The attorneys you hire to work in your law firm can make a critical difference. The better attorneys you employ in your law firm, the happier clients you will have. Having satisfied clients is vital when law firms are in business to provide competent, communicative, and diligent service.

Additionally, the better attorneys you hire, the easier your life will be as a law firm owner or manager. Lawyers who are teachable and coachable are a pleasure to have at your firm. Lawyers who also work hard and are good team members are invaluable.

However, knowing how to weigh attorney candidates is difficult for many law firm managers and owners. The decision can often be complex and arduous, and it can also seem highly subjective.

When a law firm makes a bad hire, it can have many short-term and long-term destructive effects. For example, bad hires can result in turnover within the law firm because the employment was fatally flawed. Poor hiring decisions can also upset clients, resulting in bad online reviews and a lack of repeat business.

How To Weigh Attorney Candidates?

Knowing how to weigh lawyer candidates can be difficult for many law firm owners and managers. No uniform rule can apply in every situation because the law firm’s needs may vary significantly. Different practice areas can also result in another analysis. Therefore, it is also essential to have a thorough and consistent interview process. It is also crucial to be shrewd in assessing candidates–and not do it with rose-colored glasses.

But as a general rule, there are four rungs where a law firm can place attorney candidates after the application and interview process:

Experienced and Good Personality – Attorney candidates who have experience in the area of law in which your law firm practices and who have an excellent personality should generally be ranked at the top of the list. Experience can go a long way in having happy clients. Experienced candidates can also ensure that the lawyer will require little supervision. At the same time, having lawyers with good personalities is equally essential. Lawyers who are humble, hardworking, and dedicated are crucial. Lawyers who prioritize their clients and the law firm above themselves are crucial to find. In sum, experienced lawyers with good personalities make easy hiring decisions, but they can be rare.

Not Experienced, But Good Personality – Some lawyers may not have much experience in the legal area your law firm practices. But they may have a good personality, a good work ethic, are coachable, and have a desire to contribute. These lawyers are a tier below experienced lawyers with a good personality, but they are almost always hirable when no experienced lawyer with a good personality is available.

Experienced, But Not a Good Personality – Some lawyers might have experience in the area in which your law firm practices. However, it might be that the lawyer does not have a good personality. The lawyer might not be humble and hardworking. It might be that the lawyer is a me-monster versus putting their clients and the firm above their own needs. A significant amount of caution should generally be employed before hiring these candidates. Having a coachable lawyer with less experience is often more important than having an experienced lawyer who will not fit in personality-wise in your law firm.

Not Experienced, and Not a Good Personality—The bottom rung of lawyer candidates is those who lack experience and a good personality. Many of these candidates are me-monsters who put themselves above their clients and the law firm. A law firm should generally not hire these candidates unless it has no other options.

The key to ranking law firm candidates is conducting a thorough and consistent hiring process. It also requires many candidates to be included in the consideration pool. For example, when a law firm only meets a limited number of candidates, making a good hire can be almost impossible. As stated above, those assessing candidates must also be wise in their analysis. However, if the hiring process is employed effectively, ranking candidates in some manner can be very helpful in making the best possible hire.

What Does Having A Good Personality Mean?

It is crucial to remember that when using the term personality, one should not confuse that word with sociability, charisma, or dynamism. While there is undoubtedly some importance in a lawyer having those attributes, a good work ethic, humility, and a team player are what most law firms need in attorney candidates. Often, the most charismatic and sociable lawyers have poor personalities because they are almost entirely self-interested, rather than placing their clients or the firm above themselves.

Every Situation Is Different

The above rungs are just general rules. Other law firms might have their own approach and unique considerations regarding what they need in an attorney candidate. However, law firms need to develop a general way to rank lawyer candidates that helps them make the best possible hiring decision.

If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them below.