Texas Lawyer Recruiting & Attorney Search : Courtney Sapire : Texas Lawyer Jobs

My clients frequently consult me on law department benchmarking as an initial step in the hiring process. According to the 2006 Altman Weil/Lexis Nexis Law Department Metrics Benchmarking Survey (conducted and published annually), most legal departments are staffed in accordance with lawyers per total revenues. Averages are as follows:

• 3.49 lawyers per billion in revenues
• 1 paralegal per billion in revenues (or .3 paralegals per lawyer)
• 2 administrative assistants per billion in revenues

According to the survey, average internal costs per lawyer were $333,000. In my experience, the balance tips in favor of adding an additional lawyer to the department when outside counsel costs in a particular area exceed $400,000. However, certain industries have much higher headcount needs, such as electrical and chemical manufacturing. See also the Law.com In-House Counsel section for additional information.

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Large energy company located in Houston seeks a 5+ year transactions lawyer to provide operational support for one of its divisions. The role provides a great career platform at a company with a history of promoting internally. In addition, the salary is competitive and the company offers a generous short and long-term incentive plan.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing transactional and regulatory support for new product development and new market entry.
• Handling transactions related to energy commodities and services.
• Providing operational support in connection with billing, customer support and with automating documentation processes.
• Managing outside vendors, outside counsel and contract compliance.
• Managing litigation relating to energy commodities and services.

A prior in-house background is a plus. Also, candidates with a solid understanding of energy markets are preferred.

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Courtney Sapire, Esq., SPHR

President, Sapire Search Group

csapire@sapiresearch.com

866.413.2868     toll free

866.793.8007     fax

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Courtney Sapire is a Texas-based legal and executive search consultant specializing in the recruitment of lawyers for corporate law departments. With experience as a private practice attorney and as a corporate human resources director, Courtney brings the ideal blend of industry knowledge and functional expertise to her search consulting practice.

Courtney received her B.B.A. in finance in 1989 from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was on the Dean's List of Academic Excellence. In 1992, she received her J.D. from the Southern Methodist University School of Law and was published in the SMU Law Review. As an attorney in private practice, Courtney specialized in corporate, real estate and energy transactions. She later held positions as the Director of Human Resources and Recruiting for two technology companies. Courtney has a Senior Human Resources Professional Certification, and is a member of the Energy Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the Society for Human Resource Management. 

Prior to focusing her search career on attorneys and related professionals, Courtney managed senior-level searches in a variety of functional areas including executive management, marketing, sales, engineering and technical operations.  In the legal search domain, Courtney built a successful career as one of the top in-house recruiters in Texas. In addition, she launched a national energy practice as an attorney search consultant with a large Texas-based search firm. Courtney has successfully completed national searches for companies across the country from the general counsel to staff attorney level.

Contact Courtney

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