Last year, we placed 15 lawyers and worked with 21 who got offers. Most people…
Last year, we placed 15 lawyers and worked with 21 who got offers. Most people think a legal recruiter just submits resumes. Submission is a small part of the process, especially for associate work.
For lawyers, the work is positioning, presenting their materials to show what they've done. Representative matters become preparation for telling stories about the work you've done, not just a check-the-box submission item.
A structured process creates options. When lawyers are positioned well, they get interviews, and positioning during interviews converts more of those interviews into offers.
Part of how the process keeps timelines aligned is simultaneous submission, presenting a candidate to all approved firms at once. Interviews that land within the first week of submission strongly correlate with offers.
Lawyers we worked with got an average of three offers. Some got up to six. Twelve of the 15 people we placed had never made a lateral move before. The most common mistake lawyers make when they start a search is focusing on one or two target firms. The process works the other way. You don't have to be sure of what you're going towards to start. The process reveals what your actual priority is.
Coaching during interviews is part of the work. The first stage during interviews is how and why you'll be helpful. It's not about what you're looking for in a practice. It's about how you will be helpful to this team.
That reframing is part of why the structured process converts more interviews into offers.
Khurram and I were talking recently about one of the lawyers we worked with last year. She got six offers. She decided to stay at her firm. That was still a win. Every firm is a bundle of benefits and costs, and there is no perfect firm. Through the process, she got a comprehensive view of the trade-offs available in the market, and she validated that the platform she was already on was the best place for her. Khurram checked in with her a couple months later, and she told him she had a new appreciation for her firm.
Of the six lawyers who got offers but didn't move last year, she was the only one who had multiple offers in front of her. Most of the others were considering a single offer. Some declined because of a cross-country move they weren't ready to make. One had a single offer to another firm and just wasn't sure he wanted to take it.
For firms, a structured process brings more lawyers to market. It gives firms a chance to interview and extend offers on parity with other firms competing for the same candidate.
One more misconception worth clearing up. Lawyers don't pay us. Law firms pay us.
The bottom line? A recruiter who only submits resumes isn't doing the work. If you're a lawyer considering a lateral move, start the process before you've settled on a target firm.
