1.
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THE X FACTOR FIRM
HIRING FOR LAW PRACTICE
SUCCESS.

2.
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Chelsey Lambert
Vice President, Clients and Communication
Co-Chair, ABA GP Solo, Technology Green Team
Chelsey.Lambert@Smokeball.com
312-667-1768 office
847-702-2774 cell

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COMMON HIRING MISTAKES
Hiring out of desperation
Hiring out of laziness
Skipping Phone interviews
Did not define role
Did not define company needs
Infatuation
Blind promotions
Lighter screening of referrals
Inconsistent hiring processes
Skipping reference checks
Reset with every interview
Under budgeted for the role

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THE COST OF A BAD HIRE
$25,000.00 - $150,000.00
❏Recruiting
❏Screening & interviews
❏Training
❏Paid time
❏HR & Tax costs
❏Productivity losses
❏Expenses; ads, coffee, lunch, etc.
❏Social media | Word of mouth

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SIGNS OF A BAD HIRE
+ YOUR TIME
❏Laziness
❏Immediate attendance issues
❏Negative Attitudes
❏Lie
❏Failure to produce quality
work
❏Instigate client complaints
❏Failure to meet deadlines
❏Unable to work with others

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- ROBERT KIYOSAKI

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HIRING FOR TODAY’S LAW FIRM
New Client Demands Growing Talent Pool
❏ Elevated Expectations
❏ Self | Google Educated
❏ Technology Centric
❏ Social Media Savvy
❏ Impatient
❏Career Changers
❏Graduates
❏Life Experience
❏Transferable Skills
❏Ex-entrepreneur

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"You can learn most jobs extremely quickly once you are thrown in the deep
end. Within three months you can usually know the ins and outs of a role. If you
are satisfied with the personality, then look at experience and expertise. Find
people with transferable skills – you need team players who can pitch in and try
their hand at all sorts of different jobs. While specialists are sometimes
necessary, versatility should not be underestimated."
Richard Branson, Hire for Personality - Business Insider
“People who are "fun, friendly, caring
and love helping others" are winners
and the rest of the job can be taught”

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FORGET WHAT YOU
KNOW
Hire for Personality & Performance Forego Experience & Education
❏Unteachable Human Traits
❏Motivated through metrics
❏Rewarded with autonomy
❏Does this require special
education?
❏What can be trained?
❏Any transferrable skills that can
benefit my business?

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The Behavioral
Hiring Process
The following process
combined with behavioral
interview questions and team
participation yield well
matched candidates with long
term growth potential and
increase retention.
Define the Role
Match Personality Traits
Craft Job Description
Craft Job Ad
Collect Applications
Identify Call Backs
First Phone Screen
Second Phone Screen
Check References
Team Interview
Debrief
Decision & Offer

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DEFINE THE ROLE
❏Why do you need this hire?
❏What is your budget?
❏Do you need full time? Right away?
❏What company goals depend on the success of this person?
❏Who will this person interact with on a daily basis?
❏What are the most critical functions of this role?
❏What are the daily activities, or ideal duties of this person?
❏How could this position contribute to the success of the company, if
they had a particular skill or trait?

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THE BIG FIVE:
PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS
1. Neuroticism: Negative emotionality, we all have a level of negativity, self deprecating
behaviors, complaining, can you laugh and move forward, or are you stuck in a circle of
self loathing?
2. Extraversion: How outgoing are you? Sparking conversations in elevators or hiding
behind emails? Does a person’s social gratification come from interacting with others
or are they more of a loner?
3. Openness to experience: Acknowledgement of other’s experiences. Is open to new
ideas, displays a curiosity for life or a love of learning. Variety is the spice of life. Often
used as a blanket judgment of intellect. Example: Appreciation for the arts must mean
they are wicked smart.
4. Agreeableness: Natural social harmony, empathy, cooperation and level of trust or
distrust given to someone at first meeting. Are they even tempered?
5. Conscientiousness: Self discipline & compulsion to act dutifully. Attention to detail,
being on time, respect for obligations, commitments and ability to foster and maintain
long term relationships. Perfectionism, normal and exaggerated also falls into this
category.

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COMMON TRAITS OF
SUCCESSFUL
PROFESSIONALS
Attitude
Enthusiastic
Ethical
Goal Focused
Listener
Network
Persistent
Self-Aware
Self Confident
Self- Disciplined
Friendly
Intelligent
Organized
Prepared
Productive
Relationship-Oriented
Responsible
Sincere
Self-Sacrificing
Trustworthy
Visionary
Humorous
Adaptive
Analytical Mind
Articulate
Balanced
Collaborative
Committed
Courageous
Creative
Decisive
Detail-Oriented
Metrics Driven

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MATCH
PERSONALITY
TRAITS
• Successful
management means
putting the right
people in the right
places.
• Then getting out of
their way.
Receptionist: Proactive, punctual, polite, organized, detail
oriented, comfortable on the phone, motivated by positive
reinforcement and performance milestones.
Client Coordinator / Concierge: Empathetic, persistent,
motivated by client satisfaction.
Associate Attorney: Client friendly, comfortable on the phone,
creative, punctual communicator, technology savvy, motivated
by career opportunities and client satisfaction.
Accounting / Clerk: Detail oriented, introverted, efficient,
technologically savvy, problem solver, motivated by delivering
solutions that help others accomplish their goals.
Billing / Collections: Persistent, comfortable on the phone,
creative, diligent, proactive, motivated by completion and
overcoming adversity.
Marketing / Sales / Intake or Outbound dialer: Hungry, driven,
confident, empathetic, excellent listener, motivated by winning
and money.
Ideal Personality & Skills

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CRAFTING THE JOB DESCRIPTION
One to three short paragraphs outlining the basics of the role
Include: Title, wages, duties, reports to, related company goals
List of daily duties
Hypothetical wage structure: Base + bonus / performance scale
Wage information may be kept separate & private

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CRAFTING THE JOB AD
❏Be honest about the job
❏Target your ideal candidates
❏Callout personality traits
❏Give them a call to action
❏Consider your location
❏This is a test!
❏Show some excitement!

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CRAFTING THE JOB AD
Attorney Position
Title: Growing New Orleans Law Firm seeks Aspiring Attorney
Currently seeking a Louisiana licensed attorney experienced in the area of Family Law for our growing legal practice. If you are looking
for an opportunity to grow with a law firm and are not afraid to take on and manage a medium caseload you should explore the possibility
of working with us. We are a business minded law firm who invests in marketing, so sales experience is a plus. Training and support
come standard, your success as an associate in our firm is important to us and we are committed to helping you grow into your role.
Your daily responsibilities will include meeting with first time visitors, converting them into retained clients, and participating in the intake,
and case preparation process. We work as a team, while you may have support staff, we expect everyone to share the workload. You
may have to answer a phone call, or reach out to a client in need. In our firm, there is no such thing as 'That's not my job.’
If you are ready to take your career by the reigns and join a firm that wants to expedite your professional growth please respond with the
requested items below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please respond with:
1. Why this position interests you
2. Your resume
3. The best number to reach you on
4. Your Bar Number

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FIRST PHONE SCREENER
❏Between 5-10 minutes
❏How do they answer?
❏What is your first impression?
❏Let them talk, what pieces of information about themselves do
they showcase?
❏Why are they leaving their current job, what are you looking for?
❏Sort candidates by: Call Back, Not a Fit, Back Up
❏Texting speeds up the interview process considerably.

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SECOND PHONE SCREENER
❏Used to compare and filter first round rock stars
❏Look for consistency
❏Confirm wage expectations
❏Potential start date? How are they leaving their other
employer

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CHECK REFERENCES
❏Call all of them!
❏Would you hire them again?
❏Verify their role / position
❏You can ask for salary info
❏What was the candidate’s strengths?
❏Would you describe them as a hard worker?
❏Did they get along with teammates or clients?

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TEAM INTERVIEW
❏Behavioral questions + two for fun
❏How do they interact with each member of the team?
❏Identify any frictions
❏Account for nervousness
❏Compare notes afterwards

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BEHAVIORAL
QUESTIONS
❏ Cite specific examples of past work
❏ Open ended
❏ Do not interpret the question for them
❏ Repeat as many times as necessary
❏ Be quiet, listen and take notes
1. Describe a time on any job in which you were faced with stresses which tested
your coping skills. What did you do?
2. Tell me a time in which you had to not finish a task because of a lack of
information. How did you handle it?
3. Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a
decision.
4. Relate a time in which you had to use your verbal communication skills in order to
get an important point across.
5. Describe a job experience in which you had to speak up to be sure that other
people knew what you thought or felt.
6. Can you tell me a time in which you felt you were able to build motivation in your
co-workers?
7. Give me an example of a specific occasion in which you had to conform to a
policy with which you did not agree.
8. Describe a situation in which you felt it necessary to be very attentive and
vigilant to your environment.
9. Provide an example of a time in which you had to use your fact-finding skills to
gain information for solving a problem.
10. Give me a time in which you had to set an important goal in the past and tell me
about your success in reaching it.
11. Describe the most significant piece of writing which you have had to complete.
12. Tell me an example of a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of
duty in order to get a job done.
13. Can you tell me a time when you were able to effectively “read” another
person and guide your actions by your understanding of their individual needs or
values?

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DEBRIEF
❏Team consensus
❏Confront noticeable frictions
❏Listen to concerns and objections
❏Identify points of infatuation, selling the candidate
❏Use this time to reinforce company goals

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DECISION & OFFER
❏Use this time to reinforce company goals
❏Prepare the written offer letter
❏Confirm start date and time: when, where,
what to wear, what to bring

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BEGIN WITH A GREAT FIRST DAY!
❏Employee Welcome Sheet
❏List of Daily Duties
❏Privacy / Confidentiality Policy
❏Social Media Policy

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NEW EMPLOYEE
WELCOME SHEET
Show the Love! Setup for success.
❏ Important info; email, phone, etc.
❏ Daily activities
❏ Office info, hours
❏ Checking email from home
❏ FAQ’s
❏ Reinforce dress code
❏ Lunch policy
❏ Privacy policy
❏ IT List
❏ Daily Duties
❏ Policies, HR docs
❏ Tax info
❏ Training Calendar

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ONGOING MANAGEMENT
❏Leverage technology, shared spreadsheets & logs
give you visibility without being a micromanager
❏Reward performance with money and autonomy
❏Encourage efficiency and creativity
❏Bonus business savings
❏Reviews are valuable and necessary

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Q & A

31.
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Chelsey Lambert
Vice President, Clients and Communication
Co-Chair, ABA GP Solo, Technology Green Team
312-667-1768 office
847-702-2774 cell
Chelsey.Lambert@Smokeball.com
@ChelseyLambert