Page 85 - Leaders in Legal Business - PDF - Final 2018
P. 85
practice management professionals who play critical roles in pitching, pricing, and ensuring
efficient delivery of the work.9
In order to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging economic environment,
firms continue to recognize the value professional managers and administrators bring to the firm;
with that value comes increased responsibilities and corresponding compensation. These
professionals play a pivotal role in the success of law firms; thus, the support from experienced
recruiters is paramount to finding the right match in candidates for those positions.10
General Counsel and Other In-House Positions
These are very different from law firm associates, partners, and business management
roles. They, too, benefit greatly by utilizing legal recruiters for a range of levels in corporate law
departments and across various legal disciplines, whether generalist or subject-matter specific.
Searches range from positions at start-ups with fewer than 10 employees to the GC search at
Fortune 500 companies and everything in between. Adept legal recruiters help find and place the
best-matched candidate for each role, depending on the specific needs of the corporate legal
department.
Since our firm began in 1982, in-house law departments have become an increasingly
attractive destination for law firm lawyers, including partners. This growing popularity
compounds the barrage of applications by interested candidates, which are effectively managed
by legal recruiting and staffing firms well versed in the arena.
Typically, the CEO, VP of human resources, chief human resources officer (CHRO), or
other senior executive at a company is faced with the task of recruiting a first or new GC. Thus,
it is hugely beneficial to defer to well-equipped legal recruiters with high-caliber expertise and
experience who work on a daily basis with senior-level lawyers. This is especially true when the
hiring authority has not previously faced such a task frequently, if at all. Consequently, senior
executives routinely seek the advice of legal recruiting firms to determine whether it makes
economic sense to hire an inside lawyer based on a company’s legal workload.
Many legal search consultants have graduated from top law schools and worked in the
law departments of some of the nation’s largest and best-managed corporations. This experience
provides an unmatched depth of knowledge and contacts. Established recruiters with an
extensive track record of successful searches for senior in-house lawyers also have the advantage
of a longitudinal view of the candidate market. This knowledge can provide a valuable and long-
term perspective on each slate of candidates for in-house legal departments.
Temporary Project Staffing
This previously consisted primarily of support for document review, M&A due diligence
work, and project staffing for maternity leave, offshoring, and onshoring. Today, however, it
encompasses a more substantial portion of the legal landscape. After the 2008 recession, global
demand for legal services contracted, and it has taken several years to get back to a baseline.
9 These newer positions are typically at the director and chief level, and include such titles as: director of pricing and project management;
director of pricing and profitability; director of strategic pricing & analytics; director legal pricing, practice and profitability optimization;
director, global pricing and legal project management; chief practice management officer; chief practice officer; and department operating officer.
10 Id.
71
efficient delivery of the work.9
In order to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging economic environment,
firms continue to recognize the value professional managers and administrators bring to the firm;
with that value comes increased responsibilities and corresponding compensation. These
professionals play a pivotal role in the success of law firms; thus, the support from experienced
recruiters is paramount to finding the right match in candidates for those positions.10
General Counsel and Other In-House Positions
These are very different from law firm associates, partners, and business management
roles. They, too, benefit greatly by utilizing legal recruiters for a range of levels in corporate law
departments and across various legal disciplines, whether generalist or subject-matter specific.
Searches range from positions at start-ups with fewer than 10 employees to the GC search at
Fortune 500 companies and everything in between. Adept legal recruiters help find and place the
best-matched candidate for each role, depending on the specific needs of the corporate legal
department.
Since our firm began in 1982, in-house law departments have become an increasingly
attractive destination for law firm lawyers, including partners. This growing popularity
compounds the barrage of applications by interested candidates, which are effectively managed
by legal recruiting and staffing firms well versed in the arena.
Typically, the CEO, VP of human resources, chief human resources officer (CHRO), or
other senior executive at a company is faced with the task of recruiting a first or new GC. Thus,
it is hugely beneficial to defer to well-equipped legal recruiters with high-caliber expertise and
experience who work on a daily basis with senior-level lawyers. This is especially true when the
hiring authority has not previously faced such a task frequently, if at all. Consequently, senior
executives routinely seek the advice of legal recruiting firms to determine whether it makes
economic sense to hire an inside lawyer based on a company’s legal workload.
Many legal search consultants have graduated from top law schools and worked in the
law departments of some of the nation’s largest and best-managed corporations. This experience
provides an unmatched depth of knowledge and contacts. Established recruiters with an
extensive track record of successful searches for senior in-house lawyers also have the advantage
of a longitudinal view of the candidate market. This knowledge can provide a valuable and long-
term perspective on each slate of candidates for in-house legal departments.
Temporary Project Staffing
This previously consisted primarily of support for document review, M&A due diligence
work, and project staffing for maternity leave, offshoring, and onshoring. Today, however, it
encompasses a more substantial portion of the legal landscape. After the 2008 recession, global
demand for legal services contracted, and it has taken several years to get back to a baseline.
9 These newer positions are typically at the director and chief level, and include such titles as: director of pricing and project management;
director of pricing and profitability; director of strategic pricing & analytics; director legal pricing, practice and profitability optimization;
director, global pricing and legal project management; chief practice management officer; chief practice officer; and department operating officer.
10 Id.
71
