The Legal Recruiter’s Guide to In-House: Best Practices, Skills and Insights

The Role of In-House Legal Recruiters

The role of an in-house legal recruiter is to find, identify and place highly qualified candidates into legal positions. This may be in positions within company legal departments or affiliated with a company. An in-house legal recruiter will work closely with business people and human resources professionals to develop job descriptions and other forms of information about the appropriate qualifications that individuals should have for each job position. The in-house recruiter will, as time permits, attend to other recruiting responsibilities, such as networking with professional contacts both in person and on social media, to develop an ongoing pool of prospective candidates who may be suitable for particular job positions within the company .
The nature of in-house recruiting is somewhat different from recruiting for law firms because in-house recruiters must interact with a number of different departments in the company and are expected to fill legal positions quickly while implementing proper screening techniques to find the right candidate for each job. There is not as much leeway to be selective about which candidates to present to the hiring team, as the focus for in-house recruiters is to fill a position either quickly or with a suitable individual. In-house recruiters are also called on to participate in other duties outside normal recruiting responsibilities, such as working with human resources or developing new recruitment strategies and implementing new methods of evaluating prospective candidates and searching for job openings.

Skills of In-House Legal Recruiters

To be successful in this field, an in-house legal recruiter must possess a variety of skills and experience. An ideal candidate would be either a lawyer who is interested in HR or recruiting, or an HR professional or recruiter with a genuine interest in the law. The best candidates will have strong networks, and knowledge of the legal sector as a whole, and the specific practice areas for which they recruit. Legal knowledge is a major asset, and candidates should have solid research skills and the ability to evaluate attorney resumes and credentials. A thorough understanding of all processes, from client intake, to development of job requirements, to candidate generation, assessment, and interviewing, is essential. In addition, the ability to perform background checks and references, and to follow through with the hiring process, are equally important. In essence, the recruiter is a liaison between the employer and the public, so he or she must act as an ambassador representing the best interests of both parties. Strong oral and written communications skills are vital. Headhunters must possess people skills that allow them to collaborate with other recruiters and other employees from a wide variety of backgrounds. Strong negotiating skills and the flexibility to develop creative solutions that work for all parties involved are also necessary to confirm the right fit for the candidate, as well as the company.

Creating the Talent Pipeline

In the competitive landscape of legal recruitment, building a talent pipeline is a critical component of growth and success for in-house legal departments. Whether you are a seasoned in-house recruiter or are new to the enterprise, carefully cultivating relationships with top talent should be a daily initiative. By developing relationships with prospects who are not actively in the job market, and who have anchored for their own personal reasons, you establish a valuable pipeline that can become an instrumental resource during peak hiring seasons.
There are a number of strategies and best practice tips that can streamline the process of building up your talent pipeline. Many in-house recruiters take advantage of legal job boards as their primary resources for discovering new candidates, but regularly attending legal career fairs is equally important. Instead of focusing just on collecting resumes, focus on building rapport with attendees to establish a line of direct communication for the future. Taking the time to meet people face-to-face is a winning tactic that can help cultivate a pipeline of quality legal professionals.
Another smart strategy that should be employed on a regular basis is to forge relationships with law schools in your jurisdiction. Even in-house recruiters will need to hire entry-level attorneys from time to time, so having a go-to roster of fresh law school "newbie" talent can keep your pipeline strong. Since job seekers at this level often struggle with experience requirement clauses listed on job descriptions, focusing on other criteria, like GPA, relevant coursework, college legal experience like internships, and even an interest in specific specialties, can help narrow down the list of potential candidates when a position opens up. In addition, the use of social media for legal recruitment is an ideal way to build and maintain a network of pipeline talent. Following legal professionals on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can help drive consistent interaction between recruiters and candidates, and keep your organization top of mind. It’s also a good way to check current job satisfaction levels and find referral leads, since employed individuals recognize quality teams and are willing to refer those who are curious about potential opportunities elsewhere.
We live in a world where we expect instant results, but in order to get results in recruiting, most of the time it just takes time and regular nurturing to make results happen. By implementing a number of the proven strategies for building talent pipeline, in-house recruiters can depend on having a steady stream of top candidates whenever they need to fill an open position.

Staying Current on Legal Trends

In the legal industry, many of the factors impacting the hiring process are intertwined with national and global issues, including legal technology and the rise of remote work. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these changes, and many law firms have transitioned to a hybrid or fully remote environment. Legal professionals have adopted new technology at lightning speed, from using Zoom or Teams to interview candidates or attend conferences to transitioning from paper documents to digital files with e-signatures.
Legal recruiters have also had to adapt quickly. Gone are the days of commuting to various meetings, client dinners, and networking events. Now, it is vital for in-house recruiters to make virtual interactions memorable by ensuring that candidates feel seen and heard in a variety of formats. Leveraging technology can help us get to know candidates more personally, such as by conducting video interviews and using applicant tracking systems and other platforms to narrow down candidates and find the best fit.
In addition to the increased focus on technology, the legal industry is responding to calls for more diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hires. For organizations that prioritize DEI, it is even more important to have mechanisms in place to ensure that unconscious biases do not impact their hiring practices. The first step is identifying the organization’s priorities and values around DEI, which can help legal professionals maintain the right balance when they are searching for candidates.
In addition to legal technology and DEI, recruiters and candidates alike should also be aware of trends in remote work. There is an increased emphasis on work-life balance, and many employers are offering incentives related to this. For example, in-house recruiters may offer relocation packages for candidates who live nearby. Organizations have also increased their focus on finding employees who can thrive in a remote work environment, which has led many companies to change their incentive packages to include factors that help attract top legal talent.
Overall, it is important for in-house legal recruiters to be aware of these trends in order to ensure that they can find the top candidates for their clients and companies.

Interviewing Legal Candidates

An effective interview doesn’t just rely on a strong resume, but instead combines a number of factors for a strong outcome. With any candidate, it’s essential to balance the above questions with deeper insights into their past performance. One way to gain insight into this is with a behavioral or competency-based interview. Behavioral interviews use these four steps:
Similar to the process outlined above , competency-based interviews here take the place of some of the general inquiry so a recruiter can focus on areas of interest and assess them in the background search process later on. These might include:
Both types of interview work to achieve the following basic structure: A solid interview takes this structure and builds on it, using specific examples and detailed answers to find the most qualified candidate for a particular legal team.

Key Challenges of In-House Legal Recruiting

The challenges faced by In-House Legal Recruiting can be vast. A persistent problem for corporate counsel is identifying which agency or firm will provide the best fit. The problem lies in the fact that legal recruiting teams are small and half the team is staffed by those that do not specialize in finding or recruiting lawyers. This means a heavy reliance on those that do have a legal recruitment background to make the necessary connection to the hiring partner.
Limited quality legal candidates are also a challenge that is often compounded by why they are competing against each other for applicants. Firms will offer multiple opportunities at different firms that are very similar, sometimes even identical positions under different banners. The consistent prospect of limited candidates and opportunities for those candidates increases competition between firms and makes it even harder to find a unique candidate.
Recruiters are also charged with understanding the business and legal functions of the corporation. They must have a firm grasp on the business line that is being hired into and an understanding of the current state of affairs in order to find the top talent needed to keep the business running. To meet these challenges, firms and corporates need to ensure that they have retained a legal recruiting specialist who has a track record of filling difficult legal careers fast.

The Future of In-House Legal Recruiters

As the legal industry continues to evolve, so too does the role of the in-house legal recruiter. With the emergence of new technologies, shifts in client expectations, and the increasing importance of diversity and inclusion, the future of in-house legal recruitment will be heavily influenced by these trends.
One of the most significant changes impacting the legal profession is the growing emphasis on data analytics. As a result, recruiters will need to embrace new tools and platforms that facilitate an evidence-based approach to identifying and attracting candidates. This may mean more reliance on predictive modeling, which can help identify the best candidates for specific roles based on their skills, competencies, and previous performance.
Furthermore, as organizations continue to embrace technology, the demand for tech-savvy lawyers will only increase. In-house legal recruiters will play a crucial role in meeting this need, as they seek out candidates with experience and skills in emerging fields such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property .
Additionally, the emphasis on diversity and inclusion has become a key concern for legal departments, with many companies setting ambitious targets for their teams. In-house recruiters will need to ensure that they are reaching out to a diverse array of candidates, and that they are aware of the programs and initiatives that their client organizations have in place to support and promote diversity.
More broadly, the push towards flexibility and work/life balance is expected to continue beyond the current pandemic, and legal departments are expected to prioritize candidates who can demonstrate a commitment to those values. This may favor candidates who have experience working in remote environments, or who have proven their ability to deliver results while managing their personal and professional commitments.
All of these trends create new opportunities – and new challenges – for in-house legal recruiters. To stay ahead of the curve, these professionals will need to anticipate and adapt to the changing needs of their employer organization, which will require a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.