Several speakers, today, discussed law firm values and"branding" insofar as these are conveyed & imprinted on new recruits/hires and thus on the message/image these lawyers convey to the outside world. One person (AMLAW Media’s Aric Press actually) created the indelible image of associates engaging the outside world with the “ABC Lawfirm” brand on their foreheads effectively asking the question “What image/values does this person convey when representing ABC Firm?” Seems obvious? Well – for lateral hiring purposes, we all too often see the following circumstances and pathologies suggesting how far we still need to go:
- The Broken Telephone – It is perhaps unavoidable that third-party web-based sites such as Greedy Associates, Vault, etc will seem more “impartial” and therefore more believable then the carefully prepared marketing materials, websites, and “mission statements” (read: propoganda) put out by potential employers. Attorneys are a naturally skeptical and critically thinking bunch - meaning that law firm marketing gurus need to work a whole lot harder to sell their firms in a sincere and believable way without triggering the b.s. alarms of potential hires. Starting with the websites – Lawcruiter's personal favorites are Howrey’s “boot camp” image and Stroock’s tongue-in-cheek recruiting website (“80% honest”). Both approaches convey a sincere – somewhat unguarded reality that is, to these eyes, believable and immensely appealing, not to mention easily remembered.
- Untrained Associate Interviewers – More prosaically – it is alarming to Lawcruiter to see how often his clients fail to adequately vet/train or otherwise nurture the associates it chooses to conduct candidate interviews. Here is a golden opportunity to assess the golden question of relative “fit” – and yet, all too often, candidates return with stories of interviewer attitude or apathy – and thus some clear and obvious questions about the firm culture. If that’s the reality then so be it. In either case, is this the reality that you want?
- The Inevitability of Lateral Moves: Jones Day’s Steven Bennett identified this concept as representing the greatest manpower-related challenge to a law firm after it succeeds in hiring a new attorney. No longer do lawyers identify with their first employer as potentially their last employer, but solely as a place to get training before moving on to greener pastures. It is not unreasonable to suggest that firms that have a built-in retention culture already have a brand name that says that this is truly a good place to work.
