Why Dallas is a Center for Legal Recruiting
Dallas has long been known as a center for business development and economic growth, but the city is also increasingly recognized as an emerging hub for the legal industry. Perhaps it’s the blend of southern warmth and cosmopolitan sophistication that allows this Texas gem to attract talent from all around the world. It may be the booming economy, growing industries, and new businesses that begin as a dot on the map and expand outward. Whatever the reason, the 10th largest U.S. city has become a legal mecca.
The financial services industry, healthcare sector and technology fields are among the biggest to benefit from the cluster of talent living in the region. A major center for commerce and culture in the United States, the DFW area handles thousands of transactions and legislation every year. That keeps opportunities in continuous supply.
The region’s rapid growth would not be possible without a robust workforce and quality infrastructure. Dallas-Fort Worth is home to a wide range of law offices, many of which offer valuable insights for new firms wanting to gain a foothold in the market. Cases in health care, finance and commercial law are just some of the areas in which new attorneys can gain valuable experience . The city is also perfect for attorneys seeking to specialize in tax law, intellectual property law, employment law, real estate or litigation.
One of the most remarkable attributes of the Dallas area is that its legal community is both diverse and educated, allowing firms to choose from a variety of styles, backgrounds and philosophies. Candidates benefit from the amount of support they receive from local law schools, and seasoned legal professionals find many resources to help them achieve their goals. Some of the world’s largest law firms are based in the Dallas area, but the economy is also home to many small, closely knit firms that are just as attractive to job seekers.
Many subjects of the Dallas legal community are willing to share their knowledge and support fellow members, making the region easy for attorneys to join and network with other legal professionals. In addition to easy access to information and contacts, being situated in a metropolitan area gives lawyers and recruiters the flexibility to grow, live and work in a positive environment.
In addition to its rising status as a legal haven, Dallas is already a leader in other key areas, such as technology, sports and business. Organizations that are part of its stunning growth and expansion continue to draw talent from all over the country and around the world.
What a Legal Recruiter Does
Legal recruiters are essentially recruitment agents for the legal industry. They network with the large law firms to learn about their hiring needs and then find qualified candidates for those openings. Legal recruiters interview, screen, and move relevant candidates through for client interviews. Essentially they are a resource for large law firms and corporate legal departments to fill their open positions.
Legal recruiters typically have a large network of contacts in a specific market in which they operate in such as practice area, firm size, or geographic region. Some recruiters work on a retained basis, others work on contingency. Recruiters on contingency typically work on a "no win, no fee" basis while those on retainer charge an upfront fee. While this may seem like a lot of coordination between a recruiter and law firm, it is not unusual to cooperate with recruiters to secure a job opportunity with a large law firm.
Recruiters are most commonly known for helping candidates secure a job in a large law firm where they are expected to work long hours with high billable goals. However, the legal recruiting industry has evolved and now encompasses a range of offerings. There are many type of recruiting organizations that help match suitable candidates with smaller law firms and corporate legal departments. For instance, legal headhunters, boutique legal recruiting firms, boutiques with different specialties, and corporate recruiting teams are all legal recruiters.
The Top Qualities in Legal Recruiters
The role of a legal recruiter is a unique one that often requires a blend of talents and characteristics. Fortunately for employers and job seekers, the best legal recruiters possess certain skills and qualities that are essential to their success in the field. Through their adaptability, professionalism, objectivity, and diligence, recruiters make it their mission to know the goals and needs of both their candidates and clients. As a result, they are able to better anticipate the desires and concerns of hiring authorities within their markets. Sound legal recruiters are knowledgeable and experienced in the market and industry they serve. They remain up to date on industry trends and news, active and moving firms, and pricing and compensation considerations. Legal recruiters are adept networkers who attend industry events, connect in person with individuals they know, and foster relationships with those they don’t. Beyond that, they are active participants in professional organizations and even offer seminars to the market to educate their clients and candidates on a myriad of topics related to the legal employment market, law firm hiring trends, resume building, interviewing, networking, and more. As skilled negotiators, legal recruiters know how to broach the often uncomfortable topics of price, benefits, etc. with candidates and clients. They have a strong dose of common sense and are able to quickly get to the heart of the issues, guiding their clients and candidates to make decisions that are beneficial for everyone. They understand the importance of confidentiality, and use their discretion and acuity to preserve it. They act ethically and maintain professionalism at all times. Legal recruiters take copious notes when presented with information and are careful to document details so they can refer back to them when forming candidate and client profiles, making placement decisions, and initiating contact with candidates. They keep track of the history of each of their contacts with their candidates and clients. Sound legal recruiters/placement consultants are resourceful, and use all their industry contacts to screen, search, recruit, and refer the most qualified candidates to their clients. They enjoy finding the right fit, whether it’s matching a candidate with a position or helping a client find the perfect problem solver. Additionally, legal recruiters stay on top of market developments and the interests and practices of firms and other organizations in their area. They are acutely aware of the goals of both candidates and firms and have a thorough understanding of the recruiting process and all it entails. In addition to fully understanding the details of job descriptions, company culture, and the needs of their clients, legal recruiters go to great lengths to ensure they understand the personal characteristics, desires, and workplace needs of their candidates, as well as the relevance of their candidates’ education and experience. Through their industry knowledge and experience, legal recruiters are able to predict the trajectory of candidates’ careers, which helps them place individuals not only in the right position, but in the right place for their futures.
Leading Legal Recruiting Firms in Dallas
Baker N Jones Recruiting Solutions
Specializing in corporate, energy, litigation, and real estate attorney placements, Baker N Jones has developed an expertise placing attorneys with both Dallas and Houston law firms.
Diverse Teams
This diversity-focused recruiting firm has full-service staffing solutions including finding Paralegals and EAs. Diverse Teams prides itself on hiring and retaining the best human resource professionals, financial executives, corporate executives, and accounting executives. It is a member of the AESC Board and is known for its diverse recruiting pipeline and diverse talent base.
Kincaid Professional Search
Kincaid focuses on corporate and finance, banking, real estate, litigation and labor and employment. It boasts a very strong Texas hiring base but has operated nationally as well.
Major Legal Recruits
Major Legal Specialists is able to provide full recruiting services for attorney hiring. Not only are they well-versed in placements, they work with potential candidates through all stages of the process, from CV review and interview prep to salary negotiations and benefit review.
Lucas Group
Being one of the most recognized names in the legal recruiting space, Lucas Group specializes in partnering with top firms and expanding law practices and can also recruit for general counsel, CFO, CIO, COO, and other executive roles.
Hiring the Right Legal Recruiter in Dallas
When selecting a legal recruiter in Dallas, there are numerous factors to consider. It goes beyond simply picking a name out of a directory and hoping for the best. The reputation of the firm you are using is the first thing that should be examined. A well-established company with a solid reputation is likely to be the best choice for you. You should take the time to look into the history of a particular company as well as the positions that the recruiters have previously held. Were they previously working in prominent positions at law firms themselves? This can add to their resume while offering a knowledge base of the industry and a network of prior contacts that can prove to be extremely valuable.
Another way to determine the experience level and value of a recruiter is through client testimonials. Any reputable legal recruiter will be able to provide you with client references or testimonials from those who have previously worked with their company. This type of feedback is invaluable when it comes to choosing a recruiter or firm to work with. You can ask specific questions to better understand the experiences that others have had with a particular firm. A recruitment firm should also be able to give you testimonials from law firms that they have placed candidates with as well.
There are certain questions that can be asked that will help you better determine whether or not you are working with the best recruiter for your situation. Any good recruiter should be able to supply you with a written plan of action. This should include how they intend to assist you with finding the right position or candidate , what steps are necessary and how long you can expect the process to take. By looking into the history and reputation of the recruitment firm you are considering, as well as obtaining information from their client’s first-hand experiences, you will be able to determine whether or not you are interested in moving forward with them.
How Does Hiring a Legal Recruiter Work?
The recruiting process usually works as follows: The candidate first makes the recruiter aware of their interest. Then after a phone conversation, the recruiter may have the candidate come in for a face-to-face meeting. Both the candidate and recruiter will best benefit from the face-to-face meeting. The candidate has the opportunity here to demonstrate their verbal skills in person, and tell their story in a more compelling way. The recruiter in turn can evaluate the candidate’s appearance and communication skills further. It’s also a good time for the candidate to get to know the recruiter on a personal level and feel out how they are unique among the many legal recruiters in Dallas, or elsewhere, who may be vying for the same candidate.
After this first meeting, your recruiter will begin obtaining information from you that will help them evaluate your candidacy for specific opportunities. This is called the "fact find" process. They will ask questions such as: Can you give me a brief history of your career at [name of firm]; why are you looking to leave; what are your significant practice successes; what do you believe your practice strengths to be; to what communities do you belong; have you plugged into your local market; and what families do you participate in? They will also ask questions of the candidate whose practice matches yours. The recruiter will then communicate to the client firm all that they have learned and gleaned from all the participants in the fact finding process, and all will be reviewed to match them in the best possible way for both parties.
Once a match occurs and the parties both have a level of interest, then it’s time to take the next steps: the candidate’s interview with the prospective law firm, and the recruiter’s interview with the prospective law firm. This is a determinant of where the candidate will eventually end up. It’s a bit more common for the law firm to invite the candidate in for an interview than the other way around.
There are a lot of things to be aware of when meeting with prospective law firms. You should dress professionally, look them in the eye, and enjoy the experience. You will never know when an honest assessment of yourself by a recruiter, may enable you to interview for and secure a position at a firm that is right for you.
It’s Working: Successful Dallas Legal Placements
So what does success look like? It’s hard to say, as every position, every candidate and every placement are different, although there are some common denominators. Sometimes it’s that perfect match between a candidate and a firm and other times it’s perhaps filling a particularly hard job in a timely fashion.
The following success stories from Dallas-based legal recruiters illustrate some of the varying aspects of a successful placement for both candidates and firms.
"Last year, I had been working with a law firm that was very selective in both its hiring and its practice groups. I sent my client several candidates over a six-month time period that fit the criteria. When my client finally brought someone in to interview, it turned out that she didn’t have any portable business, so when she decided to jump ship and leave another firm, I sent her to the same client, who immediately hired her. The firm had worked so hard to find a people person who would fit the bill, and this was the right person at the right time for them…sometimes it just takes time!"
"Early this year, I placed a real estate partner in a regional firm in Dallas, and he had a colleague who was a litigator . We had sent his resume over just previously. The firm called us to ask if the litigator had an interest in buying into the firm. He’d never considered it before, but after talking to the firm he became interested as well. Bottom line is that I was able to place both lawyers at the same time, which was great for the firm and for the two lawyers."
"If a candidate has an unflattering picture on LinkedIn, I will really push that person to have a professional photograph taken and posted online. I find that a person can be sloppy about their appearance in an unflattering picture and they will be sloppy about their work. Conversely, if they have a professional picture, they clearly care about the work they do."
"In just three days, we were able to place a criminal law associate attorney in a downtown firm through a last minute opening. These types of placements happen all the time in Texas law firms, so it pays to work with a specialist legal recruiter who is on top of the game."