“I ought to be able to do this (better) myself” This statement, I think, crystallizes the basic problem for our clients and candidates when embarking on a relationship with a Lawcruiter. Even more galling, for some, is the fee that the Lawcruiter will earn for doing something which seems so elementary. Moreover, clients and candidates know all too well how something so elementary can be badly botched by an inexperienced, incompetent, and unprincipled Lawcruiter – and yes (alas!) they exist.
Our clients fear that the Lawcruiter – out of inexperience, ignorance, disloyalty or an inappropriate fixation on earning a quick fee - will:
1. Misrepresent the firm
2. Poach the firm’s lawyers using confidential information
3. Push inappropriate candidates and waste the time/resources of the firm’s recruitment department
At the same time, our candidates fear that the Lawcruiter – for all of the aforementioned reasons – will:
1. Misrepresent the candidate’s credentials and abilities
2. Exceed his authority as to the firms where the candidate wants to be introduced
3. Attempt to bully the candidate into making inappropriate decisions
Given the enormous amount of free public information currently available about law firms – it is no wonder that candidates and clients, when considering these risks, ask themselves “why bother?”
The answer of course is that, like dentists or other professional consultants, Lawcruiters are a necessary evil for every highly ambitious AMLAW 100-tier lawyer seeking to move up in the world and/or improve upon their current work circumstances. The reality, for most lawyers, is that few of them have the time (given their 2200 hour billable hour commitments) to conduct a proper job search. And so, when things seem out of control, the voice of a Lawcruiter with an attractive idea on the other end of the telephone line suddenly seems mighty attractive. Our clients understand this – which is why, despite the risks of working with any and all Lawcruiters - they gladly (?) pay our fees.An entirely separate question is what Lawcruiters can do to mitigate or minimize the all-too-real concerns of our clients and candidates, given that less than 50% of the legal recruiting community belongs to, and subscribes to the code of ethics of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants. This is a subject for further posts.
