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Building A Dream Team: How To Hire Exceptional Legal Talent

The legal profession plays an integral part in guaranteeing the local community functions well and due protection of citizens is maintained. Law firms in Gloucestershire differ widely as concerns the number of employees and the services offered, generating revenue from business and public clients alike. Growth is often hindered by labour recruitment difficulties, to say nothing of the fact that clients remain passive and refuse to explore the market to change lawyers. Obstacles to business success have never loomed longer.

Your law firm can prevail despite the shifting market conditions, provided you have passion for the work and for the development of the individuals on your team. As far as recruiting exceptional lawyers is concerned, there's more to it than compensation. They're not there to provide answers and then fold up their arms and expect someone else to accept the consequences. Lawyers own the problem. You need skilled legal experts with an equally sharp understanding of the business.

The steps below can help you recruit the legal expertise you need:

Determine When It's The Best Time To Hire A Lawyer

If you manage a fast-growing law firm, make a hire when your casework is robust and the rate at which you're taking on new clients is accelerating. Beyond lawyers, you need a combination of administrative, technical, financial, and marketing staff to ensure the business operates in a flowing and effective manner without difficulties or obstructions. Once you've determined that you must hire a lawyer, budget for the new role. Consider employee costs, hiring process expenses, and ongoing employee expenses.

The time to fill – i.e., the amount of time you need to fill a position – helps you plan the entire process and identify warning signs of an overlong hiring process. You can start counting from the moment your job ad is published. Equally, you can define a different time period to frame your measurements, such as the moment the hiring manager submits the job opening for approval or when the finance department approves the job opening. Do what makes sense for your law firm.

Create A Place Where People Want To Work

Offering a competitive salary and benefits is a good way to attract top legal talent (and retain current employees), but bear in mind that money is rarely the driving factor. What people are looking for is success. Job candidates regard organisational culture as the primary factor when evaluating law firms, so having a good reputation helps enormously with recruiting. By acknowledging people's strengths, Personal Injury Claims Care (https://www.personalinjuryclaimscare.org.uk/) empowers employees to form high-performing and fully engaged teams.

Have a place where lawyers can work on interesting and complex matters and receive exceptional guidance and support along the way. Even in large markets, the legal communities are small enough that lawyers know which firms take good care of their people and which ones fail miserably in doing so. Make the workplace more attractive and fulfilling, especially for young, talented Gen Zers who have so much energy to offer. You may be tempted to choose individuals whose work you respect but whose values differ from yours. That may be a mistake.

During the interview process, 90% of the conversation should focus on cultural fit, and 10% on technical ability. Some law firms seek a quality that's not often associated with lawyers, namely optimism, and ask a lot of questions to find out if they've done their homework to know what the culture is about. And, of course, the ideal candidate is the one who demonstrates a passion for organisational purpose. You can choose less experienced lawyers from top firms, assuming they know what they're doing.

It's Always A Good Idea To Have A Background Check Done

Since you're filling a particularly difficult job role, check the references of each candidate once you've narrowed down your field of applicants to a handful of finalists. Job seekers are willing to say anything to land a dream position, so even if you find a candidate with relevant experience, do a background check to see their employment history. More exactly, follow up with each listed employer to confirm the information listed on the resume and the county bar association to see if they're licensed to practise the law.

If you make a job offer and then run a background only to come across discrepancies and issues, you must remain professional to maintain a positive association because there can be legal consequences. For example, the job candidate can prove they've suffered a loss as a result of your actions. A savvy job seeker will demand to see whatever information you amassed and challenge any if they have reason to believe it's inadequate, in the hope that an error was made. If the information collected turns out to be false, you open yourself up to a civil lawsuit.

Concluding Thoughts

Every law firm requires a proper selection of carefully selected candidates to support its business objectives. If you want to land the top talent, get the process right the first time, so ensure you make the right decisions and take the action at the right time, tempting as it may be to rush the process. Having an excellent salary isn't sufficient anymore. Apart from your employer brand, job seekers are interested in working from home, flexible hours, and doing more than just paperwork, with added extras such as gym memberships, healthcare, and a profit-sharing scheme.

Transforming individual hires and current team members into a tenacious community of employees committed to achieving the same goals takes time and effort, yet there's a higher chance of achieving great revenue flow when your team is working towards a shared vision. A strong vision ensures everyone is situated on the same path from the moment they start working in the organisation. Surveying your staff and asking about their needs will help you understand if something's right, so craft an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas and offering feedback.

At the end of the day, take a seat back, even if you're accustomed to being in the spotlight, to learn as much as you can. Great leaders cut through the noise to offer a solution everyone can understand.

 

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