Growing Your Legal Team: 8 Points to Consider

1. The Best Lawyers are not easy to recruit:

Lawyers by definition are risk averse and often the best lawyers are not actively looking for a career change, are not visible on Linkedin (or other media channels) and may never learn of the perfect role you as an employer have for them. The best lawyers are focusing on the practice of law, managing their work load and attending to their internal and external clients. Combine these competing interests with risk aversion and it is easy to see why recruitment of the most talented lawyers is extremely difficult. You may get lucky but do you want to leave the hiring of your top performers to luck or chance?

Who better to attract their attention than a trusted search firm partner with relationships and access to the very best attorney talent?

2. Your time is precious: 

With economic changes, HR departments have lost staff and resources and often do not have the time to develop the expertise to recruit lawyers. Similarly, the resources of your own legal department are best devoted to the delivery of legal services and business counseling and there may not be time to have your own team set aside core work to engage in recruiting.

Operating exclusively in the legal search business, we commit 100% of our resources100% of the time to legal searches. This allows you to exercise prudence and protect your most valued resources.

3. Economies of scale:

Legal search is a highly specialized, niched practice area. To engage in a deep dive into the legal markets takes time, money and resources to yield a top tier hire. From a human capital investment, that is not necessarily the best return on your time. We have built the economies of scale and specialize in a niched profession; “all lawyers, all the time.” Our reputation is built on professional integrity and we are known as trusted advisors.

4. Reduce Turnover Rates:

There is a direct cost to you, your department and your company to hire and retain top talent. We all know how time intensive and costly training a new professional can be. When an attorney hire does not work out, turnover costs you your time and hits your budget.  Top talent is an investment you want to protect and using a legal search firm dramatically increases the likelihood that you will hire and retain the very best talent.

The Society for Human Resource Management estimates that the cost to replace entry level employees (recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, reduced productivity)  is 30-50% of their annual salary.  The cost to replace mid-level employees is 150% of their annual salary.  For specialized, high-level employees, the cost can be as high as 400%!

5. Reduce Burnout:

Recruiting is a full time, labor intensive endeavor: phone calls, emails, interviews, scheduling, re-scheduling, reference checks, assessing the external marketplace and questioning whether you have made the right decisions based on what you were able to find.

Candidate preparation ensures that candidates are ready; resumes are professional, interest levels are assessed and delicate situations should they arise, can be managed by the legal search firm or they can act as intermediary.

You are able to focus your time and energy on the practice of the law.

Might it be more prudent to delegate the responsibility?

6. Competitive Positioning:

If you are in growth mode, recruiting is only one area that is competing for your time and resources. A specialized legal search firm can bring you fully vetted candidates and levels the playing field with your competition. A trusted search partner carries your message to the market place, creates positive messaging and generates interest in your law department. Think of it as professional marketing for your legal department while your team supports the core business and growth.

7. Ensure Confidentiality:

A legal search firm can speak with candidates who want to protect their confidentiality. There are a number of reasons candidates need to protect their confidentiality: internal and external relationships, companies being bought or sold, employment security or working for the competition. A search firm can approach and engage with candidates that your own company may not be able to approach.

8. Improve Negotiations:

Losing the candidate during negotiations is NOT what you want. Vetting candidates and pre-qualifying candidates prior to the offer minimizes the chance of rejection. It can also save you time and promotes positive public relations. The employment relationship begins during negotiations. Solid footing is the place to begin!

Working with a legal search firm does not take the decision making away from the hiring organization. We align with the goals and objectives of the organization. Our goal is to bring you exceptionally qualified attorneys that meet your practice area needs so that you may continue to grow your legal organization and deliver world class legal and business counsel to your company.

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Feel free to contact us directly at PLSG: Contact Us