By
Linda F. Jarrett
Matching a prospective attorney with a law firm could best be
described as a trial in itself.
Firms look for what that new lawyer can bring or has the potential
of bringing to the firm, i.e. a particular area of expertise,
long term or short term.
However, another aspect of bringing a new lawyer onboard is
finding one that will fit in with the firm’s “culture,” and
not all firms are created equal in this respect.
So, how do law firms handle their recruiting?
From Law School to Law Firm
With a 20 percent growth in the past year, Polsinelli Shalton
Flanigan Suelthaus has 285 lawyers in its seven Midwest offices
and one office in Washington D.C. The firm gets many of its
attorneys from its Summer Associate Program.
“We go to 19 schools,” says Jay Dobbs, chair of the Commercial
and Business Litigation Group, and a member of the Board of
Directors and Recruiting Committee. “We will interview anywhere
from 22 to 44 students starting in their second year, and we
bring back about 10 to 15 percent of those students for a second
half-day interview when we can spend quality time with them.”
From that number, the firm hires approximately seven to nine
for the summer program in St. Louis.
“It’s a summer-long interview,” Dobbs says. “They’re paid roughly
like a first year attorney, and it’s very competitive. Other
firms are looking for some of the same students that we have
recruited.”
Armstrong Teasdale uses a summer intern program to fill their
hiring needs, which could range, according to partner Bryan
Francis, from five to 10 lawyers.
The firm goes to campuses both in and out of state to find their
prospective hires.
“We hire interns after their first year and second year of law
school,” he says. “What we’re basically looking for are people
who have outstanding records and backgrounds.”
Lashly & Baer participates in a clerk program where second-year
law students at University of Missouri, Washington University
and Saint Louis University work at their firm during the summer.
“That way we can determine if they would be a good fit for our
firm,” Partner Kevin Fritz says. “If they meet our requirements,
they can have a job waiting for them when they graduate. We
try to hire one or two each year.”
Lateral Moves
Firms add to their firms many times by lateral hires, hiring
attorneys from other firms, usually in other cities.
With 15 offices and 800 attorneys worldwide, Bryan Cave usually
finds these hires through “headhunters, says Frank P. Wolff
Jr., partner.
“I think the more interesting part is our senior lawyers who
we recruit,” he says. “Instead of focusing on a person’s projected
success, we’re focusing on their actual success. They may be
coming out of government, corporations or private practice,
but they generally have the skill set that we’re looking for.”
Francis says lateral hires at his firm are generated by need.
“If we need an individual in a specific area, we put that work
out. We’ll ask lawyers in the firm if they know somebody in
that particular area of law that may be interested in talking
to us.”
“When we see a foreseeable growth area, we will look at our
inventory of attorneys,” Fritz says. “If they can’t take on
additional work, or we’re looking at a particular area of expertise,
we look for lateral hires,” he says. “We want to be on top to
meet the needs of our clients”
They then research lawyers who meet that particular need, many
of whom come recommended by the firm’s attorneys.
“Then we have a third party, like a headhunter, contract them,”
Fritz says. “What we’re looking for when we start interviewing
is someone who fits into our firm culture.”
The “Culture”
After the interviews, after the tours, after the conversations,
maybe a dinner or lunch, the last piece of the puzzle needs
to fit. The culture—an intangible that “seals the deal,” so
to speak.
“We add lawyers who are going to contribute to the type of culture
and environment that we want to see at the firm,” Dobbs says.
That culture, he says, stresses a team environment and an emphasis
of the firm having a strategic purpose. “We still try to make
it strategic before we go on campus to recruit our new lawyers.
I’d like to say our culture is unique,” Dobbs says. “But I can’t
speak to what other firms are like other than to say we’ve been
successful recruiting laterally which speaks well of our culture.”
“Our firm, I think, is non-structured and independent,” Fritz
says. “We’re friendly, non-bureaucratic and have a small firm
feel, a very collegial environment. So we’re looking for folks
who fit that culture.
“It’s a little difficult with a new law student,” Fritz says.
“You have maybe one, two or three interviews and unfortunately,
with a law student who has no experience, you have to look mostly
at the academics and extracurricular records. A lot of times,
beforehand, you might know who will fit the culture, and confirm
that during the interviews.”
St. Louis does enjoy a reputation of leaning to the conservative,
and this plays a part in a firm’s culture.
“In order to mirror this business with a certain conservatism,”
Wolff says, “we have to mirror their outlook on what they want,
at least in a lawyer.”
Diversity also plays a part in the cultural hiring process.
Polsinelli offers $7,500 scholarships at six different law schools
for students who might not otherwise be able to afford law school.
“Law school is three years,” Dobbs says. “This is $7,500 per
grade per school per student. It’s not necessarily a recruiting
tool for the firm pre se, but is intended to help benefit the
community by providing resources for these students. It’s our
commitment to diversity.”
Wolff says that while diversity is important, “you have to be
careful when you look for certain personalities that you’re
not screening out a diverse group that you want.”
Armstrong Teasdale participates in a minority recruitment program
at Washington University, Saint Louis University and the University
of Missouri.
“We make a very strong effort to hire at least one person out
of that program every year,” Francis says.
St. Louis boasts some of the finest law firms in the country.
Doing due diligence in finding the right attorney enhances this
reputation.
