Utilizing Legal Recruiters

How can pregnant women and new mothers get along in sexist law firms? READ MORE >

Are you looking to fill attorney in-house openings in your company but don't know how? Learn how to hire the attorneys you need in this article. READ MORE >

Use this sample annotated retained search agreement in drafting an agreement with a legal recruiting firm.

Introductory Sections 1.    Introductory section which defines the parties to the agreement.

This letter is an agreement between [Firm](the "FIRM"), a California partnership containing professional corporations and SEARCH FIRM LEGAL SEARCH, INC., an California corporation ("SEARCH FIRM") (the "Agreement") concerning a search [describe search] the [department or practice group] of the [city] office of the FIRM (the "Search"). READ MORE >

Seventy-five percent of all placement requests are for associates with two-to-four years of experience, largely because firms want lawyers with few rough edges and no immediate expectation of partnership. But the simple rules of supply and demand dictate that having focus is essential, if you want to improve your firm's chances of success. Another necessity: Spell out all expectations to save yourself the aggravation that comes with having to go back and explain to your hiring partner or committee what went "wrong" with a search. Start by asking partners to thoughtfully consider what they want before they ask you to begin the search for a lateral. To help you get them more attuned to actual needs, below are guidelines detailing minimum level requirements you need from partners before you make the first call to a headhunter: READ MORE >

The stakes—time, money, or firm-wide resources—are always high when you embark on a search for a lateral hire. And these costs often have nothing to do with due diligence or questions of fit and synergy. Instead, it's a matter of sheer economics. Because some headhunters' fees now run in the six-figure range, managing such relationships on the front-end can be crucial. READ MORE >

The first and most important step of the legal-recruiting process, building long-term client relationships with law firms, is too often ignored or underestimated by many recruiters. Strong relationships are what allow a firm to trust a recruiter with its hiring decisions and are actually critical to any recruiter's effectiveness. Building this trust is far more rewarding than making an individual deal or placement, although it often takes much more effort and consideration for the client's needs. To this end, a good recruiter must always look to deepen its business relationships into partnerships and take into account whether an attorney he/she represents will benefit that attorney's partners as much as that attorney's placement will benefit his/her own interests. READ MORE >

One day last fall, David Derrico received five calls from headhunters trying to entice him away from his fourth-year associate position with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in Los Angeles. READ MORE >

I. Introduction
You've received a call from the managing partner in your firm's intellectual property practice, who needs to hire three new associates, pronto. READ MORE >

His character's fate sealed by mortal wounds suffered on a historic battlefield, the actor casts his glance heavenward and breathes forth an elegant final soliloquy, imparting timeless words of honor, courage, and love. When he finishes, all is silent, save for the clatter of his falling sword and shield as the hero slumps and falls. The story has concluded. The curtain falls. The audience, moved by the dramatic scene just witnessed, erupts in applause, shouting its adoration. Another fantastic stage production has ended for the theater company. READ MORE >

Law firm recruiting managers are called upon daily to handle a myriad of responsibilities for their firms, including coordinating fall recruiting programs at law schools, planning and managing summer-associate programs, managing lateral hiring, professional development, and conducting partner and associate evaluations. Some of these professionals also handle human resources and marketing functions. These professionals are highly skilled and most often overworked. READ MORE >

There is a pervasive opinion among attorneys and firms that all recruiters work out of a spare room in their lofty mansions, pocketing 100% profit from their commissioned attorney placements. While some legal recruiters do indeed operate like this (usually minus the lofty mansions), BCG Attorney Search incurs many traditional and many more "invisible" costs, most of which go into solidifying our clients' position in the legal market. Recruiting businesses, like all businesses, have expenses-advertising, payroll, office overhead-that are sunk costs. Additionally, all businesses have the choice of how to allocate the rest of their funds, with the traditional options being putting those funds straight into the President's pocket or reinvesting them in the company. Putting the time and effort (and money) back into the company in our efforts to provide the most full-service legal-recruiting agency is what sets us apart. READ MORE >