Recruiting top legal talent is costly, difficult and often exhausting. If you are hiring, your current people are probably already overloaded, which means they have little time to run a search. A fast hire that turns out to be the wrong hire only multiplies the cost. Whether it is a legal department, a small firm or a national one, hiring people who fit the culture and serve clients well is what decides how the firm does. So how do you find them, engage them and hire them?
Building a strong firm or legal department is like building a house meant to stand for centuries.
It Begins With a Strong, Well-Laid Foundation
Know your market. Pay attention to trends in the legal industry:
- Maintain a keen awareness of legal precedents, trends, potential growth opportunities for attorneys, etc.
- Know what attorneys are looking for in compensation, benefits and platform, and be realistic about the market.
Know Your Needs
Accurate detailing is essential when creating a job description. Define:
- Specific role and responsibilities.
- Expected processes and procedures.
- Firm goals, values, and criteria for success.
- Projected career path.
- Compensation package.
Hire an Experienced, Highly Qualified Search Consultant
Deciding you need a legal recruiter is the easy part. The rest is choosing the right one. Look for someone who:
- Has a legal background, appropriate academic credentials, and is a respected authority in their field.
- Is serious about the craft: finding talent, understanding your needs, and matching the two.
- Stays abreast of market insight and information.
- Exhibits integrity, keeping your information confidential, and standing behind their placements.
- Has built a strong network of both active and passive candidate sources and is continually researching new avenues.
- Respects and serves their clients with loyalty. You can rely on them to only present serious, professional candidates who clearly match the position.
- Will maintain consistent, open communication with your firm or legal department.
The Finishing Touches
A strong foundation and a qualified search consultant create a solid house, but it’s the final touches that make it a home. Be sure your recruiter:
- Connects with both your needs and your culture
- Stands behind your firm, building your brand to prospective candidates
- Knows the legal market, your market and the candidate market, and how each affects the others.
- Has the skill to work through the obstacles and actually bring the talent in. That, in the end, is what you engaged them for.
The right recruiter is an advantage in any industry. In this one it is close to essential. A deliberate approach to choosing yours saves time, money and aggravation, and improves your odds of hiring and keeping the people the firm needs.
OnBoard Legal serves its clients and candidates through recruiters who are experienced, knowledgeable and current in the legal market. We work that way because our clients and candidates are experts in their own fields, and experts deserve to work with people who combine industry expertise with decades of practical experience. Contact us.