Making Your Law Firm the Best Place to Work: Attract and Retain the Best Candidates

If you are a law firm owner, you are probably familiar with the feeling of being a jack of all trades and struggling to manage costs, acquire new clients, increase profitability, compete in a highly competitive environment, and improve your business focus. Attracting the right talent for your firm is crucial to alleviate these issues. The right employees will help you take on more work, focus on the business side of things, and be more profitable. Read on to learn how to improve your own law firm by attracting talented candidates. To understand how your attraction and retention strategy fits the broader landscape, see our article on law-firm recruitment trends in the USA (2025) which outlines the current dynamics in the legal-hiring market. Our firm’s philosophy is grounded in the story of BCG Attorney Search and what we do for you which informs how we recommend building your firm-employment brand.

How To Attract Talent to Your Law Firm?

Have you ever wondered what makes one law firm more attractive to candidates than another? It’s not just about the salary and benefits package, although that is undoubtedly important. Candidates also look for a supportive and collaborative environment where they can learn and grow. They want to work somewhere with an excellent work-life balance to have a life outside of work. And they want to work for a firm that is doing interesting and meaningful work. Firms looking to improve their internal culture can gain insight from The Best Law Firms to Work For, which details what employees value most in elite law firm environments.

If you can create an environment that offers all these things, you will be well to attract the best potential candidates to your law firm.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

Make sure your website is up-to-date.

Ensure that your social media is updated and features information about your company culture, values, and how you support your attorneys. Employees want to know that they will be valued and supported at your firm. Technology has made it easier than ever for candidates to research firms before they even apply. When selecting candidates you might incorporate insights from our guide on how law firms can hire the best attorney to make sure you not only attract but also identify star hires.

Hold recruitment events

Get involved in recruitment events at law schools and meet with potential candidates to get to know them better. A law school career fair can be a great place to start. This is also an excellent opportunity to sell your firm and what makes it a great place to work. Your retention efforts should include coaching and support; these pieces of career advice no one gives attorneys can help you shape that support program.

Show enticing job advertisements.

When writing job descriptions for your open positions, be clear about the essential workloads that your firm needs to be covered. This will help attract job candidates who are best suited for the position and more likely to commit long-term.

Candidates who feel energized about the opportunity to join your firm and contribute to its success are more likely to stick around for the long haul. So take the time to sell prospective hires on what makes your firm unique and why it’s a great place to work. To align your firm’s value proposition with attorney motivations, it helps to heed the brutal truth about legal careers  and what really distinguishes high-performers.

Host informational sessions

Showcase your firm through orientation and informational sessions for new talent so they can learn more about your firm and what it’s like to work there.

Offer a competitive salary and benefits package.

Of course, candidates are looking for a firm that offers a competitive salary and benefits package. Offer a competitive salary and benefits package that meets or exceeds the industry average.

But beyond that, they want to know that your firm is committed to their development and growth. They want to feel like they are part of a team and that their work is valued. So make sure you are clear about how your firm supports its employees and how you invest in their development. For smaller or growing practices the piece on recruiting, compensating and growing small law firms offers targeted strategy.

Be transparent

Show transparency about your salary and benefits package, so prospective job candidates know what to expect. Not only will this help you attract the best talent, but it will also help you retain your employees. Your approach may need to shift depending on the different styles of law-firm recruiting your firm is using (traditional campus hires vs lateral vs hybrid).

Provide opportunities for continuing education and professional development

Tenure attorneys will feel a greater sense of loyalty and satisfaction if they know that your firm is committed to their continued development. Offer continuing education, professional development, and mentorship opportunities so your attorneys can continue to grow in their careers and stay sharp and up-to-date on the latest legal developments. Enhancing workplace culture goes hand in hand with the strategies detailed in Managing and Retaining Top Talent in a Competitive Legal Market for maximum retention.

What Candidates Are Looking for In a Law Firm?

When evaluating potential employers, candidates are looking for a few key things:
 

• A supportive and collaborative environment
• A good work-life balance
• Interesting and meaningful work
• A competitive salary and benefits package

 
What Are the Signs That Law Firms Have a Poor Work-Life Balance?
 

Law firms with poor work-life balance often struggle with strains in clients’ portfolios. Clients may experience an increase of uncertainty or complexity, which can make them feel misguided about their case and hesitant to move forward without assistance from the attorney handling it; this could result in delayed projects until they’re resolved enough for completion - if ever! - or being handed off to another firm entirely. In the meantime, the lawyers at these law firms are likely working long hours, weekends included and feeling immense pressure to meet deadlines that seem impossible. This can lead to high staff turnover rates due to burnout, which only exacerbates the problem. Many experienced lawyers are now seeking opportunities with firms with a better work-life balance, which can be challenging to achieve without suitable systems and processes. When selecting candidates you might incorporate insights from our guide on how law firms can hire the best attorney to make sure you not only attract but also identify star hires. Your efforts to attract and retain top talent should also consider the expectations vs. reality in legal recruiting careers so you don’t oversell roles and risk turnover.

Signs of a poor work-life balance in a law firm include:
 

• Poor communication between partners and associates
• Associates being overworked and underpaid
• Lack of opportunity for advancement
• Stressful work environment
• Unreasonable billable hour requirements
• High turnover rate
• Poor morale among employees
• Increased responsibilities

If you are experiencing any of these signs, it may be time to reassess your law firm’s work-life balance and make some changes.

Even when building an internal talent brand you may still find value in talking to a legal recruiter right now to broaden your hiring funnel.

Tips for Perfecting Work-Life Balance at Your Law Firm
 

Creating a perfect work-life balance should be part of your law firm’s mission statement, overall vision, and core values. It’s not only the right thing to do for your employees, but it’s also good for business. A happy and healthy workforce is productive and will lead to better results for your clients and potential clients. For deeper insights into how understanding lawyer work values improves attraction and retention, read Understanding Work Values and Problem Resolution for Lawyers: A Guide to Improving Attraction and Retention.

Here are some tips to help you establish a perfect work-life balance in your law firm:
 

• Encourage flexible work hours and telecommuting options to allow your attorneys to manage their time better.
• Promote a healthy lifestyle by offering gym memberships, healthy food options, and on-site child care.
• Keep your attorneys up-to-date on the latest legal developments by offering continuing education and professional development opportunities. Making sure new associates understand the firm’s practice areas and how they can help clients is crucial for making it stand out in a competitive market. Providing them with the right tools and training will help them be successful and contribute to the firm’s success.
• Offer options for paid time off, such as unlimited vacation days or sabbaticals.
• Provide flexible options for work environments, such as the ability to work from home or in a co-working space. Working remotely has been shown to increase productivity, so this is a win-win for both you and your attorneys. Most workers today prefer having a flexible work environment; a study conducted found that the majority of employees today feel more productive when working from home and that remote work has positively impacted their work-life balance.

What Are the Signs of a Healthy Work-Life Balance in A Law Firm?

Achieving a good work-life balance within your company can bring numerous benefits, such as reducing stress levels, lowering the risk of burnout, and improving overall well-being. To see how marketing strategies benefit both candidates and firms, watch The Kick-Ass Marketing Secret of the Most Successful Candidates and Attorneys for real-world examples.

Signs of a good work-life balance at a law firm include:
 

• A focus on client outcomes rather than billable hours
• Appropriate staffing levels so that attorneys are not overworked
• Flexible work arrangements to allow for a healthy work-life balance
• Regular communication with clients about their cases

Ways to Retain Top Talent at Your Law Firm

Once you’ve attracted the right talent to your law firm, it’s important to retain them. The best way to do this is to create a culture of respect, appreciation, and collaboration. Employee retention is key to a successful law firm. Law firms that want to keep their best employees should consider what these workers want in terms of working conditions and make changes where necessary. Achieving these goals can have a positive impact on a company’s costs by reducing employee turnover and increasing retention. Even with a great culture you must still manage the underlying top challenges in law recruitment such as talent scarcity and fit issues.

Here are some ways to create a culture that will retain your attorneys:
 

• Encourage open communication and feedback between attorneys and staff.
• Promote a collaborative environment where attorneys can work together to solve problems.
• Encourage attorneys to take time for themselves outside of work, whether taking a vacation or just taking a break to relax and recharge. Your current employees tend to stay longer and remain competitive when they can spend quality time with their friends and family members
• Show your appreciation for your employees by offering regular bonuses and awards for outstanding work. Paying attention to and rewarding employees’ efforts will show them that their work is valued.
• Maintain your attorneys’ expertise and up-to-date by offering continuing education and professional development opportunities.
• Create a work environment that is respectful and appreciative of diversity.

Conclusion

By creating a workplace that is both desirable and supportive, law firms can attract the best talent to their firm. This will help to create a more productive and successful work environment for all attorneys and staff. Implementing the strategies, we’ve outlined above should help your firm reach its employee attraction and retention goals. Have you tried any of these methods in your own law firm? Let us know how they worked out. Law firms that prioritize creating harmony-focused policies to attract top legal talent can differentiate themselves in a competitive hiring market.
 

• A prime example of these practices in action is highlighted in Exceptional Employee Experience at Nathan Ziegler & Associates, which showcases how employee-centric values create a thriving workplace.