Different Styles of Law Firm Recruiting

The current reality is that fewer law firm leaders or rainmaking partners make the time to participate in recruitment efforts. Although senior partners can remember the days when marquee partners came to their law school campuses to recruit, most high profile partners today are too busy managing important client relationships to market their star status on law school campuses.

Law firms need to recognize that this choice negatively impacts their ability to hire the best talent. When firms send a senior associate or a first-year partner instead of a leading, senior partner to a recruiting event, they give applicants the impression that their firm does not take recruiting star talent seriously. This, in turn, causes prospective hires to question how much personalized attention the firm will invest in their professional growth and development. It also begs the question, when it comes to recruiting, whose job is it anyway? Our video 10 Factors That Matter to BigLaw Firms More Than Your Law School provides insight on how these differences influence which candidates get hired.

When law firms get large enough, they delegate their recruiting efforts to administrators who plan and organize events as well as develop important relationships with law school faculty members and career services center personnel. Unfortunately, the administrators' ability to make an impact is undercut when star partners don't show up at recruiting events. When this happens, a second choice replacement is sent to represent the firm. While any presence is better than none at all, recruiting efforts that don't include senior or high profile partners will not help a firm win the war for talent.

At large firms, highly successful partners have forgotten how significant their presence can be at an alumni gathering or a campus recruiting event. On a number of occasions, we have interviewed associates or partners who explained that the reason they chose to work at a particular firm was often influenced by the quality of attention they received during the recruiting process. Time after time, these people measured this quality by the seniority and prominence of the partners who invested time to get to know them during recruiting. For firms evolving from traditional outreach to modern methods, this article on social media recruitment for law firms offers actionable insight into how digital channels can complement your existing recruiting style. Recruiting style is only one part of the picture — this video on 12 critical factors in hiring and firing highlights other key criteria that influence attorney selection.
 

• Each recruiting style comes with its own set of client and candidate expectations—explored in depth in Expectations vs. Reality in Legal Recruiting Careers. To see how recruiting culture affects hiring outcomes, check out this video explaining 17 reasons law firms decide not to hire

In our work, we have identified three different approaches to how law firms manage the recruitment of legal talent. We classify them as transactional, intentional, and strategic. In each case, clearly defined characteristics have emerged.
 

Transactional Approach

Many firms take a transactional approach to recruiting. We define this as a short-term, quick-fix program that is designed to meet the immediate needs of the firm or a particular practice group. Transactional approaches consist of discrete recruiting activities that are coordinated not with a significant amount of foresight or planning but, instead, arising to satisfy an immediate need. Because transactional approaches are short-lived, they make no real lasting impression on anyone either internally or externally. Because firms recruit differently, it helps to see how many applications are sufficient in each scenario in this video: How Many Firms and Jobs Should I Apply To? When Is Enough Enough?

Some transactional recruiting approaches are driven by a handful of partners and associates who decide to take matters into their own hands rather than coordinate efforts and build consensus with other members in the firm. An administrator manages other forms of transactional recruiting approaches and works either part-time or full-time on the effort. In either case, roles and responsibilities are often unclear and recruiting tracking systems and team processes are either ad hoc or nonexistent.

On the one hand, transactional approaches can be effective because the goals are modest and they are given priority status. On the other hand, they are highly inefficient because they are created from scratch and little effort is made to institutionalize best practices or to preserve lessons learned. As a result, transactional approaches are not capable of sustaining a high quality of service over a prolonged period of time. Instead, because individual champions or small groups lead transactional recruiting approaches, they last only as long as the need is real and apparent. Once the goal is achieved, the leader or group of volunteers disbands. Watch our video on exploring multiple legal markets to see how recruiting styles vary across locations.
 

• For a deeper dive into why firms hire beyond the obvious credentials, read The Surprising Truth About Why Law Firms Hire Attorneys.

 

The Intentional Approach

Perhaps a majority of firms has learned to create intentional recruiting systems and processes. Intentional recruiting approaches are typically designed to meet growth goals and may include firmwide communications efforts, law school target lists, and talent profiles of ideal candidates who would be the right “fit” at the firm. At the very least, intentional recruiting efforts are organized by a part-time or full-time administrator working with partner and associate members of a recruiting committee. The administrator keeps records and coordinates volunteers to represent the firm at multiple campuses and recruiting events. These approaches vary even more when you consider attorney placement and recruiting distinctions, which reveal how attorneys are matched to opportunities.

Some firms recruiting for cultural fit emphasize balance and flexibility; this companion article highlights how such lifestyle firms remain elusive to many candidates.

Firms taking an intentional approach have hired experienced professional development directors to manage and supervise the efforts. These directors work with firm leaders to clarify recruitment needs and attempt to align a recruiting strategy with the firm's growth strategy. This approach requires support and discipline from firm leaders. If successful, intentional recruiting efforts can make a noticeable contribution to the firm's success; if the right talent is identified and hired in the first place, fewer associates will leave as a result of unmet expectations. This, in turn, creates a more stable work environment and alleviates much of the stress and frustration caused by mismanaging human resources. To better understand how these recruiting variations influence attorney evaluations, watch the video What Every Attorney Should Understand About Law Firm Hiring Decisions, which breaks down how firms weigh multiple factors when making final offers.
 

• Firms with informal recruiting practices often respond well to applications submitted even without posted openings.

 

And the Strategic Approach

We call the most powerful type of recruiting approach strategic. Strategic recruiting efforts can only be found at firms where senior leaders have wholeheartedly decided to make recruitment a top management priority. With visible senior support, strategic efforts thrive and improve continuously. Recruiting program performance measures are designed and tracked over time, creative communications campaigns are generated, and the vast majority of the firm's professionals participates in the process. As in the intentional recruiting approach, strategic efforts are driven by experienced professional development directors and recruiting managers who have a team of part-time or full-time employees who compile and analyze recruitment data, develop communication strategies, and enjoy firmwide respect for their significant, if indirect, contribution to the firm's bottom line. Regardless of the approach you take, the right mindset matters—see You Need to Have Desire to Achieve Your Goals for advice on cultivating career-driving desire.

A strategic recruiting approach is both methodical and considered. It requires careful study of every facet of the recruiting process to identify and make improvements to current systems and processes. It also requires demographic analysis of talent pools to determine how to appeal to the needs and desires of younger lawyers. The best strategic recruiting approaches anticipate new market trends, identify what kind of talent will be required to meet growing client demands, and remain ahead of the competition. However, strategic recruiting approaches are the most difficult to sustain because they demand exceeding expectations on a continual basis.

• To see how these strategies compare in practice, check out the pros and cons of contingency or retained search for law firms.

 

Improving Your Recruiting

While it is difficult to do, an increasing number of law firms are successfully making recruiting a top management priority. Regardless of how your firm's approach might be categorized, it is likely that there is an opportunity to manage your firm's current recruiting efforts even better. Here are six ideas:

1. The firm's executive committee has to make recruiting a top management priority. Without this level of support, it is impossible to grow beyond an intentional recruiting approach.
2. Develop a recruitment plan that includes goals, criteria for success, team member roles and responsibilities, clear processes and procedures, meaningful incentives and rewards, a realistic timeline with important deadlines or milestones, and a financial resources commitment.
3. Assemble a highly motivated cross-functional recruiting team that includes administrators, associates, partners, firm leaders, and members of the executive committee.
4. Develop and implement an internal communications plan that helps to change the traditional perception of recruiting at the firm. This will require senior firm leaders to serve as both high-profile communicators and role models, in order to generate the necessary level of attention and support for the effort.
5. Treat a certain number of the hours devoted to recruiting efforts as equally important to billable hours.
6. Ensure that the firm uses creative technology solutions to streamline the recruiting process, but not at the expense of losing the personal “touch” required to make a good impression on a new candidate.

In the final analysis, law firms need to recognize that recruiting cannot be treated as a short-term, transactional initiative. These kinds of efforts are inefficient and they make no lasting contribution to the firm or to prospective candidates. Instead, firms need to make recruiting a long-term, strategic priority. The benefits of a strategic approach will not be immediately recognizable. However, over time they will lay a solid foundation on which to build future success. Understanding recruiting is one part of the picture; 21 Unsurpassed Reasons Why Practicing Law Is the Best Profession dives deeper into why lawyers ultimately find lasting satisfaction in the profession itself. No matter your recruiting approach, it’s vital to create a workplace that attracts top attorneys by aligning culture and opportunity.
 

Interested in Learning More About Legal Hiring? Read the Definitive Guide: How to Hire a Legal Recruiter for Your Law Firm: How Law Firms Recruit Attorneys Using Legal Recruiters

About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations-from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

• Immigration Law
• Workers Compensation
• Insurance
• Family Law
• Trust and Estate
• Municipal law
• And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

• Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
• Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
• Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
• Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success - The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm's unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison's legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

• His articles on BCG Search alone are read by over 150,000 attorneys per month, making his guidance the most sought-after in the legal field. Read his latest insights here.
• He has conducted hundreds of hours of career development webinars, available here: Harrison Barnes Webinar Replays.
• His placement success is unmatched-see examples here: Harrison Barnes' Attorney Placements.
• He has created numerous comprehensive career development courses, including BigLaw Breakthrough, designed to help attorneys land positions at elite law firms.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials-he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison's work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

• Finds and creates job openings that aren't publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
• Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
• Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney-no matter their background, law school, or previous experience-has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

• Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
• Senior attorneys who believed they were "too experienced" to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
• Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options-only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
• Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist-often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today - Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison's expertise will help you take control of your future.

Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Harrison's reach, experience, and proven results make him the best legal recruiter in the industry. Don't settle for an average recruiter-work with the one who has changed the careers of thousands of attorneys and can do the same for you.

About BCG Attorney Search

BCG Attorney Search matches attorneys and law firms with unparalleled expertise and drive, while achieving results. Known globally for its success in locating and placing attorneys in law firms of all sizes, BCG Attorney Search has placed thousands of attorneys in law firms in thousands of different law firms around the country. Unlike other legal placement firms, BCG Attorney Search brings massive resources of over 150 employees to its placement efforts locating positions and opportunities its competitors simply cannot. Every legal recruiter at BCG Attorney Search is a former successful attorney who attended a top law school, worked in top law firms and brought massive drive and commitment to their work. BCG Attorney Search legal recruiters take your legal career seriously and understand attorneys. For more information, please visit www.BCGSearch.com.