, and draft pleadings.
Records Management Professionals: Individuals in this category catalog, store, prep, and locate physical and electronic documents, while adhering to any established policies, procedures, and applicable regulations. Additionally, they sort, assess, and suggest the future value of information and files, destroy non-essential and expired materials and develop practices for managing information.
Compliance Officers: Ensuring an organization follows all applicable laws and regulations is the central focus of a compliance officer’s job. Considered essential by top private corporations and all governmental agencies, responsibilities include conducting audits, developing risk evaluations, and training individuals or groups.
Legal Administrative Assistants: Many of the same skills necessary for administrative assistants in other professions is required for this position in the legal field. Legal administrative assistants perform the typical office tasks, while also preparing documents, taking over basic business operations, and acting as an intermediary between clients and the attorney they are working for.
How to Start a Legal Career in New Jersey
For those who choose to make the New Jersey legal community their home are fortunate: virtually all of the nation’s top law schools can be found nearby, and Jersey lawyers are licensed by one of the top and most prestigious (and difficult) bars in the United States. As an added benefit, from the New Jersey attorney’s perspective, our neighbor, the New York State bar, is literally a few subway stops away, and our fellow Garden State lawyers have historically been among the best practitioners of law in the country.
As noted, New Jersey boasts many of the nation’s best and most respected law schools. They include Yale University, Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University, Seton Hall University, Benjamin Cardozo Law School, and Brooklyn Law School. Each of the law schools have different strengths and specialties, but most importantly, they each prepare students exceptionally well for the two state bar exams – New York and New Jersey. New York’s bar exam is administered twice a year, generally in February and July. Because New York is so close, many law students in the area take the New York bar exam while residing in New Jersey. The New Jersey bar exam is also administered twice a year (July and the end of February) and is actively administered and supervised by the New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. The New Jersey exam as compared to the New York bar exam is typically considered to be less difficult, but many of course disagree. It is a two exam test, including a morning and afternoon session where at least 4 subjects are tested, two of which are always civil procedure and torts. While there is no "best" time to take the exam, most consider the July exam to be more difficult given the heat wave that typically occurs in the late summer months. In addition, the February bar exam tends to attract a significantly smaller pool of applicants as compared with the July Bar. Before being admitted to either bar, one must undergo a series of background checks and interviews. These checks are designed to evaluate, review, and assure that you are a "fit and proper" person to practice law in the state. In addition, the New Jersey equivalent of a certificate of good standing is required for admission to the bar, and is filed with your bar application. This certificate of good standing is a statement from the Court upon which you became admitted that you are in good standing in that state, and that no disciplinary, criminal, or moral issues are outstanding against you. Once you are admitted to the bar, you are required to take continuing legal education (CLE) in order to maintain your license. Generally, you have to take 15 hours of CLE annually. Thereafter, you must maintain compliant status and renew your license to practice law every 2 years.
Legal Job Search Strategies
Another smart strategy for finding a New Jersey legal job is to register with a well-respected legal recruitment agency. Some firms may want to hire someone with the specific experience you have, so they enlist the help of a recruiter. A recruiter is a consultant who sometimes works on behalf of the firm and other times works for candidates looking to get hired at specific firms. They help match up candidates with the right firms; many firms will work with a recruiter to save time on the hiring process and many candidates use them to expedite the process. Whether you’re wanting to work as a legal assistant, paralegal, associate, or attorney, recruiters can be invaluable. A recruiter can keep his or her eye out for job leads that might not be advertised on job boards. Some recruiters work across the country, so they may even have leads in other states.
Lastly, you can also use sites dedicated to legal jobs such as LawJobs and Jobelephant or a job aggregator like Indeed. Career websites will list the employment opportunities at various companies, and aggregators compile jobs from various sources to give a comprehensive list. These job boards tend to be broad and may include jobs in other fields.
Expectations for Salaries and Perks
Salaries for legal professionals in New Jersey are fairly competitive with other parts of the country. Salaries for private practice attorneys are generally higher than salaries for lawyers in public service due to the difference in revenue sources, but it is possible to find a good salary in public service positions. Corporate counsel generally enjoy some of the highest salaries for lawyers, especially if they are hired by a large corporation with substantial profits . Here are some of the typical earnings for legal professionals in New Jersey:
Paralegals: $60,030
District Court Judges: $129,908
State Court Judges: $157,427
Civil Litigation Attorneys: $91,146
Criminal Defense Attorneys: $81,788
Corporate Defense Attorneys: $102,236
A corporate litigation attorney can make up to $156,000
Senior partner law firm attorneys can make up to $223,000
Corporate Counsel: $125,500
Public Defenders: $79,929
Public Defense Attorney: $75,019
Law Firm Owner: $106,090
The job benefits and perks offered to legal professionals in New Jersey vary from employer to employer. Private practice firms usually offer some type of group health insurance plan, while public defense attorneys typically receive health insurance that is fully paid by the state. Private practice firms may offer dental, 401ks, and free lunch programs, or even tuition reimbursement. And many firms allow employees to get dressed up for court days, and then wear more casual attire on non-court days.
The Role of Technology in Legal Employment
The landscape of legal employment in New Jersey is undoubtedly being shaped by technology, with new tools and innovations playing a pivotal role in legal recruitment and the future of careers in law. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is perhaps the most discussed impact of technology in the legal world, affecting everything from legal research to contract review. Law firms across the state are utilizing AI to sift through terabytes of data, making it easier and quicker to find relevant case law and materials during discovery or drafting briefs. This not only leads to cost-savings but also allows attorneys to focus more on analytical thinking and client interaction, which are harder to replace with automation.
Similarly, legal technology tools have made their presence known in New Jersey law firms. Platforms like practice management software, billing tools, and client relationship management (CRM) software are revolutionizing law firm operations in the Garden State. With these tools, attorneys can streamline their daily tasks, manage their client interactions more effectively, and keep up with billable hours more efficiently. Furthermore, document management software helps attorneys maintain better organization and version control over their documents. Finally, remote work technology has also become a standard feature in New Jersey legal practices. Video conferencing tools, document sharing platforms, and secure communication channels have allowed attorneys to work from anywhere, improving their work-life balance and increasing productivity at the same time. However, the integration of technology in the legal industry also presents challenges. For one, there is an ongoing concern about whether AI and legal tech tools will actually make the jobs of lawyers easier, or if they will take over the responsibilities traditionally performed by humans. The future of legal careers in New Jersey will continue to evolve alongside these technological advancements. As new tools and trends emerge, jobseekers must stay informed and adapt to the changing landscape of the legal profession in the state. While technology may indeed be transforming the way we practice law in New Jersey, the human element of legal work remains essential.
Progressing Your Career in the New Jersey Legal Industry
As the legal industry in New Jersey continues to grow and diversify, so too do the opportunities for career advancement within this dynamic field. Legal professionals in the Garden State have a range of options for specialization, leadership positions and the ability to transition to different legal sectors.
Specialization is one of the most common paths to advancement for New Jersey lawyers. By honing in on a particular area of expertise, attorneys can set themselves apart from their colleagues and become valuable resources in niche fields. Numerous organizations and professional groups in New Jersey support specialization in a variety of areas, including family law, environmental law, real estate and intellectual property.
Leadership positions are available at both the corporate and government levels for legal professionals in New Jersey. Many large companies in the state offer opportunities for attorneys to move into senior leadership roles such as general counsel or corporate secretary. Attorneys with exceptional leadership and management skills can also rise through the ranks over time to positions such as chief operating officer or even chief executive officer. Legal professionals can also gain leadership experience through involvement with professional organizations such as the New Jersey State Bar Association or the New Jersey Association for Justice , where they may be invited to serve on committees or take on other leadership roles.
For some New Jersey attorneys, working in different legal sectors is the best way to propel their careers forward. Although many professionals follow the traditional path from private practice to in-house counsel positions or the public sector, others have also moved in the past from private industry, government and non-profit organizations to the legal field and then onward to business and industry. This versatility is a major asset in an increasingly global and mobile marketplace, and many legal professionals find that this ever-changing landscape is an advantage to their careers.
The New Jersey legal industry offers a wealth of opportunities for advancement, and legal professionals will be able to take advantage of these opportunities as long as they remain adaptable to the market. Those who are committed to their ongoing education and professional development will have the best chances of long-term success in this field.