When it comes to lateral hiring, it’s paramount to understand why the person is making a switch in the first place. Ensuring the success of a lateral hire begins with using the right recruitment methods. Discussing why a potential lateral hire left their previous role is not a topic to brush over, because understanding the why behind their job switch helps ensure the new role, management style, and firm culture will be a good fit. Otherwise, the lateral hire likely won’t last, time and money are lost, and the retention rates of the firm will decline. 

While each lawyer has various personal reasons for leaving a firm, a series of the 2023 “Stellar Performance Research” reports conducted by Thomson Reuters, reveals several common reasons lawyers leave.

Based on the data above, the second most common reason lawyers leave is due to being unhappy with firm culture (Reuters, 2023). A candidate’s preferred work culture should always be discussed and taken into account during the hiring process. Unfortunately, many firms and traditional recruiting methods overlook these factors. Traditional recruitment methods hyper-focus on the candidate’s skill set, previous work experience, and/or educational background. As a result, many additional key factors in determining whether or not a placement will be successful at a given firm are overlooked. 

At Talent Engines, we focus on building relationships at the very start, during recruitment. We created a comprehensive AI powered lawyer database that replicates the kinds of relationships produced by referrals. The database in combination with our knowledgeable Talent Advisors enables us to gain a broader understanding of a candidate outside of their skill set and work experiences. While we still weigh such traditional factors heavily, we also take candidate personality, relationship dynamics, and firm culture into account. In doing so, we can make successful placements that last.

Visit Talent Engines to learn more!

Source(s): Reuters, 2023