April 20, 2005 | PDF Version
Chicago, For years the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Annual Education Conference has been a must-attend event for the leading legal-recruiting firms. Setting new career trends, exchanging ideas and experience, and networking are the main reasons legal-search professionals meet each other every spring under the auspices of the Association.
BCG Attorney Search has been an exhibitor at NALP for a number of years. At the 2005 conference in Chicago, four BCG Attorney Search Regional Managing Directors led a seminar titled Legal Recruiters: Can't Live with 'Em, Can't Shoot 'Em! Jamie Bailey (Chicago), Carey Bertolet (New York), Daniel Binstock (Washington, D.C.), and Raffaele Murdocca (Atlanta) shared with attendees their thoughts on a number of approaches on how to bridge the divides between law firm recruiting personnel and legal-search firms.
The presentation's overarching theme centered on BCG Attorney Search's concept that the process of attorney placement is not and should not be a zero-sum game. Law firms that use legal recruiters can rely on search firms to provide market trend analysis, help with utilization of technical resources, and strengthen business development by attracting top-notch legal talent. The latter topic attracted considerable interest from hiring coordinators of a number of law firms. In the competitive legal market, the demand for top talent often outruns the supply, making hiring and retention crucial ingredients in firms' ability to succeed. BCG Attorney Search recruiters shared their thoughts on the philosophy of effective hire and retention programs that law firms could use. The seminar format of the presentation allowed participants to pose follow-up questions and offer their own takes on the issues. As one seminar attendee later admitted: "Considering the relevance of the topic to my line of work, I did not want to wait until the end of the presentation to chime in. BCG recruiters brought up very intriguing points, some of which I have never thought about myself. As someone who is a legal-recruiting junkie, the seminar's discussion was music to my ears."
The presenting recruiters were also pleased with the overall experience. Daniel Binstock, Managing Director of BCG Attorney Search's Washington, D.C., office pointed to the expedience of holding similar seminars and discussion forums: "Today's seminar allowed us to have a dialogue with firms' hiring coordinators. We were able to present BCG's views on what we see is the essence of legal-recruiting. Plus, we had an opportunity to network and develop new business relations. It was definitely a worthy enterprise." Next year's NALP Conference will be held in early April in San Diego.
Source: BCG Attorney Search
Website: www.bcgsearch.com
