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Win with Strategy: How to Elevate Your Lateral Associate Recruiting in 2025

by Chuck Curtis on
Law Firms Lateral Recruitment

The accompanying outline is a companion piece drafted by Chuck Curtis, designed to drive and supplement the "Win with Strategy: How to Elevate Your Lateral Associate Recruiting in 2025" webinar presented by Amy Moynihan, Michele Ward and Chuck on Thursday April 24, 2025. We hope this offers some additional food for thought in addition to concrete steps to pick up your firm's lateral associate recruiting game.

1.  Have a Clear Strategy and Targeted Approach for Every Position

 

      1. Be prepared to articulate verbally and in written materials:

        1. Why your firm is different/better than others in the same space;

        2. Why the potential for advancement is superior at your firm;

        3. How professional growth opportunities are superior at your firm, including Marketing and Business Development support.

2. Have a Realistic Perspective of How Your Firm is Viewed in the Marketplace

 

      1. Have a clear understanding of how your firm is viewed in the marketplace;

      2. Have a clear understanding of who your competition is in the marketplace generally, and more specifically in the area of expertise you are hiring;

      3. Knowing your relative strength/weakness is critical to identifying options to best meet your firm’s needs

        1. Is an internal or LinkedIn type posting adequate to attract quality candidates?

        2. Or do you need to market the opportunity to select legal recruiters in your market

      4. Firms with strong, well regarded cultures with reputations for treating associates respectfully have an advantage in almost any marketplace

3. Have a Clear Strategy for Selecting a Legal Recruiter if that is the Path You Choose

 

      1. A top recruiting professional will likely have developed strong relationships with select legal recruiters in their respective markets;

      2. Which legal recruiter will have the best chance of sending you qualified candidates?

      3. How many recruiters should you work with? 

      4. Even in the larger legal markets, you can diminish the exclusivity of your opportunity if too many recruiters are pitching it.

4. Have an Impeccable Hiring Process

 

      1. Having recruiting professionals who have easy access to decision makers;

      2. All interviewing teams should be carefully parsed and selected for their strong representation of the firm, so every candidate is guaranteed an outstanding interviewing experience with the firm;

      3. The process moves with dispatch – no gaps in providing feedback to outside recruiters or the candidates themselves;

      4. Where recruiters are involved the recruiting professional maintains frequent contact and is available at all times to troubleshoot/problem solve;

      5. Offers are competitive and timely. Speed wins.

5. An Empowered Recruiting Professional

 

      1. The recruiting professional leading the process must have the knowledge and experience to effectively articulate the opportunity;
      2. Additionally, they must be empowered by their firms to be in charge of the recruiting process and have full access to firm decision makers;
      3. Equally important to closing deals is if recruiters are involved is a strong, honest relationship between the recruiting professional and the legal recruiter – that’s how deals get across the finish line.

6. Integration

 

      1. In this competitive market, integration of associates is critical for firms who want to hire top level associates;

      2. While a written integration plan for associates is preferred, at a minimum candidates should be apprised of the firms approach to associate integration and have the opportunity to meet current lateral associates who have been successfully integrated.

7. Make Competitive Offers and Close

 

    1. The recruiting professional must be able to successfully work with firm management to make sure when/if the time comes that the firm is making a competitive financial offer;

    2. Determination of appropriate class years is key and can be difference-making;

    3. In particularly attractive markets, signing bonuses can be a necessary incentive and part of the cost of doing business;

    4. The recruiting professional/legal recruiter relationship can be a significant differentiator in closing the deal.

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