5 Hiring Secrets New Law Firms Must Know

One issue that new law firms are facing today is hiring top legal talent. When you need to hire for your legal business, finding the right person for the role is not always easy. Where people are involved, assessments can be more complex than just checking boxes regarding qualifications, skills, and experience.

If you want to address this issue in your company, you can keep these pointers about hiring in mind. Using these five tips, you can have the best lawyers who can help establish the credibility of your new law firm.

1. Create a Long-Term Vision

When building your legal team, you must develop a long-term vision that can help you determine what kind of lawyers you want to hire. During this planning process, you must ask yourself the questions below:

• What crucial legal skills will you need today, tomorrow, and beyond?
• What changes or future trends may impact your company? For example, if you are amenable to future mergers and acquisitions, you must consider this process when hiring new talent.
• What legal skills do you plan to develop internally?
• What are your outside counsel expenses? Do you plan to reduce it in the future?
• How does your legal team look? Do you think you have lawyers ready for a promotion or more responsibilities? Can they be positioned now to address your law firm’s needs?

2. Hire Fast When You See a Candidate You Like

In some cases, when legal recruiters get excited about a candidate, they still hesitate about moving the process forward because they want to assess more candidates. But, in the competitive environment of hiring legal talents today, your firm cannot afford to stop and hesitate.

Delaying the process reduces excitement and momentum. Thus, allowing valuable candidates the chance to consider other offers. Due diligence is critical, but keep in mind that law firms cannot afford to sit back and wait.

3. Consider the Chemistry, Not Just Credentials

As you interview candidates, you ensure they have the right capabilities and credentials. But do not forget to evaluate whether an applicant would fit into the role that you are placing them.

Ask yourself if their core personality traits align with your law firm’s culture. Are they perfect for the type of legal work you have in mind for them? Are they flexible enough to adjust if circumstances change?

So during interviews, look for signs to determine whether a candidate will be a good fit for the role. For example, legal recruiters at Nussbaum Family Law should not only be skilled, but they must find candidates able to work with emotional clients who are under pressure because of conflict in the family.

4. Interview Nontraditional Candidates

Consider nontraditional candidates when looking to fill a role in your law firm. Just because these lawyers have chosen a nontraditional path, that does not mean they are of lesser experience, knowledge, or skill level.

Interview people who may not meet traditional requirements, like education and previous work experience. You should also try considering those with backgrounds in other fields or those who are returning to legal practice after some time away.

5. Prepare for Counteroffers

Applicants today are more amenable to accepting counteroffers from their current employers. This topic is something you must be ready to discuss with the applicant.

Not only are employers more likely to match or even exceed your offer, but they may also add promotions to the mix. This is why it is crucial to discuss this possibility with candidates. That way, you can be prepared for any outcome.

These are five secrets to hiring that new law firms must keep in mind. With these pointers, legal recruiters will have an easier time hiring, developing, and retaining talent.