Maximizing Your Success with a Legal Recruiter
Deciding when and where to make a lateral move is one of the most important decisions you will face in your legal career. If you're an attorney seeking to make your next big move, leveraging the expertise of a legal recruiter can be a game-changer.
This guide explores the numerous benefits of working with a legal recruiter, strategies to optimize your experience, and provides tips for making informed career decisions.
What Does a Legal Recruiter Do?
At its core, a legal recruiter acts as a bridge between attorneys and employers. They specialize in connecting attorneys with opportunities at law firms, corporate legal departments, and other organizations. Legal recruiters also use their deep networking connections and industry knowledge to uncover positions that might not be publicly advertised, helping you gain access to exclusive opportunities.
But a legal recruiter does more than just connect candidates with jobs. They also assist with refining your resume, deal sheet, and/or lateral partner questionnaire. They walk you through interview preparation and navigating compensation discussions. When comparing multiple opportunities, legal recruiters also provide market insight that can help you make your final decision. For attorneys aiming for lateral moves, this support can be essential in a competitive marketplace.
Why You Should Work with a Legal Recruiter
Access to Hidden Opportunities
Many top-tier legal positions never make it to public job boards; they are filled through recruiters who maintain strong relationships with the hiring managers at the companies and law firms. Legal recruiters have insight into roles you might not find on your own, giving you a competitive edge in your job search.
If you are moving as a lateral partner, these opportunities are rarely published and are almost always filled through personal connections or legal recruiters who work closely with the firms to grow their practices.
Streamlined Job Search Process
Most attorneys are pressed for time, the workloads are overwhelming, and the expectations are high. It is often hard to find an opportunity to even begin looking for a new role. A strong legal recruiter takes the stress of searching for a new role off your plate by providing candidates with relevant opportunities to consider.
While there is no requirement to work with only one legal recruiter, there is a major benefit. If you are working closely with one legal recruiter throughout the process, they can streamline opportunities and ensure offers come close together. They will also know your schedule and can work closely to schedule interview times that work for you. The legal recruiter will also be able to filter through feedback from your interviews and be able to help you focus on the opportunities that are best fit.
Expert Industry Knowledge
Legal recruiters specialize in understanding the trends and demands within the legal market. A top legal recruiter is tapped into legal news, and they know about lateral moves that have happened recently, and which firms are looking. Broad economic market shifts can make certain practices a priority, which will open the door for stronger offers. Having a legal recruiter who understands which practice areas are growing, what compensation ranges are competitive, and the priorities of specific firms can help give a competitive edge when you are considering a move.
Career Advocacy
A good legal recruiter is invested in your success. They act as your advocate throughout the process, presenting your skills and experience in the most compelling way possible to potential employers.
It is important to remember there is no bar or regulatory board that certifies legal recruiters, because of this the experience and expertise offered can vary drastically. Prior to working with a legal recruiter, prioritize taking time to get to know them and their background. Have they placed candidates with similar backgrounds to you before? How well do they know the firm or company they are calling you about? A legal recruiter is your advocate, so it is important to select one that understands you and puts you in the strongest possible position to secure the desired role.
Compensation Negotiation Guidance
Legal recruiters understand the market value of specific roles and geographic regions, ensuring you receive a fair offer. Compensation negotiations are hard. You are entering into what hopefully will be a long-term relationship with your future employer and you must handle with care how you approach the topic. Even an expert attorney who regularly negotiates on behalf of clients can have a challenging time negotiating for themselves when offer time comes because it is important to remember these negotiations are not adversarial.
Typically, legal recruiters will manage compensation negotiations directly with the potential employer. In some situations, employers like to negotiate directly with the candidate. Regardless of the approach, a good legal recruiter can mediate and offer advice to both sides. By talking to both the employer and the candidate, the legal recruiter can pinpoint priorities and provide suggestions for offer terms that fit the needs of both sides. This knowledge can provide peace of mind during what is often the most awkward part of job negotiations.
How to Maximize Your Relationship with a Legal Recruiter
Be Honest and Transparent
Transparency is the foundation of a productive relationship with your recruiter. Share your full employment history, career goals, and any potential challenges (like a gap in employment or potential client conflicts). A recruiter armed with accurate information can better position you for success and can be prepared to address questions that may come up during the process.
Keep the Lines of Communication Open
Stay responsive and prioritize clear communication. If your goals evolve or your situation changes, notify your recruiter so they can adjust their efforts accordingly. Proactive communication helps recruiters advocate for you more effectively.
Lateral recruiting can take time, in many cases the process from start to finish will take a few months. During the process, you may encounter periods of time where you are simply very busy with work or personal life. By keeping your legal recruiter up to date on your circumstances, they can help navigate the interview process to allow for breaks or to move the process quicker when needed.
Choose One Recruiter at a Time
For law firm roles, it is best to work exclusively with one recruiter. While there is no requirement to be exclusive with a recruiter, legal markets are tightly connected, and multiple recruiters submitting your resume for the same role can reflect poorly on you. Always request that any submission a recruiter makes on your behalf is approved in writing beforehand and keep a list of where they have been sent.
Trust the Process
Legal recruiters have years of experience cultivating relationships with employers and understanding which candidates are the best fit for specific roles and firms. Trust their judgment when it comes to strategy and be willing to consider positions that might not have initially been on your radar. If a recruiter suggests an opportunity, you would not have considered beforehand, ask them why. Many times, there are compelling reasons why the opportunity is a good fit.
Be Professional
Your recruiter is your partner, but they are also a professional representing their brand and reputation. Treat them with respect, honor your commitments, and always maintain communication. Recruiters remember the candidates that treated them well, even if they did not move forward with the presented opportunity. They will think of those candidates first when new positions come in. The impressions you leave can have career implications, particularly in the small world of legal recruiting.
Common Myths About Legal Recruiters
Myth 1: "Using Multiple Recruiters Improves My Odds"
While there is no requirement to work exclusively with one recruiter, working with multiple recruiters can create problems. First, most firms only honor one submission per candidate within six months so multiple recruiters submitting your resume to the same firm, even if it is a different role, can create conflicts and weaken your application. Second, there can be conflicts if multiple recruiters are trying to schedule you for their opportunities and are unaware of any ongoing interviews you have scheduled. With one recruiter, they can create a schedule to give you much needed breaks while also moving the process forward with all the firms. Finally, in many ways, the value of the advice they can provide is diluted. When you are working with one recruiter at multiple firms, they can advise you on how the firms compare in the market and help you determine when one is not a good fit. If you work with multiple recruiters, each one will argue why theirs is the best fit, even if its not, and you may feel pulled in many different directions.
For the easiest process, focus on finding a legal recruiter who knows the industry and your practice. Then build a strong relationship with that recruiter so they can better assist you in navigating the process.
Myth 2: "Recruiters Only Care About Filling Roles"
While recruiters are hired by employers, their success depends on placing the right candidates. A good recruiter is motivated to help you secure a position where you will thrive, both professionally and personally. Recruiters face financial and reputational damage when a candidate leaves a position so a strong recruiter will prioritize fit every time.
Myth 3: "Recruiters Are Expensive for Candidates"
Candidates do not pay fees to work with legal recruiters. Recruiters are compensated by the hiring organization, making their services a cost-effective resource for job seekers. Many larger organizations maintain regular annual budgets for outside recruiters and see the value in incentivizing recruiters to present the best talent.
Are You Ready to Make a Move?
Navigating lateral moves in the legal profession can be daunting, but with the right legal recruiter by your side, can open doors to opportunities you never thought of before. By leveraging their expertise, you can gain insider knowledge that sets you apart in a competitive job market.
At Foxstone Recruiting, we believe in helping attorneys achieve their career ambitions by connecting them with the roles where they will truly thrive. If you’re ready to take that next step, connect with one of our expert recruiters today and open the door to a world of possibilities.
