
What You Need To Know About The Biglaw Job Market with Jennifer Henderson - Episode 141
02/24/23 • 20 min
In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Jennifer Henderson, a Partner with the legal recruiting firm, Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), to discuss why she decided to go to law school and how she ended up becoming a legal recruiter. She also talks about the current lateral market and provides advice for those looking to make a move. Additionally, she shares some tips on how to effectively negotiate with the candidate and the legal world’s stand on hiring people who are working remotely.
Who’s The Guest? Jennifer Henderson is a Partner from the legal recruiting firm, Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA). She focuses on placing associates and partners with law firms and corporations and is assisting attorneys with all stages of their career development. Jennifer has counseled, coached, recruited, and placed top talents with the legal and the tech center for more than 10 years. She uses her background as a practicing lawyer to offer valuable insights to her candidates as they consider potential career moves.
Episode Resources
- https://www.mlaglobal.com/
- https://www.mlaglobal.com/en/people/jennifer-henderson?byconsultantorauthor=jennifer-henderson
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-henderson-6466386 Episode Highlights
- The path from aspiring to saving the world to becoming a legal recruiter
- Different careers in legal recruiting
- Leveraging the Biglaw experience to help others find career satisfaction
- Understanding the lateral market in 2021 and 2022
- Changing the legal market in 2021, 2022, and the years to come
- The impact of the 2021 legal market on lateral hiring and performance-based layoffs
- Remote working as a perk for career transitions
- Red flags when interviewing candidates
Episode Sponsored By https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
Subscribe, Share and Review To get the next episode subscribe with your favorite podcast player.
In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Jennifer Henderson, a Partner with the legal recruiting firm, Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), to discuss why she decided to go to law school and how she ended up becoming a legal recruiter. She also talks about the current lateral market and provides advice for those looking to make a move. Additionally, she shares some tips on how to effectively negotiate with the candidate and the legal world’s stand on hiring people who are working remotely.
Who’s The Guest? Jennifer Henderson is a Partner from the legal recruiting firm, Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA). She focuses on placing associates and partners with law firms and corporations and is assisting attorneys with all stages of their career development. Jennifer has counseled, coached, recruited, and placed top talents with the legal and the tech center for more than 10 years. She uses her background as a practicing lawyer to offer valuable insights to her candidates as they consider potential career moves.
Episode Resources
- https://www.mlaglobal.com/
- https://www.mlaglobal.com/en/people/jennifer-henderson?byconsultantorauthor=jennifer-henderson
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-henderson-6466386 Episode Highlights
- The path from aspiring to saving the world to becoming a legal recruiter
- Different careers in legal recruiting
- Leveraging the Biglaw experience to help others find career satisfaction
- Understanding the lateral market in 2021 and 2022
- Changing the legal market in 2021, 2022, and the years to come
- The impact of the 2021 legal market on lateral hiring and performance-based layoffs
- Remote working as a perk for career transitions
- Red flags when interviewing candidates
Episode Sponsored By https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
Subscribe, Share and Review To get the next episode subscribe with your favorite podcast player.
Previous Episode

No One Else But You Is Going To Advocate For Your Career with Laura Bianchi - Episode 140
In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Laura Bianchi, Co-Founder of Bianchi & Brandt and a leading entrepreneur, attorney, and strategic advisor for the cannabis industry. Laura emphasizes the importance of finding areas of law that you enjoy, as it is a huge part of your life and will determine how much you get out of your career. As a lawyer who specializes in transactions and corporate work, she describes how she was determined from the beginning of her career to get the experience and work she wanted which led to her building her own law firm with her partner. Laura believes that having a good partner is essential for success, as it is a learning process and it helps to have someone to go through the process with.
Who’s The Guest? Laura Bianchi is an award-winning lawyer and entrepreneur and is one of the country’s foremost experts in cannabis law, compliance, and operations. She started her work in the discipline with the 2010 passage of Arizona’s medical marijuana law and was one of the first business/corporate transaction attorneys to specialize in the nascent legal cannabis market. She has represented clients in more than $200 million in transactions in the industry.
Laura has been featured in O Magazine, Forbes, Bloomberg, Marijuana Business Daily, Dope Magazine, Denver Post, Arizona Republic, AZ Big Media, and numerous other industry and traditional media sources. She was also featured in Authority Magazine's "Women Leaders of the Cannabis Industry" and named "Top 100 Attorneys in Arizona" by AZ BIG Media in 2020 and 2022.
Episode Resources
- https://www.bianchibrandt.com/
- https://www.laurabianchi.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurabianchi13 Episode Highlights
- What made Laura go to law school?
- Lawyer expectations and career evolution
- Deciding a practice focus in law
- What her journey was when starting a law firm
- Building a team and letting go of what does not work
- Exploring the challenges and rewards of corporate law
- The evolving industry of cannabis industry
- Creative solutions for the hiring challenges of the cannabis industry
- Real estate law challenges
- Dealing with war stories from the industry
- How she negotiates on behalf of clients
- Respectful practice of MMA
- Advice to lawyers and individuals who want to establish a successful law practice
- Balancing roles and working harder as a woman in the legal profession
- Establishing boundaries and finding humor in professional settings
Episode Sponsored By https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
Subscribe, Share, and Review To get the next episode subscribe with your favorite podcast player. Subscribe with Apple Podcasts Follow on Spotify
Next Episode

Biglaw Partner Ends The Gatekeeping And Shares What You Need To Know To Be Successful In An Appellate Practice with Michelle Kallen - Episode 142
In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Michelle Kallen, a Partner at Jenner & Block, to her journey to becoming an appellate lawyer. She explains that the more she learned about law, the more she was drawn to the field. She then goes on to talk about the appeal process and how it can be a difficult one to enter. Finally, Michelle shares her advice on how to get into the field of appellate law, including the importance of continuing to educate yourself on the legal field.
Who’s The Guest? Michelle Kallen is a former Solicitor General of Virginia who helps clients navigate complex matters before federal and state appellate courts. Leading companies in the aerospace and defense, hospitality, technology, and transportation industries benefit from her extensive government experience, unique insight into multistate and constitutional litigation matters, and award-winning appellate work.
Episode Resources
- https://www.jenner.com/
- https://www.jenner.com/en/people/michelle-s-kallen Episode Highlights
- What made her decide to specialize in Appellate Law
- Transitioning from government to private practice and working on high profile cases
- Exploring different aspects of litigation and appellate practice
- Breaking down the day-to-day practice of Biglaw as an appellate lawyer
- Different practice models as an appellate lawyer
- Finding the right fit: The pros and cons of the different practice models
- Appellate practice for junior associates
- Strategies for success as an associate and partner
- Overcoming roadblocks and advancing in a legal career
Episode Sponsored By https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
Subscribe, Share and Review To get the next episode subscribe with your favorite podcast player.
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