Recruiting, not just integrating, laterals.

Kaufman, David ; Rumely, John

The plate of most law firm marketing professionals continues to fill up. As marketers are increasingly regarded as true business advisors for the attorneys, our skills and talents are being put to the test in new ways. Lateral recruitment and integration are areas where we are being asked to contribute on a level unseen before. Among many law firms large and small, marketing staff have traditionally been expected to play a role in helping to integrate laterals, [see "'Lateral' Should Mean Up, Not Sideways," April/May 2008, p. 8].

It has been less common for marketing or business development professionals to be engaged in the recruiting process itself. However, a number of headhunters across the country report seeing marketing representatives show up on recruiting committees and actively engage in the recruiting process. Given the recent instability in the legal marketplace and the crucial need for marketing savvy in the attorney hiring process, this trend will likely escalate. Furthermore, firms are discovering that marketing can play a key role in helping firms quickly and persuasively respond when hiring opportunities arise.

The recent demise of large firms such as Thacher Proffitt & Wood, Jenkens & Gilchrist, Heller Ehrman and Thelen LLP have provided hiring opportunities for dozens of firms that sought these firms' rainmakers. The hiring firms with functioning and experienced lateral recruiting committees in place were able to respond quickly and organize interviews, keep the discussions focused and on track and help identify potential roadblocks such as conflicts among merged practice areas. When speed is of the essence, the firms that had already identified their recruiting needs, could clearly describe and communicate their firm culture and could keep momentum going inevitably did better in the high-stakes competition for available talent. Our firm, Nixon Peabody LLP, has effectively utilized members of its marketing group in lateral recruiting and integration. The firm, with more than 800 attorneys, has been committed to growth through strategic lift-outs of larger groups, siting of new offices in Europe and Asia and bolstering its mix of practices among its 19 offices globally. In 2008, more than 100 new attorneys were added through a combination of individual hires and lift-outs of larger groups.

Customized Approach

Although we are a single global firm, regional, office-specific and practice area factors play major roles in recruiting. Each group has developed a customized approach to the process. In some regions, offices and practices, lateral recruiting committees have been organized. These committees meet regularly (often weekly) and review opportunities that have been identified by our recruiting professionals who speak with external recruiters.

The initial interview, hosted by two or three partners from different practices within the office, includes a marketing group member who presents the firm's marketing capabilities and its commitment to integration and business development.

Headhunters often cite this promise of support and resources as particularly attractive to candidates who are understandably anxious that their next move be the right one. After the initial interview, it is often the marketing professional who responds to requests for additional information on the firm and participates in the next round of partners who will move the process forward.

If a good match is identified and discussions culminate in a hire, the marketing group now plays a significant role in integration. Importantly, since a relationship between the marketer and lateral has already been established during the recruiting process, the marketer is in a prime position to enhance the integration process significantly. The lateral hire and the marketer can now quickly move beyond announcement cards and updating the Web site to true integration. True integration means making sure the attorney's business-developments efforts are aligned and can bolster and benefit from the firm, office and practice group's business-development efforts. Effective integration allows the lateral to hit the ground running during the crucial first few weeks and thereafter provides the continuing support necessary for a successful lateral addition.

When a large group joins the firm, the process is the same but it needs to be coordinated across the firm. When Nixon Peabody was recently engaged in bringing more than 80 lateral attorneys from Thelen, the entire marketing department worked toward a coordinated integration effort. The marketing group played a central role in the recruiting process and provided a bridge between the firm and the new attorneys. While the process was complicated by the sheer numbers, much of the marketing effort duplicated the normal recruiting process. Each individual attorney had his or her own requisite needs for information or collateral material, and more importantly, to be connected to other practice groups and clients of the firm who could support the new attorney's integration and business development.

The firm's offices, departments and practice groups were tasked to provide an integration plan for the new attorneys. While these included standard marketing efforts such as welcoming receptions and internal and external promotions, these plans and initiatives also included cross-sell meetings, targeted introductions to clients and strategic analyses as to how the incoming attorneys might impact the business-development efforts of the group or office.

A few words of caution, though, for those marketers who might be interested in recruiting. First, plan on dedicating a lot of time to it and prepare to be on call when interviews suddenly get scheduled. In the end, you may be working a longer day because it's unlikely your other tasks and responsibilities will be delegated. Second, plan on a few setbacks and frustrations. This is a process where "many are called, but few are chosen." Expect to be disappointed when a deal falls through for any number of reasons--competition, timing, chemistry and just bad luck.

Third and most importantly, keep in mind that you have been entrusted with information that is highly confidential and extremely sensitive. One slip-up (misdirected email, idle gossip) could end your ongoing participation. Needless to say, utmost discretion is expected at all times. While many firms may still see recruiting and integration as distinct functions of the attorney hiring process (and marketing's role relegated to the latter), forward-looking firms are finding that marketing adds value to the entire process. In addition, the active engagement of marketing professionals in the recruiting process will make the integration process more effective.

Lawyers need not arrive on day one and be introduced to their marketing contact. If done right, on the lateral's first day that marketing contact is already perceived as a valuable resource. So, while our plates are already overflowing, make some more room, because recruiting is on the menu.

David Kaufman and John Rumely work in business development for Nixon Peabody LLP. Kaufman is senior business development manager for California and Asia; Rumely is manager, real estate and community development.