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Building a Strong Corporate Culture for Law Firms

Building a Strong Corporate Culture for Law Firms

In today’s competitive legal landscape, law firms must focus on delivering exceptional legal services and building a robust corporate culture. A positive culture can impact employee satisfaction, client relationships, and the firm’s success. Partners can also create mentorship programs where they guide and support junior associates. This fosters a sense of community and helps younger lawyers develop their skills. Clear Core Values and Lead by Example The foundation of a strong corporate culture is rooted in well-defined core values. Senior partners and firm leaders play a crucial role in setting the tone. Leadership must embody these values in their daily actions and decision-making processes. Senior partners must communicate these core values to all firm members. They must ensure that everyone understands what the firm stands for and how these values translate into day-to-day activities. Open Communication and Collaborative Environment Partners should strive for transparency in decision-making and keep associates informed about the firm’s performance and goals. This builds trust and fosters a sense of shared purpose. Team Meetings – It is essential to implement regular team meetings and establish an “open door” policy where employees feel comfortable approaching leadership. Internal Communication Tools – Consider using internal communication tools to facilitate information sharing and idea exchange. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are vital. Break down silos between departments and practice areas to create opportunities for brainstorming and teamwork. Prioritize Health and Well-being Invest in employee well-being by offering benefits and programs that support mental and physical health. The provision of gym memberships, access to healthy food options, and stress management workshops demonstrate management’s support. Celebrate Successes Law firms thrive on dedication and long hours, so recognizing and celebrating successes is a great way to boost morale and teamwork. Public recognition, bonuses, or small gestures of appreciation can significantly boost morale and motivation. Celebrate both big and small successes within the firm. Ensure everyone in the firm feels included in the celebrations, regardless of their role in the success. Here are a few ways to celebrate successes within the firm: Public Praise – Announce successes in a firm-wide email or newsletter, highlighting the team’s effort and individual contributions. Peer-to-Peer Recognition – Create a program where employees can nominate colleagues who went above and beyond. Client Testimonials – Share positive client feedback with the team involved in the case. Implement a system to recognize and reward excellent work, ethical conduct, and commitment to the firm’s values. Training and Professional Development Provide training on unconscious bias and ways to create a more equitable workplace to build a more inclusive firm culture. Invest in training programs to create opportunities for professional development. The legal landscape is constantly evolving. Training and development ensure lawyers possess the latest knowledge and skills to tackle complex issues and serve clients effectively. Building a strong corporate culture is an ongoing process. By implementing these strategies and fostering a sense of community and shared purpose, your law firm can create a work environment that attracts and retains top talent while boosting productivity and client satisfaction. Remember, a strong culture is not built overnight but through consistent effort and commitment from everyone in the firm. A strong corporate culture gives your firm a competitive hiring advantage to attract top talent. Let Collier Legal Search help you build a team that fits your culture. Our team will connect you with a large pool of Houston’s leading legal candidates to enhance your team and set your firm up for continued success. Contact us to learn more.

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Election Year

Strengthening Your Law Firm’s Team in an Election Year

Law firms nationwide brace for the dynamics of an election year as we welcome the second quarter of 2024. The political climate invariably heats the legal landscape, rendering it more demanding and sometimes unpredictable. Yet, this period is also ripe with opportunities for law firm partners—a chance to lead with strength by consolidating the best talent within your teams. Understanding an election year’s impact on legal proceedings, client expectations, and regulatory changes is pivotal for every successful law firm. As we advance into the latter half of this crucial year, having a robust staff and legal team is critical. Building a Solid Team Partner with a high-quality attorney recruitment company. This recruiting team should understand the complexities of matching, recruiting, and screening partners with portable books of business, adding to your bottom line and helping you hit your firm’s growth goals. The proficiency and preparedness of your staff are paramount in navigating an election year. Law firm partners should regard their attorneys as practitioners and strategic thinkers who can navigate the complexities that electoral decisions bring to the legal sector. Your staff’s agility to adapt to fast-changing regulations and the influx of politically sensitive cases will set your firm apart. Hire for long-term value, not just to fill immediate needs. Make sure new staff aligns with your company culture and goals. A solid team ensures the firm is prepared to handle cases that might surge due to political shifts. Partners must reinforce areas such as election law, regulatory and compliance practices, and political law litigation, which will likely increase activity. Election Years Bring Opportunities During an election cycle, clients are increasingly alert and anxious about the potential impacts of legislation and policy changes. They depend on their legal counsel to provide expertise and foresight. Having attorneys who are well-versed in political pivots and their implications helps deliver confident guidance when clients need it most. Attorneys with a blend of legal acumen and a nuanced understanding of the political environment become invaluable assets. Investing in ongoing training and development ensures that your staff remains ahead of the curve when it comes to election-induced challenges. Positioning Your Firm as a Thought Leader Establishing your law firm as a thought leader during an election year can boost its reputation and attract top-tier clientele. Producing insightful analyses on how potential election outcomes may affect different sectors or legal disciplines showcases your firm’s depth of knowledge and proactive approach.By amplifying the voices of your most knowledgeable attorneys through seminars, white papers, and media appearances, your firm demonstrates command over the complexities of an election year and its legal intricacies. This strategic visibility places your firm at the forefront, making it a preferred choice for clients seeking guidance during these high-pressure times. Law firm partners hold the reins in shaping a resilient and formidable staff capable of excelling during an election year filled with unpredictability and potential. Let Collier Legal Search help you solidify your team for the remainder of the year and beyond. The investment you make today in selecting and nurturing top legal talent will pay dividends in your firm’s performance and reputation during and after the election.

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Mid-Market Law Attracts Big Talent

In the current lateral attorney recruiting climate, mid-market and smaller law firms just may have an edge. What Mid-Market and Smaller Law Firms Can Offer Specific perks are offered to lawyers at mid-market and smaller law firms. These benefits continue to attract top talent. Rate Flexibility While Developing Client Base While new 2023 data shows that many large law firms are raising rates by about 10%, lawyers at mid-market or smaller firms often have rate flexibility in keeping with their current and prospective client expectations. Streamlined, Fast Conflict Checking Process New client business is vital to perpetuating any law practice. Conflicts must clear completely before a client can be taken on for representation. At large law firms, the conflict-check process can take a very long time due to the number of matters being handled both domestically and internationally. Smaller law firms can accurately breeze through the conflicts-checking process in a timely manner, paving a clear path to representation while growing market share. Career Development Support and Planning At smaller firms, employees often receive personally tailored career development and planning. At some firms, dedicated hours during the work week are provided to attorneys who may seek real training on how to grow their client base. Also, many mid-size firms engage in strategic workforce planning to ensure a seamless transition when an employee moves or retires. Strategic planning at a smaller firm also means that employees enjoy an open career path with many opportunities for growth both horizontally and vertically. Hands-On Client Matters, From the Boardroom to the Courtroom At smaller firms, less experienced attorneys can often step away from the in-box/out-box daily tasks and are invited to participate in active client representation. Opportunities in both the board and courtrooms can come quickly for these aspiring advocates. WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LAW FIRM PLATFORM DIFFERENCES AND APPROACHES TO THE LAW PRACTICE BUSINESS? Contact our veteran legal recruiting team to learn more. Kay Kurtin Egger, Attorney & Co-Founder of COLLIER LEGAL SEARCH, LLC

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Litigation is Increasing and Project Attorneys Can Help

Litigation is increasing in every practice area. New filings daily in both state and federal courts. Project attorneys can lessen the load.  In 2019, law firms and corporate legal departments have seen large increases in litigation work across almost all practice categories.  While profitable, complex litigation can be a significant drain on the time, resources, and manpower of a law firm or legal department. And, attention to detail is more important than ever!  From the daunting initial task of document review and research to depositions, settlement, trial or appeal, litigation work requires the time and attention of numerous attorneys, paralegals and clerical staff for the duration of the case. Due to the very busy nature of litigation, getting busier by the month, it is increasingly difficult to predict accurate headcount to handle all that is required of a caseload.  At some point or another, lead attorneys have found themselves shorthanded or stretched thin; this is especially true when new matters are signed. Because the work cannot suffer from either delays or inaccuracies, many law firms and legal departments have turned to a range of flexible staffing solutions to help.  This includes utilizing temporary or contract attorneys to quickly ramp up litigation support during all phases of pretrial and trial, legal research, writing and certainly document review.  The current wave of legal court filings and proceedings is also increasing the demand for temporary legal staff professionals who can also be tasked to support litigation efforts. Contract attorneys (and legal staffing professionals) for litigation work can benefit both the firm and the attorney in many ways: Lower cost – Contract attorneys are typically paid less than full-time staff, and they do not receive benefits through the law firm. This allows firms to increase the number of workers without incurring administrative expenses. The contract attorneys typically receive their benefits through their staffing agency. Specialization – Instead of spending valuable time in training, a specialized contract attorney can hit the ground running. Furthermore, a staffing professional can identify higher-level contract attorneys with experience in certain matters. No long term commitment – When litigation is settled, and the workload goes down, the contract attorney’s job is complete. Try before you buy – Both law firms and attorneys have the opportunity to work together and determine if the personalities and culture are a fit for a longer-term commitment. Temporary-to-hire is rapidly gaining traction as a reliable way to add qualified staff. The current demand for litigation work is still increasing, and law firms, large or small, that can quickly respond will thrive in today’s litigation practice arena.

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Hiring for Diversity

Diversity in Houston law firms is an upward trend. Hiring for diversity has become a commitment for many firms. Check out some great resources on how to best hire for diversity. Diversity in the corporate world has moved from a trendy concept to the accepted standard of operation, with most major corporations touting a comprehensive diversity policy. Below are some trends we see in the Houston market and how you can be hiring for diversity. Upward Trending According to a recent National Law Firm Diversity Study, minorities represent: 17% of lawyers at law firms 9% of partners 25% of associates 13% of counsel 9% of management and executive committee members 26% of new hires 32% of summer associates Diversity in Houston Law Firms On a local level, a Gender Fairness Commitment Statement was signed by 60 local and national law firms with offices in Houston, as well as the Harris County Attorney’s Office. The statement asks the firms to increase the number of women partners and firm leaders using objective and unbiased criteria to evaluate them for those positions. The Gender Fairness Committee of the Houston Bar Association will follow up with the firms in 2020 to see the progress made in accomplishing the goals of the commitment. To see the full list of firms, click here. How to Hire for Diversity The recruiting channels of the past may not produce the diverse talent that law firms and corporate legal departments are currently looking for. Other available resources include: Most law school campuses have bar associations for underrepresented groups, including women and minorities. Reach out to these students and encourage them to apply to your firm. Check out the Bar Association meetings of the various minority bars. Attend their student-recruiting opportunities, to meet with students who are interested in exploring opportunities with your firm. Recruit for diversity at different levels within the firm: at the entry level with summer associates, at the mid-level through lateral recruitment of associates, and at the partner level by recruiting qualified women and minority partners to your firm. Hire a diversity consultant. Partner with a legal recruiting professional and discuss your firm’s goal of becoming more diverse. An experienced and well-connected legal staffing firm will be able to advise and hire accordingly.

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Hiring In-House Counsel | What to Consider

What you need to know before hiring in-house counsel Some startups immediately start hiring in-house counsel and launch a legal department, while other businesses operate for many years before bringing a single GC on board. A general counsel under the company roof acts as an advisor and company representative, in addition to being the primary legal service provider. Whether you are motivated to reduce attorney costs,  improve legal outcomes or enhance the quality of your legal advice, an in-house legal department with expertise in both the law and your particular business can be a strategic partner in your company’s long-term success. Let’s look at when to consider hiring in-house counsel, what to look for, and how to find them. When to consider hiring in-house counsel Several factors that can determine if hiring a GC makes sense for your company: High volume of legal work – If your company’s annual demand for legal services exceeds 1000 hours, an in-house attorney may reduce the outsourced hours. As a general rule, for each in-house attorney, there should be an additional 1000 hours of legal work. Type of legal work –  If the majority of your company’s legal work is in a particular practice area, for example, employment, then a GC who specializes in that area of law could be a valuable asset. Project Management – If your company works with numerous outside counsel, juggling the projects and attorney relationships can become all-consuming. Hiring in-house counsel as a project manager ensures that all of the legal services your business contracts with are on task and efficiently managed. Type of business – A specialized in-house lawyer might make sense if your business consistently produces document-intensive work such as licensing or real estate, or if your company is in a highly regulated industry. Whom to Hire Candidates considered for an in-house position must have a proven track record and the required expertise. This is not a position that allows for on-the-job training! For a company looking to hire their first GC, but unsure about a full-time, permanent employment, here are some options to consider: Outsourced GC – An increasing number of law firms offer to bundle their legal services and set monthly payments for general counsel services. Your company may have access to one or several attorneys, depending on the agreement. Part-time GC – If your company wants to hire an in-house attorney but doesn’t have the workload to justify the expense, then a part-time position may be a viable alternative. Employing a part-time GC can save money in salary and benefits, and a flexible schedule may attract highly qualified candidates who are seeking a work-life balance. Contract-to-hire – Bringing someone in on a temporary status before making a final decision allows time to determine if a candidate has the qualifying skills and also if the company truly needs a GC. During the contract period, the staffing firm assumes responsibility for benefits and administrative costs. Flexible skill set – Many attorneys often have transferable skills, such as facilitating real estate transactions or summarizing complex non-legal documents. By hiring an attorney with a flexible skill set, your in-house counsel can take on other duties within the organization. Where to Look Whether you are looking to add one lawyer or build an entire legal team from the ground up, hiring legal talent is a tremendous undertaking for a company that doesn’t specialize in law.  Legal recruiting is very different from corporate recruiting, and your company’s HR department may not have the relationships or knowledge to find the best candidates. If your company works with an outside law firm, they may be able to provide advice and direction on finding a qualified candidate. Another option for finding general counsel candidates is to work with a legal search or staffing firm. A professional legal recruiter has the resources, connections, and discretion to identify candidates that will best serve your organization. Let Collier Legal Search be your primary resource for hiring in-house counsel.

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Implementing Temp to Perm successfully

Utilizing a temp to perm hiring opportunity is resourceful. Temporary or contract workers are a valuable source of talent for law firms and hiring from temp to perm position can be resourceful. A temporary or contract worker can fill in short term vacancies, such as when an associate or paralegal is off on maternity or medical leave, they can bring in expertise on a particular practice area, and they can be hired to handle volume increases related to new casework. Lawyers, in particular, are uniquely suited to temporary or contract work because they are trained to quickly analyze a situation and act accordingly. In contrast to temporary or contract workers,  a “temp to perm” employee is brought on to work for a predetermined period, during which time the firm decides whether to offer a permanent position to the employee. With the failure risk as high as 50% for new hires, temp to perm has gained popularity among hiring managers as a way to reduce the risk of a bad hire. Benefits to law firms include: Enables partners time to observe attorneys and legal support staff to see if they are a fit for the firm’s workload and culture. Avoids wrongful termination and unemployment costs – With a temp to perm arrangement, there’s not a guarantee that the position will become permanent. Therefore, the employee is not eligible to claim wrongful termination or file an unemployment claim against the law firm. Reduces the cost of administration and benefits, since these are all covered by the staffing agency until the worker becomes a full-time employee of the law firm. Here are some things law firms should consider when implementing a temp to perm hiring strategy: Pick a reasonable timeframe for a temp to perm trial period. Too long and the candidate may pass up your firm. Too short and you won’t get a good idea of the fit. Confirm the time period with the staffing service and have them explain this to the employee prior to their start, so everyone is clear of the guidelines. Treat temp to perm workers just as you would a permanent employee, providing them with the support, training or resources they may need to perform their duties. Introduce them to the partners, associates and support staff that they will be working with. Include temp to perm workers in firm-wide initiatives such as training and team building. This will give them the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and align with the firm’s culture. Have a transparent process in place to ensure that the firm is being fair. If the firm exhibits a constant cycle of letting workers go before they reach permanent status, the firm’s reputation will suffer, and it will be increasingly difficult to attract quality candidates. If there are any issues, ask the staffing service in to deliver the information. Until the worker becomes a permanent employee of the firm, the staffing service can manage the temporary employee for you. Full-Service Legal Staffing You Can Depend On Collier Legal Search is a full-service legal staffing company that specializes in placing well-credentialed partners, associates and legal professionals at every level in law firms and corporations. Our experience in the industry and our unique approach to building our candidate database consistently delivers results that clients can depend on. We are committed to maximizing success for our clients and our candidates.  Contact us at 832-239-5253 to give us the opportunity to work with you.

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Job Search Tips for New Graduates

Are you a new law school graduate looking for your next big opportunity? If so, here are some job search tips that may help you find the perfect position. If you are a recent law graduate, your career trajectory can be determined by the experience, contacts, and reputation you gain in the first few years of your profession. The first job search after law school is often the toughest. If you have passed the bar, but don’t yet have a job secured, here are some job search tips that may help you find the perfect position: Apply to Every Law Job Opening – If you have graduated from law school and do not have a job lined up, you need to act quickly and with intensity. Do not be selective – apply to every single law opening there is. The more firms you apply, the more likely you are to get a job offer, perhaps multiple offers. Be Flexible Geographically – You need to go where the jobs are and look at areas outside your comfort zone, whether they are 50 or 1500 miles away. Regardless of where you work, you will be spending the majority of your time behind a desk so that the scenery won’t matter. Network and Talk to Everyone – Every person you speak to could know of an opportunity and become your advocate. Reach out to your professors and former employers, join your local bar association, become active on a committee and take CLE courses in the practice area. Join your alumni association and attend all upcoming undergraduate and law school functions. Part of your networking strategy should also be to reach out to a recruiter who specializes in legal placements. Creating these relationships now will serve you well into your career. Utilize the Career Services Office– Your school’s Career Services Offices should be able to provide information and assistance on everything from interview techniques to starting salary ranges. You paid for it, so be sure to take advantage of everything they have to offer! Clean up your online presence The legal industry is still very conservative. Scour through all of your social media platforms and delete profiles, pictures, and posts that an employer might consider the slightest bit questionable. Make Sure Your Materials Are Perfect – Attorneys are supposed to be detail-oriented and meticulous in handling client matters. This same attention to detail must extend to your resume, emails and professional documents. A typo or grammatical error reflects poorly on your competence, and you may be eliminated due to this alone. It is a good idea to have an outside company review your application materials. Volunteer. If you have time on your hands, volunteering is a powerful way to demonstrate your passion for the law. Look for a law-related volunteering opportunity with responsibility, since that will increase your marketability. Consider document review or contract attorney positions – For a newly minted attorney, contract work or document review can be a launching board for gaining experience and getting to know a firm’s culture. A legal staffing professional can help navigate the contract opportunities available for new graduates. Do not take a non-law job – If you give up and take a non-attorney position, trying to reenter the field will be tough. Not only will you be competing with more experienced attorneys, but also a whole new crop of enthusiastic graduates. Your chance of securing a full-time position at a law firm declines precipitously with every day you spend outside the field. Let the experts at Colliers Legal Search help you put your best foot forward. From the initial contact to the final interview, we work with our candidates every step of the way. We are a full-service legal staffing company that specializes in placing well-credentialed partners, associates and legal professionals at every level in law firms and corporations.  Follow our blog for additional job search tips. Apply now to be considered for our open positions.

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Legal Recruiting in a Candidate-Driven Market

Legal recruiting can be challenging in the current candidate-driven market. Many law firms and corporate legal departments are struggling to find talent in 2018’s candidate-driven market. The national unemployment rate is at historic lows, and the Texas job market is no different. Experienced legal professionals, from attorneys to support staff, are in high demand with qualified candidates enjoying leverage when considering a move. In particular, the legal industry’s lateral job market continues to grow, often constituting a significant percentage of a firm’s overall numbers. For firms and corporate legal departments trying to fill positions,  now is the best time to utilize outside expertise. An experienced legal recruiter can help with the four C’s of finding talent in this candidate-driven market: Consultation The first step of working with a recruiter is to establish a relationship through a meeting of the minds. The recruiter should meet with the partner(s) responsible for the search to learn about practice areas, growth, plans for the future, critical issues, preferences, and other matters that will allow the search firm to work more efficiently. A recruiter who can knowledgeably answer candidates’ questions can represent the firm, the partners and the position accurately. Culture Workers today are very interested in an organization’s corporate culture, and attorneys are no different. Company and department branding carry greater importance as competition for candidates continues to tighten. Being able to articulate and promote your firm’s particular culture is very important in attracting the kind of candidate that will be a good fit. A recruiter can help crystalize the finer points of your firm’s culture, differentiate it from other firms, and market it to candidates. Candidates Of course, the desired outcome of working with a recruiter is to find qualified, well-matched candidates for open positions. Seasoned recruiters maintain databases and regularly stay in contact with the top attorneys and support staff in their market. Furthermore, they often have in-depth knowledge of those individuals’ skill sets, career objectives and compensation packages, even if those professionals are not actively looking for jobs. A recruiter can discreetly reach out to individuals that they already know will match a firm’s criteria. Compensation With candidates currently receiving multiple offers and counter-offers, employers must differentiate their proposal to remain competitive for top talent. While salary will always be one of the top criteria, other factors such as flexible work schedules, telecommuting, performance-based bonuses, training, and paid parking are some of the perks that can tip the scales. A recruiter with extensive knowledge of the market can advise what the current compensation trends and most attractive packages are. Full-Service Legal Recruiting You Can Depend On Collier Legal Search is a full-service legal recruiting company that specializes in placing well-credentialed partners, associates and legal professionals at every level in law firms and corporations. Let us help you with your legal recruiting needs. Our experience in the industry and a unique approach to building our candidate database consistently delivers results that clients can depend on, especially in a candidate-driven market. We are committed to maximizing success for our clients and our candidates.  Contact us at 832-239-5253 to give us the opportunity to work with you.

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