by LAWPRO

Attracting the best possible lateral associates is critical to a law firm’s ability to maintain its competitive edge, financial leverage, internal succession and future success.

The January 2012 issue of LAWPRO Magazine included an article by Cleo Kirkland, a senior recruitment consultant at The Counsel Network in Toronto, which discussed what firms can do to both attract the best new talent and retain the best people they already have. It features examples of different approaches firms have take to address this challenge.

Becoming a law firm of choice requires both a clear understanding of exactly what associates want and a strategy to provide them with the platform through which they can achieve their professional goals. Assessing what superstars are seeking and figuring out how your firm is best positioned to respond is crucial to any recruitment and retention strategy.

A law firm is an employer of choice when its lawyers believe they are working at a great firm and tell people as much. The best associates do their due diligence and ask the lawyers employed at the firm what it is like to work there. They also ask trusted friends and advisors (including legal recruiters) about the reputation of the firm and the likelihood that it will deliver on the career opportunities promised.

Stars will ask the difficult questions about work platform, career trajectory and fit. Strong indicators that a firm is an employer of choice include:

  • it has positive name recognition on the street;
  • prospective candidates and clients tend to choose the firm over others;
  • there is a low turnover rate of top performers;
  • lawyers at the firm deliver a consistent message on why the firm is a great place to work;
  • there is a record of ‘recruiting back’ former associates and partners to the firm;
  • the firm appears in the “best” lists of legal publications such as Lexpert; and,
  • legal recruiters speak positively of the firm.

Law firms of choice consistently have the most effective recruiting and retention programs. Those programs may vary from firm to firm, but what all of them have in common is that they recognize associates financially, create an exceptional working environment and have a clear understanding of what their associates want (and why some of them leave).