By Henry Angelino
2018 is coming to a close and many firm leaders are thinking about their plans and goals for 2019. One typical consideration is whether to expand their firm by hiring additional staff and/or attorneys. Do they need an assistant or an associate just to keep up with their case load, and can the budget support another salary? If this is their first employee, they have the added concern of ensuring the structure and procedures are in place to properly manage and efficiently/effectively utilize an employee. Thus, careful planning and research should be part of this major decision, and hiring a new employee should not be taken lightly or done in haste.
So, you think you are ready to move forward and expand your team but aren’t sure of the best path to take in finding a quality candidate. The first step is to make sure you have a complete description of the knowledge/experience requirements, duties and responsibilities for the position, and know the traits you are looking for in your ideal candidate. Additionally, what are your expectations if the position is for a billing professional? Are you looking for a more experienced employee or do you want a less experienced employee that you can train without having to worry about “bad habits” or “knowledge gaps” from previous employers? Do you want to conduct the search or hire a recruiter to do the initial search and screening for you? OK, you have done your homework and are ready to initiate a search. What do you need to know about the current legal hiring market to increase your chance of success? Here are a few trends that I am seeing in San Diego.
-There is an increasing number of smaller and mid-sized firms that are growing and looking for qualified candidates to fill attorney and staff positions. Some of the fastest growing firms are groups of attorneys that have left larger firms to create their own firm and culture.
-There are fewer associate attorneys available due to lower numbers of law students in recent years and it is harder to find associates with three to five years of substantial law firm experience, a typically desired attribute. On the positive side, there is an increasing number of diverse candidates applying for positions.
-Qualified candidates with a solid performance record are in high demand and will usually be exploring multiple opportunities simultaneously. Thus, employers must be ready to move quickly to evaluate quality candidates and make a hiring decision.
-Small to mid-sized law firms are using contract attorneys or part-time support staff personnel to assist with excess legal and administrative tasks. This allows the firm to “test drive” employees before making a permanent hire while remaining within their budget. Another trend is to outsource various human resource and administrative tasks to reduce the time spent to manage the firm and remain compliant with the changing laws and regulations.
-Support staff are more highly qualified and willing to perform multiple roles within small and mid-sized law firms. Many candidates have a paralegal certificate and thus can generate revenue to help offset their salary and benefit costs. Additionally, some more experienced support staff candidates are applying for traditionally entry-level positions and bringing their considerable breadth of skills and experience to smaller firms. Alternately, you will receive a very large number of applications for entry-level positions and will need to separate qualified from unqualified candidates, which can be time-consuming.
-Turnover rates are increasing, causing firm leadership to spend more time hiring and training new employees after a dismissal or departure. Some of the reasons I have seen for this trend is a disparity in values or priorities, employees not meeting stated expectations, and employees not investing the time and effort to build sound legal skills and produce quality work.
Adding new members or service providers to a small or mid-sized law firm team can improve employee and client care, increase productivity, and reduce the time required by leadership to manage the firm while freeing up partners for strategic initiatives, business development and training/mentoring employees. To be successful though, firm management must ensure they carefully and quickly screen qualified candidates to ensure the right cultural and capability fit. Not always an easy task given the current hiring environment!
Henry Angelino is the owner of Angelino & Associates, Inc. and a strategic business and operations consultant for law firms.
This article was originally published in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of San Diego Lawyer.