Do:
- Recruit people who can respond to the goals and objectives of your firm's business plan. Viewing lateral hiring as a way to buy a book of business on the open marketplace always leads to disastrous results, so take steps to ensure that the firm has a long-term business plan that sets forth practice goals and objectives—this is the number-one criterion for bringing lateral partners on board. Once the groundwork is set, then fill in the holes in your talent pool with lateral hiring.
- Pursue lateral hires only when they meet strategic needs. The objective is to make sure that all laterals are in line with the firm's profitability. The bottom line: You should be able to tell your partners that in the short-run and the long-run, they're going to make more money because you have been successful in recruiting a new lateral.
- Look for laterals who will fit into your existing compensation system. Never compensate laterals at a higher level than you do your firm's long-term, outstanding contributors—even though the lateral may have extraordinary credentials. Bringing in laterals at levels that are significantly above those of your superstars who have performed well for you for a long time can be highly destructive; it may pay to take a pass on these types of candidates. The best alternative: Try to put laterals into a tier where their contributions and the contributions of the partners already in the firm are roughly equivalent. Remember as well to look at productivity, working attorney performance, business management, and business generation.
- Exercise special care with due diligence. Require full written disclosure by all lateral partner candidates by having them describe in excruciating detail the business they'll bring to the firm. One firm leader recommends breaking this information down into three categories: minimum, expected, and optimistic. His law firm also looks at billing rates, hours logged, hours billed, and a three-year business generation history—all to see how the prospects performed versus what they claim they will do once they make the move. A final suggestion: Checks references very, very carefully, so the firm has all the facts it needs to make an initial compensation decision.
- Err on the side of under-compensating lateral partners. A number of law firms have a bonus component in their compensation system. This means it's possible to give the lateral partner a lower base compensation or point income and then make up the difference in bonus. It may be preferable to slotting somebody in at too high a level. If you do that, when the firm gets through the end of the year you will have partner dissatisfaction and a management problem to deal with.
