Don't Mess with Legal Recruiting Coordinators

My experience has taught me that legal recruiting coordinators are almost always the most critical non-attorney positions in a law firm. I've sent this email to every hiring partner and legal recruiting coordinator I know. I'm sending it as a call to action to elevate your firm and the profession.
 

• If you’re curious about how the coordinator role evolved over time and varies among firms, see Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Legal Recruiting Coordinators for a full breakdown.

 
I have seen countless firms succeed by prioritizing this position and attracting and retaining the right people for it. I have also seen firms fail and struggle when they did not give this position the high level of respect it is entitled to and deserves. Incredibly, I've seen far too many law firms let people go from this position or cut it back when the market slows down (like it is now).
 
When the market picks up (and it always does), it can take years to find and train a new legal recruiting coordinator with the institutional knowledge and skills of their predecessor. Ultimately, this may cost the firm millions because they do not have enough attorneys to handle the work, and valuable attorney time is wasted on training replacements. All law firms must understand just how crucial this position is. Despite not billing clients for their time, legal recruiting coordinators are profit centers, not cost centers.
 

Introduction

 
One of the most important roles in any law firm is held by legal recruiting coordinators. In my 25+ years of legal recruiting, I have come to conclude that the legal recruiting coordinator is the most important non-attorney position in almost any law firm.
 
Just about all law firms sell their attorneys: their minds, their legal work, their hours, their advice. I write a lot about the kind of attorneys that law firms should hire; however, I’ve never written about the people the law firm needs to recruit, screen, hire, and onboard the right attorneys. This topic is incredibly important. In fact, it is probably among the most important topics I have ever written about in the thousands of articles and webinars I have ever done to serve the legal profession.
 
All law firms need a certain type of attorney to do their work, and without the right attorneys, law firms lose money, have unhappy clients, and suffer. Legal recruiting coordinators are one of, if not the most important roles in law firms. In large markets and large law firms with massive salaries, law firms can easily find attorneys in different practice areas to do good work and bill hours. In contrast, an excellent legal recruiting coordinator is extremely hard to replace. They are often indispensable.
 
This is a hard job. It is a position that all law firms that want to grow and recruit good human capital should have. Without someone dedicated to this position, the firm will flounder. Attorneys are constantly leaving firms and may simply quit with no plans, be fired, go to another firm, go in-house, go into government, or go on long-term paternity/maternity leave. In order to serve clients and make money, pay attorney and staff salaries, office space, credit lines, guaranteed partner draws, firm events, and everything else that law firms do, attorneys working and billing hours is crucial. Without a dedicated legal recruiting coordinator, most law firms are in trouble.
 

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See Related Articles:

• Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Legal Recruiting Coordinators and Their Role in the Attorney and Law Student Hiring Process
• Why Almost No Law Firms Care About Legal Recruiter Fees
• Why You Should Never Use a Legal Recruiter: Do Not Use a Legal Recruiter Until You Read This

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1. Legal Recruiting Coordinators Recruit Applicants for the Firm.

 
To generate applicants to help grow the firm, legal recruiting coordinators may publicize their positions on their firm's websites, outside job boards, solicit applicants from people their own attorneys know outside the firm, search their applicant tracking systems, network with law schools, and, of course, trust recruiters they know.
 

• Of course, some legal recruiting coordinators rise to an elite level; the traits that set them apart are well-covered in What Makes a World-Class Recruiter

 
Some legal recruiting coordinators are charged with contacting potential candidates on LinkedIn, and calling and emailing candidates at other law firms. They literally work as legal recruiters inside of law firms, beating down doors to find people.
 

• While recruiting coordinators operate in-house, there’s also the external recruiter angle — for more on how law firms weigh fees, see Why Almost No Law Firms Care About Legal Recruiter Fees.

 

2. Legal Recruiting Coordinators Screen Applicants.

 
Once applicants come in, they are responsible for screening out countless attorneys. When they find attorneys that match the firm's standards and needs, they either schedule interviews with the candidate or circulate the resumes to attorneys within their firm. Often, they contact the candidate for more information or conduct a preliminary interview with the candidate to screen them before attorney time is used. When they circulate resumes to attorneys, they may advocate for certain candidates and not others.
 
Most legal recruiting coordinators have a deep understanding of the types of applicants the firm needs. They understand the right experience, how the law firm views attorneys from different practice settings and firms, the academic requirements the firm demands, the salaries that certain types of attorneys may require, whether the firm is open to relocations, whether their position is in high demand and they can reduce normal hiring standards, or whether other firms are losing work and attorneys in their practice area, necessitating higher hiring standards. They also understand countless small cultural cues that the law firm tends to favor and those it does not.
 
Reviewing applicants is a massive task. They not only need to review candidates but also log these candidates in and notify them that the firm has no interest in them. This is a ton of work, mind-numbing, and exasperating because applicants needing a response just do not stop.
 

• Many of the pressures legal recruiting coordinators face are under-appreciated — see Expectations vs. Reality in Legal Recruiting Careers for what people getting into recruiting often misunderstand.

 

3. Legal Recruiting Coordinators Do Positive Public Relations for the Firm in Their Role.

 
At all times, the legal recruiting coordinator is the face of the law firm. Their ability to speak with attorney applicants and the market (law schools, recruiters, vendors, etc.) determines how the firm is viewed by those outside of it. They tell candidates why the firm is a good place to work, they search for the best candidates, sell the firm, and tell candidates they like that the firm likes them and get offers closed. They politely tell others they do not need them.
 
They answer phones and return countless messages from potential candidates, interviewing candidates, law schools, recruiters, potential summer associates. They also need to coordinate summer associate programs when law students show up. They may be in charge of recruiting permanent attorneys, contract attorneys, and even staff.
 
In addition to all this, in large markets, legal recruiting coordinators belong to legal recruiting associations where they attend meetings, network with others, and share information about best practices and other firms. They also often attend various conferences and network there. Some go to law schools and assist in interviewing.
 
Because they are the face of the law firm, they are the brand of the law firm. Applicants, interviewees, legal recruiters, law students, recruiting coordinators at other firms, attorneys interviewing from other law firms, will all reach conclusions about the firm's brand based on their interaction with legal recruiting coordinators. Over time, these interactions will shape the firm's brand. The professionalism and personality of the legal recruiting coordinator become a reflection of the firm's brand.
 

• From the candidate side, too, understanding how to engage with recruiters can clarify expectations — you might like A Comprehensive Guide to Working with a Legal Recruiter.

 

4. Legal Recruiting Coordinators Are in Charge of the Interview Process.

 
They are then in charge of organizing interviews, convincing busy attorneys to interview applicants (who often avoid the legal recruiting coordinator because they resent not using the time to bill hours). Once the interview is scheduled, they need to make arrangements to get the attorney, summer associate, contract attorney, staff attorney (who knows) into the office at a convenient time for the potential hire. Then they need to create schedules, create new schedules when an attorney interviewer is called into court, in the middle of a transaction, or has a family or other matter.
 
Before the interview, the legal recruiting coordinator needs to arrange the candidate’s schedule, provide attorney bios to the candidate, and deal with last-minute interview changes. The legal recruiting coordinator also needs to be constantly alerted for emails, voicemails, and texts from attorneys and interviewees about scheduling, travel, cancellations, and more.
 

• While many firms lean on internal recruiting coordinators to maintain brand and control, there are also arguments on the flip side — Why You Should Never Use a Legal Recruiter offers cautionary tales external recruiters might provoke.

 
When the candidate finally arrives for the interview, they may need to meet them in the lobby and brief them on the schedule. Here, they evaluate the candidate’s demeanor, how they treat them, how they have treated others (receptionists, for example), how the candidate is dressed for the interview, and much more. Often, they need to be ready to continue meeting the attorney at the doors of the people interviewing the attorney after a certain period (for example, 30 minutes).
 
After interviews, most legal recruiting coordinators need to collect interview evaluations from attorneys who may dodge their requests. This is a lot of work. Then they need to make recommendations about whether certain attorneys should be made offers or not. They may need to organize recruiting committee meetings, get approvals, and this can be equally time-consuming.
 

• Many of the tasks coordinators handle would appear in a broader analysis of recruiting workloads — see Top Challenges in Law Recruitment for more context on those systemic pressures.

 

5. Legal Recruiting Coordinators Are Responsible for Coordinating Offers.

 
After the interviews, the legal recruiting coordinator often needs to "debrief" the attorney, thank them, and send them on their way. Sometimes a decision is made to make an offer in the interviews, the recruiting coordinator learns about this, and the attorney is not told yet. The legal recruiting coordinator then needs to turn on the charm and make the candidate feel more welcome with verbal hints that everyone liked them and be solicitous about encouraging the attorney to call with questions, for example. If a recruiter is involved, they traditionally call the recruiter and pass on how much the firm liked the candidate. If the opposite occurs and the candidate is not the firm's material, an impression needs to be left that is professional but not at all encouraging.
 
For all this time, they need to keep candidates they are still interested in "warm" while the firm makes decisions. Sometimes the firm's plans change after weeks of work: A partner leaves, a client leaves, the firm is worried about economic conditions… who knows. Then the work stops and was for nothing. The legal recruiting coordinator may feel deflated after so much work.
 

• Much of what legal recruiting coordinators do is invisible until something goes wrong — to understand that hidden labor, see Invisible Advocates: The Silent Struggles of Legal Recruiters.

 

6. Legal Recruiting Coordinators Oversee the Offer Stage.

 
When a candidate is made an offer, the legal recruiting coordinator may be in charge of reference checks, asking attorneys to call the candidate to make them feel excited, welcome, and getting the hire closed.
 

• For legal recruiting coordinators interested in stepping more into recruiter or leadership roles, Are You Thinking of Becoming a Legal Recruiter? can provide orientation.

 

 
When and if an offer is made, they need to make the candidate feel welcome and wanted while waiting for the candidate to accept. They often need to do background checks, call references, review social media and professional profiles, verify the attorneys’ dates of employment match, try to ascertain if the attorney is still at a firm (or just on the law firm website and using voicemail), verify represented books of business, have conflict checks performed and use networks to better understand the attorney's professional reputation.
 
Some legal recruiting coordinators have better networks than others; these networks are indispensable. While the firm waits for a candidate to respond to an offer, they must keep other "second choice" candidates warm. If candidates do not accept, they may also look at recent applications and bring in more people. They may need to start the entire process of recruiting candidates again.
 

• If a firm is weighing whether to use external recruiters rather than relying solely on its recruiting coordinator, Using a Legal Recruiter: Who Should and Shouldn’t provides useful criteria.

 

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See Related Articles:

• A Comprehensive Guide to Working with a Legal Recruiter
• What Characteristics Should I Look for in a Legal Recruiter?
• The Three Styles of Legal Recruiting: Which Sort of Legal Recruiter Would You Prefer to Work With?

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Conclusions

 
The work of a legal recruiting coordinator never ends. At each stage, everything needs to be organized, responded to, and more. Voicemails, emails, applications, interviews never stop. This is a stressful job. This is also a job that is beyond important for law firms to staff correctly. Some law firms appreciate this role more than others. If someone is good enough at this position and the firm knows it, they will do whatever they can to hold on to them. Regardless of your hiring role in your firm and if you are a partner running a recruiting department or a legal recruiting coordinator, you cannot afford to underestimate how crucial this role is.
 

• If you are a law firm partner without a legal recruiting coordinator, the odds are excellent that you need one, and they will dramatically grow your firm and improve its culture if you hire the right one. Legal recruiting coordinators are profit centers, not cost centers.

 

• If you are a law firm partner with one or more legal recruiting coordinators, consider what you can do to provide more resources, appreciate their role more, and even give bonuses (which some firms do) for their success in bringing in the right attorneys when needed. This role is incredibly crucial to your success. By all means, do not lay off a solid recruiting coordinator during a market slowdown—they are profit centers, not cost centers.

 

• If you are a legal recruiting coordinator or in a human resources role where you hire attorneys, you may forward this email to anyone who wants to know how valuable this role is. If I owned a law firm, I would pay my recruiting department more if I read this. These points should also guide the material you put on your resume and discuss in future interviews. Most importantly, during slow legal markets, use this material to show firms you are a profit center, not a cost center.

 

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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.