Energy Lawyers Courted in Bidding Wars

A legal recruiter in Houston says energy lawyers are in big demand and short supply.

Susan Pye was an energy lawyer herself before she became a recruiter and started her own firm. She told the Houston Chronicle that a lot of energy lawyers got out of the practice area after “the bust in the ’90s” and the demise of Enron. But the ones who remained are being sought by many of her law firm clients.

“There is literally a bidding war for some of these candidates—people who have experience doing energy deals and have five, 15 or 20 years’ experience,” she said. “There are just not a lot of them.”

Pye says there is also a demand for high-end transactional lawyers and good contract lawyers. But lawyers who work on mass tort suits are hurting because of tort reform. The ABA Journal reported in 2006 on a downturn for Texas tort practitioners.