Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with David Cowen, the managing director of The Cowen Group, an executive search and market analysis firm focusing exclusively on litigation support and e-discovery. We discussed hiring trends and the market for legal talent. While he is observing a flattening of the employment market in law firms, and possibly a depression, following years of double-digit growth, he is seeing an upward demand for staff on the corporate side. Cowen highlights that the moment an organization makes the decision to insource, they realize they need the talent to drive that strategy and will likely get it from law firms and vendors. He views the corporate market as similar to the positioning of major law firms in 2003-2005, who were just establishing major e-discovery practices. As such, he has an optimistic view of the employment picture.