Introduction
At Flo Recruit, we’re privileged to partner with some of the most prestigious law firms in the country, including Williams & Connolly LLP. To give you an inside look at their approach to attorney recruitment and development, Christina Wells, SVP of Operations & People at Flo Recruit, sat down with Natasha Zech, Director of Attorney Recruiting, Diversity, and Development at Williams & Connolly. Natasha shared her insights on what makes their firm’s recruiting program unique and how Flo Recruit has transformed their processes.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your role at the firm?
Natasha: I wear many hats at Williams & Connolly. As the Director of Attorney Recruiting, Diversity, and Development, I oversee all aspects of the summer associate and associate experience. This includes attorney hiring and onboarding, the summer program, professional development, CLEs, associate retention, and initiatives that support our diverse and women attorneys. Additionally, I serve as a certified coach, offering guidance to associates navigating their careers.
Our team also plans social events to foster a sense of community and morale across the firm. We are deeply embedded in the fabric of the firm—keeping us connected, motivated, and aligned with the firm’s tight-knit culture.
Q: What makes your summer recruiting program unique compared to other firms?
Natasha: Williams & Connolly is distinctive in several ways. For one, we’re based in a single office in Washington, D.C., and primarily focused on litigation. Unlike many firms, we don’t rely heavily on lateral hiring—our approach emphasizes internal promotion and homegrown talent.
Our summer program is the cornerstone of our talent pipeline. We tell our summer associates from the outset that our goal is to help them become partners. This message is backed by action - most of our current Executive Committee members were once summer associates here.
Our “free market” work system is another unique feature. Both summers and associates have the freedom to choose their projects, giving them exposure to a variety of cases which helps them to develop into well-rounded litigators. This approach not only builds exceptional attorneys but also ensures they’re engaged in meaningful work from the start.
Q: Which Flo Recruit solutions does your firm use, and what motivated your investment in each?
Natasha: We use Flo Recruit’s Outreach Events, Forward, and Applicant Tracking System (ATS) solutions.
We focus on cultivating talent early but limit our summer program hiring to students who have completed their second year of law school. But we don’t wait until 2L year to connect with students – reaching students during their 1L year is crucial. Before Flo Recruit, this process was manual, time-consuming, and tracked in cumbersome spreadsheets. Now, Outreach Events has consolidated all our student engagement data, making it seamless to manage registrations and track interactions.
Using Flo Recruit’s ATS alongside Outreach Events has been equally transformative. Most applicants have engaged with us before they formally apply, and having all that data in one place ensures a more cohesive and informed process.
Forward has also been a game-changer. It provides a centralized platform for students to learn about our firm, register for events, and explore opportunities like diversity scholarships. This is especially valuable for first-generation law students who might not know where to start.
Q: As the only legal recruiting solution that connects firms to schools and candidates through law school interview management tools and Forward, how has being part of the Flo Recruit ecosystem benefited your team?
Nastasha: It’s been a huge time-saver. When I joined Williams & Connolly, we were using a different system, and given the drastic changes in the hiring timelines and overall landscape, I’ve made it a priority to find a solution that would streamline our recruiting efforts. Flo Recruit was the answer.
The volume of candidate interviews we conduct during OCI is immense. Each student interviews with about five attorneys on average. Flo Recruit’s seamless integration with law schools allows us to manage this high volume efficiently, ensuring schedules are accurate and documents are readily accessible.
Our attorneys’ primary focus is litigating cases which is very busy in its own right, so my goal is to make their involvement in the recruiting process as smooth as possible for them. Flo Recruit helps us achieve that by automating processes and keeping everything organized.
Q: How has the Flo Recruit ATS help your team stay organized and efficient?
Natasha: Flo Recruit’s ATS is a critical piece of our recruiting operations. It tracks candidates through every stage of their journey—from initial contact at events to formal applications and interviews. Having all the information in one place eliminated the silos and inefficiencies we experienced before.
It’s also a powerful tool for analyzing our recruiting efforts because we can track the effectiveness of different events and monitor application trends.
Q: Forward is our newest offering for firms to build a presence in the legal market. How do you see it providing value to candidates?
Natasha: Forward is invaluable, especially for students navigating a stressful and competitive environment. Many don’t have the time or resources to dig through multiple websites or attend countless events. Forward brings everything they need into one place—firm information, events, opportunities, and application details.
This is particularly helpful for first-generation students who might not have a clear roadmap for researching firms. Forward simplifies the process, making it easier for them to connect with us and learn about our culture.
Q: What makes Flo Recruit stand out among other legal recruiting solutions?
Natasha: Flo Recruit is constantly evolving to address the challenges of the legal recruiting landscape. I appreciate the dialogue and collaboration I have with the Flo team—they genuinely listen to feedback and incorporate it into their product development.
I feel like I have a voice in shaping the future of legal recruiting technology. Flo Recruit doesn’t just respond to industry changes; they anticipate them and create solutions that help us stay ahead.
Q: What's been your experience with our customer support team?
Natasha: Exceptional. Our team values a high standard of customer service, and we’ve been consistently impressed by Flo Recruit’s responsiveness. The Flo Recruit team is knowledgeable, approachable, and quick to resolve any issues. It’s clear they understand the legal industry inside and out.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share?
Natasha: One thing I really appreciate about Flo Recruit is their commitment to fostering community. They bring together peers from across the industry, creating opportunities to share ideas and learn from one another. It’s incredibly valuable to hear what other firms are doing and exchange best practices.
Also, as the designated “Flo point person” at Williams & Connolly, I can confidently say that the platform has revolutionized how we approach recruiting. It allows us to focus on what really matters—building relationships with candidates and supporting their growth.
Conclusion
Williams & Connolly’s partnership with Flo Recruit exemplifies how technology can streamline processes, enhance candidate engagement, and support a firm’s commitment to cultivating homegrown talent. By leveraging Flo Recruit’s comprehensive suite of tools, Natasha and her team have been able to focus on what they do best: building a supportive, inclusive, and high-performing environment for attorneys at every stage of their careers.
If your firm is looking to transform its recruiting efforts, reach out to Flo Recruit to learn how our solutions can help.
