For legal firms, talent acquisition is a tricky fight. On the one hand there’s the hiring process itself, which can be filled with competitors, candidate pinchers, and newly qualified lawyers that seem to have no idea.
But once you’ve cut through the noise and found a candidate you feel would be a good fit, you need to get them to work in the way you need. No matter your level of experience, that takes a bit of getting used to.
And that’s why both of these issues require a bit of prep work to resolve. As a law firm trying to grow, it’s best to set the scene ahead of time – instead of retroactively responding after a few false starts!
As such, here are 3 prep tasks that’ll make talent acquisition within your firm a lot smoother.
Make the Job Requirements Clear
There’s a wild amount of law firms out there that don’t list the actual needs of the job in the job description. They’ll provide a general outline of what candidates will be doing, but no specifics on the methods and tools the candidate may need experience with.
But if you want to source the best talent in the legal industry, always include the details. No candidate should be unsure as to whether they have the right software familiarities, or if they’ll need to find the time to go to networking events overseas.
Make this clear up front, as far as you can, and give prospects the chance to evaluate your role properly.
Create a Discovery Process Standard
No law firm can work effectively without a discovery process, whereby you collect evidence and document contact with relevant parties, etc.
However, no law firm has the same kind of discovery process! Everyone does this in their own way, and that’s what makes it so difficult to bring a new hire onboard and ask them to just get straight to work.
You need them to understand your specific process, as well as be able to follow it step by step.
As such, create a standard discovery process flow and make sure it’s been documented. Then, use an eDiscovery Platform to provide a proper all-in-one dashboard for the whole team to use, where your process can be made into a step-by-step form that’s easy to follow.
Now you can train your new hire quickly and effectively, and minimise the early days mistakes often made by new employees left to their own devices.
Network
Sometimes the only way to find the right junior lawyer is to know where they already are! That’s why networking is essential for any and all legal firms in an expansion phase.
Stand out by attending conferences, and make it clear that you’re trying to fill a role. Allow candidates to make an in-person first impression, and get a proper sense of the kind of talent that’s out there.
Are you on the lookout for a new paralegal or junior partner? Prep the right way!