3 Effective Hiring Tips for New Law Firms

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Many business owners know that their employees are their most important asset. This rule also applies to law firms, old and new. It is crucial to hire the right people for your company and encourage them to stay.

Unfortunately, many law firm owners still struggle with hiring and retaining talent. Here are tips that can help if you are experiencing the same issue in your company.

1. Be Inclusive

There are several benefits associated with prioritizing diversity and inclusion. According to a McKinsey study, firms prioritizing diversity and inclusion are more profitable. This tactic can also help boost employee engagement and bring more diverse opinions to the firm. Moreover, various teams can make better decisions with greater efficiency.

When it comes to hiring, being biased could be detrimental to getting the right candidate. In a recent study, researchers discovered that 76 percent of respondents believe a diverse workforce is crucial when considering companies.

It is crucial for law firms, especially the ones still starting out, to build their workforce and prioritize hiring a diverse team. They should create a standardized process to evaluate all applicants and eliminate bias. Doing so ensures they can assess everyone who applies in the same way.

Remember to keep neutral language in job descriptions to prevent unintentional bias. For instance, terms like “energetic” may deter older people from applying. Using words associated with masculinity might also discourage women from applying.

2. Know the Best Time To Hire

Knowing when to hire is crucial for your law firm’s success. If you hire too soon after opening your law firm, some new hires may not have enough work. This problem could lead to serious financial issues. Meanwhile, if you hire too late, you may get flooded with backlogs and end up hiring the wrong person.

Read the following signs to know it is time to make your first hires for your new law firm:

• You have to turn down clients because you are swamped with work
• You are missing deadlines, and you cannot communicate with your clients
• You cannot keep up with your usual administrative tasks

3. Partner With a Reliable Search Firm

Today, many law firms prefer to work with professional recruiters to fill partners, associates, and top management positions. This tactic can be effective if you need to screen candidates quickly, but this limits the pool to candidates who are “in the market.”

This problem means they might be good options, but they might not be the best people for your company. Remember that you want to hire the best people available, not only those who are available.

Instead of working with a general staffing agency, work with a search firm dedicated to the placement of lawyers. These companies can reach out to all of the best candidates. They can also explain your law firm’s culture to applicants compared to agencies working on several assignments simultaneously.

For example, The Heller Group is a search firm with a deep understanding of the legal search and recruitment process. The company helps law firms seeking to add employees to their organization and lawyers contemplating a career move.

These are three ways to improve the hiring process of your new law firm. Keep these tips in mind, and you can find the top legal talent who will stay loyal to your firm for years.