REUTERS — Hoping to lock in future clients, a major legal recruiting firm has partnered with the country’s largest bar exam prep company to offer career guidance to law students. Major, Lindsey & Africa and BARBRI this week said they will jointly provide career resources for law students who sign up for BARBRI’s test prep program, focused on topics such as interviewing at law firms and choosing between practices. Unusually heated competition for legal talent has translated into a busy and lucrative year for legal recruiters, with law firm associate turnover at record levels. Nearly a quarter of associates swapped firms in 2021, a recent industry report found. Maryland-based Major, Lindsey & Africa, part of international talent management company Allegis Group Inc, hopes the program will help it build early relationships with lawyers who will someday turn to the company to help them switch firms or move into corporate legal departments, said Ru Bhatt, a partner in the recruiting firm’s associate practice.