New England Biz Law Update
Who is the best person for the job? Making this decision plagues hiring managers daily. Some people say it’s the candidate with the most experience, while others say it’s the candidate with the best education. However, there are other important factors to consider when it when it comes to hiring in-house counsel.
Most attorneys applying for in-house counsel jobs have the education and experience required for the position. However, not all lawyers have the personality that meshes with the corporate culture and work environment. Finding the right match requires understanding the needs of the company and the personal and professional goals of the candidate.
For example, if a job posting for an in-house contracts attorney netted more than 90 applicants – all with the required law degree and three-plus years of experience – how does a hiring manager narrow the list to one candidate?
Skills vs. Criteria
First, when all 90-plus applicants have impressive resumes, look at the attorney’s skills in comparison to the criteria for the job. The attorney’s specialty law credentials will be a deciding factor. Using this filtering process will help discover the most qualified applicants. Next, conduct a brief telephone interview with these candidates. If still impressed, schedule an in-person interview.
The Team Player
Collaboration is a major component of in-house counsel jobs. Therefore, the ideal candidate should demonstrate the ability to be a team player.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. In the interview process, hiring managers are looking for answers. Using open-ended questions will allow the candidate to talk about themselves and their experience working in a team environment. If the answers are focused more on the individual’s accomplishments, rather than the team’s, this could be an indication that this isn’t the right person for the job.
The Industry
In-house counsel positions give attorneys the opportunity to specialize their skills within a specific industry. Hiring managers should look for attorneys who have experience or want to grow within the industry.
The ideal candidate will be familiar with the company’s products or services and their client base because they have researched the company before the interview. If the person isn’t excited about the company during the job interview, they probably won’t be in the future.
The Decision
By now the applicant pool has been reduced to one or two qualified candidates. The hiring process has taken several weeks, or even months, and many painstaking hours have been spent reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews and meeting candidates.
Congratulations! The time has come to make a final decision. The attorney with a combination of the right specialty, education, experience and whose personality fits the corporate culture will be hired.
So do hiring managers resign themselves to this demanding process of finding in-house counsel each time, or do they wonder if there’s an easier way?
Alternatives
One reason corporations hire in-house counsel is to save money. Corporations want to reduce the escalating costs of litigation and other services provided by outside counsel by hiring in-house counsel. Different alternatives exist for corporations.
Some corporations have utilized their own procurement group to recruit viable candidates for their in-house counsel positions. The upside to this approach is clearly the reduction in cost.
The downside to this approach tends to rest with the ability of the recruiter to identify qualified candidates who will be assets to the legal group. Procurement groups do not always understand the nuances of the legal community.
Another alternative that has become popular over the last decade or so has been the utilization of outside legal placement firms who have expertise in the field of recruiting and placing of legal professionals. The upside to this approach is generally the ability of the placement firm to streamline the process which saves the decision maker valuable time. The downside is that there is a fee for the service.
The Right Fit
No matter which option is chosen to hire in-house counsel, the attorney selected must be the right fit for the company. Once that person is found, the challenge will be to keep them. By selecting someone who has the appropriate skills, is a team player and knows or is willing to learn the industry, the company will be able to retain a satisfied employee.
Sheppard Weisman is an attorney and managing director of Kelly Law Registry in Boston. Recognized as one of the nation’s premier legal placement firms, Kelly Law Registry specializes in the permanent and temporary placement of attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals. Kelly Law Registry is managed and staffed by legal professionals who have broad experience in corporate and law firm environments. Visit www.kellylawregistry.com.
