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Two years ago, recruiter Avis Caravello scoured the country for corporate attorneys to fill hundreds of high-paying Bay Area jobs. The salary offers climbed, law firm incentives poured in, and job-seeking attorneys called the shots. And no matter how many qualified associates Caravello reeled in, she recalls, it was not enough to fully fuel the many law firms that were scrambling to keep up with an exploding economy.

Then the high-tech industry went into a tailspin - and the race suddenly stopped. Corporate jobs dried up, Caravello recalls. Hundreds of top-notch attorneys were shown the door.

"The bottom just fell out here almost overnight," says Caravello, of San Francisco-based Avis Caravello Attorney Search Consultants. "I don't think we'll ever again see what we saw in Silicon Valley. I think that that was just an aberration. It was really extraordinary."

John Jameson

But even in an economy now rife with layoffs and hard luck stories, the current job news is not all bad for California attorneys. Some attorneys have found pockets of opportunity amid the high-tech collapse, the recession and the added uncertainty triggered by the Sept. 11 attacks. Others are migrating to practice areas still in demand. And while the job pickings remain slim, consultants and recruiters say they are beginning to see small signs of a turnaround in some areas.

See UPTICK

When Lael Beloate graduated from McGeorge School of Law last May, he had high hopes for a career in patient law. He had a background in science. He had carefully chosen his specialty. And he went on to pass the federal patent bar and the California bar examination on his first attempts.

But then, months went by without a single job interview.

And after sending out 377 resumes to targeted employers - and receiving 60 rejections back the very next day - Beloate began to worry.

"That was probably my lowest point," he recalls. "Then I got 30 or so the next day, and 20 the next. Now I get two or three a day."

See DASHED HOPES

Some must use their children as interpreters when facing an eviction or other pressing civil matter. Some show up in court unable to communicate with the judge or court staff. And some - fearing a language barrier - simply do not show up for court at all.

Those who speak little or no English in California - and those in the legal system who seek to understand them - face numerous, complex challenges. Generally, for example, only those involved in criminal and juvenile cases are entitled to a court-appointed interpreter. Those in most civil cases are not. And while more than 200 different languages are spoken in California, there are still far too few qualified court interpreters to meet the need even in mandated cases, court officials say.

In light of widespread concern, the California Commission on Access to Justice has launched a "Language Access Project" aimed at working with the Judicial Council, local courts, legal services providers and community-based organizations to find ways to overcome a variety of language barriers in the legal system.

See DEARTH

When You Become 18, a popular booklet formerly produced by California Law Advocates, will be published by the State Bar as a second section to the May issue of California Bar Journal in conjunction with Law Day activities.

Supported by $50,000 from the Foundation of the State Bar, When You Become 18 is considered a survival guide for teen-agers. It includes chapters on voting, jury duty, marriage, divorce, child support, date rape, establishing credit and other topics 18-year-olds should know about. The booklet also will be distributed to schools throughout the state by the California PTA.