A short guide for hiring managers and corporate HR professionals on how to make better hiring decisions when recruiting in-house counsel.

1. Hiring for the Legal Department
MLA White Paper
What is different about hiring for my legal department vs.
h f i ?
other functions?
Many hiring executives agree that hiring for the legal For lower level in‐house counsel roles, there is a greater
function may not be a core competency of most need for detailed focus and expertise in specific subject
corporate HR teams. While a software company may areas. An in‐depth understanding of and experience in a
know where to find and how to evaluate all of the top particular practice or regulatory area are always helpful.
and qualified programmers, or a technology company These individuals must also have the ability to understand
may know about the best and the brightest engineers department and company goals and manage work with
who fit its company culture – knowing where the best those goals in mind.
lawyers are with the right skill set and right cultural fit is
not usually the bailiwick of the HR/recruiting team. In Hiring the right lawyers for these legal functions is
most companies, this team is focused on maintaining a ultimately about knowing the legal industry, and
constant awareness of the availability of top talent for knowing the right lawyers.
core company roles and industry‐standard functions in
the marketplace. Unfortunately, the one area where this A lot of people think that they know what lawyers do and
focus and expertise might be lacking is in hiring for the some have a pretty good idea, but complete appreciation
legal department. of the role of a lawyer comes from understanding and
having experienced the particulars of the profession ‐
from the nuances of a legal education and the experience
of a junior associate to what makes a partner at a firm
Hiring in‐house counsel – how different is it? rise to that level or whether an M&A lawyer or a litigator
would make the best GC.
While it shares some elements with hiring for other
functions, hiring in‐house counsel does present unique Generalizations about the types of lawyers who become
challenges to a corporate HR department. litigators, corporate securities lawyers and intellectual
property lawyers, for example, abound, however, a
You will find the most similarity between the legal litigator may prove to be a calculated risk taker or an
function and other roles at the executive level. As with opinionated individualist. A corporate securities lawyer
most executives, the General Counsel (GC) or Chief Legal might be a “get‐it‐done” deal maker or a detail‐oriented
Officer (CLO) must be a strategic, big‐picture thinker, with contract drafter. An intellectual property attorney might
the ability to manage people and priorities set goals and
priorities, be an “introverted inventor” type or a big‐picture
focus the organization towards those goals. Any hiring technology leader. Regardless of practice stereotypes,
effort at this level can be one of the most complex and any individual lawyer can fall anywhere along a
challenging responsibilities any company can undertake personality and style spectrum, and therefore may or
because of the many varied roles that these executives may not work in a particular position or in a specific
must fulfill. In the case of the GC, he or she is called upon company.
to lead and steward the legal and ethical standards of an
entire company as well as provide bulletproof legal In order to move beyond generalizations about a lawyer
counsel to senior staff members and the board. The GC based upon his or her resume and hire the lawyer who
also has the duty of overseeing the activities of the in‐ has the potential to shine in your organization, you need
house legal department. Perhaps most important, he or to know lawyers and understand their individual
she is charged with managing and balancing an expertise and motivations.
organization’s corporate risk – protecting it from legal
missteps without impeding its progress toward strategic
goals and objectives.
Copyright 2011 • MLA Legal, LLC • All Rights Reserved 1

2. Hiring for the Legal Department
Who Really Understands Lawyers? depth of experience have taught us how to look beyond
an impressive CV to identify an outstanding attorney who
A complete understanding of a lawyer’s expertise and will make a significant contribution to a specific
motivations is not easy to get from a resume or even an company’s long‐term success.
interview, particularly because many attorneys are skilled
drafters and orators. Having as your hiring partner We are committed to working with our client companies
someone who regularly guides lawyers as they move in every way we can. For example, MLA collaborates
through their careers from associates to partners or in‐ closely with human resources staff, executives and
house counsel can help you better understand these General Counsel to carefully craft position descriptions
motivations and behaviors. Having access to recruiters
g that are clearly defined yet open enough to allow for a
who have worked with specific lawyers as colleagues, pool of qualified candidates. Our HR partners find
candidates and clients over a number of years provides a particularly helpful our capacity to conduct searches
foundation for gaining a better understanding of the locally, nationally and globally and our grasp of
individual lawyer and whether he or she is right for your competitive compensation and benefits worldwide. We
company. While hiring lawyers may not be that different, are equally well‐versed in the specific needs of a wide
hiring the right lawyer is about having a long term range of industries – financial services, manufacturing,
competency in building relationships with lawyers and technology, entertainment and energy, to name a few. It
knowing more about them than a resume would reveal
reveal. all adds up to a unique ability to target exceptional legal
talent compatible with your company’s corporate culture
and business goals.
Resume –
experience,
education, Of course, we couldn’t create such successful placements
skills if the matches weren’t equally satisfying for our
Overall candidates. MLA's in‐house consultants often mentor
lawyer attorneys throughout their career. We carefully guide
potential and corporate counsel candidates through the critical
variables concerning the interview process, compensation
fit for by market, expatriate packages, salary negotiation,
Person –
position relocation and insight into the employer's company
drivers, culture and business objectives.
motivations,
behaviors
It’s what makes MLA not just an intermediary but a true
partner and consultant to General Counsel, Corporate
At Major, Lindsey & Africa, we understand that Counsel, HR Professionals and candidates alike.
identifying the best person for in‐house legal positions
requires a search process of the first order – and a search
firm with unmatched experience, insight and resources. It
also requires specific legal and corporate counsel hiring
expertise that is rarely found within a company’s own
ranks; or even among recruiters of the most p
g prestigious
g
executive search firms, who do not focus exclusively on
the legal marketplace.
Founded and staffed by many search consultants who are
Dimitri G. Mastrocola
Partner, In‐House Practice Group
former in‐house lawyers and GCs, MLA has a rare
Major, Lindsey & Africa
understanding of what it takes to meet this serious
212‐201‐3993
challenge – and exciting opportunity. Our proprietary
dmastrocola@mlaglobal.com
g
knowledge system marketplace intelligence and unique
system,
Copyright 2011 • MLA Legal, LLC • All Rights Reserved 2