Articles From the Team
Why a good legal recruitment agency should operate with specialist teams
There are several things to consider when choosing a good legal recruitment agency, or any industry-specific recruiter for that matter. One significant factor is how an agency’s structured and whether it operates in discipline-specific teams to ensure you’re getting a thorough and accurate client or candidate service.
An example: what our team structure looks like
BCL Legal is split into specialist teams who have chosen markets. Then, each market has a different consultant for each location. Further, each consultant is split into transactional/non-transactional areas of law.
We’re also split into law firm tiers. As an example, for the North West, BCL has three consultants who focus on Manchester City Centre and are then divided into top-tier transactional, non –transactional and regional. This means you speak to someone who has extensive and genuine knowledge of that region, their set discipline, as well as a particular firm.
Vertical markets and how they work for you
For legal recruitment agencies whose consultants work in vertical markets, candidate lawyers might deal with more than one recruitment consultant from that agency at a time; this is a good thing. You want to receive first-hand information from the recruiter you’re working with: someone who’s worked with and met partners and employees, and helped that particular firm recruit in the past.
When your legal recruiter (really) knows the firm
Make sure your legal recruiter has met the law firm partner associated with the job role and has a detailed job spec. A good legal recruiter knows exactly what their clients are looking for so that when it comes to candidate care, they can assess and advise in an efficient manner. An intelligent legal recruiter will easily and willingly be able to tell you whether the role in question might be a good fit or not.
Internal competition and candidate care
Some lawyer candidates assume all recruiters are internally competing against one another. Rightly so, as a lot of recruiters still operate in this way. However, a trustworthy and reputable recruiter works internally as part of a team, and always wants to help candidates decide on their best career move. It’s our job to help candidates find the ideal firm and vice versa.
Personally, I share a desk and work collaboratively with some of my colleagues. We have regular discussions about the best ways to move our candidates forward, and most importantly, we’re always open and transparent about this with both the candidate and the client. Our overriding obligation is always the level of service we provide.
There are so many factors to consider when choosing a legal recruitment agency that works for you, but finding one with discipline-specific teams and no internal competition is hugely important; it’s a must.