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Recruiting legal talent is never a simple task, but when it comes to filling specialized roles in niche areas like tax law, securities, or compliance, the challenges multiply. These practice areas require not only deep legal expertise but also industry-specific knowledge, making the candidate pool inherently smaller and more difficult to access. Organizations and law firms often find themselves competing for the same talent, with the added complexity of attracting candidates who may not even be actively seeking a career change.

In the legal recruitment world, we’ve heard it all: « We don’t use recruiters, » « Candidates can just reach out to us directly, » and even, « If someone’s interested in working here, they’ll know where to find us. » While we understand this perspective, the reality of today’s legal hiring landscape is far more complex.

Unlike law firms, where lawyers are revenue generators, in-house legal teams are often seen as a cost center or « overhead. » This perception can limit the resources allocated to legal departments, making it challenging to build and retain the kind of legal talent that companies need to navigate complex legal and regulatory landscapes.

In today’s competitive legal industry, law firms are not only competing for clients but also for top legal talent. Just as firms need a strong brand to attract clients, they also need a robust employer brand to draw in the best candidates. A well-crafted employer brand goes beyond an image—it’s the perception of what it’s like to work at your firm

Welcome to our comprehensive webinar on « Addressing Legal Recruitment Challenges in Canada, » hosted by Randi Bean and Michaela Krell from Life After Law. In this engaging session, we delve into the most pressing issues and innovative strategies in legal recruitment, providing valuable insights for law firm leaders and corporate legal departments.

Whether your firm is known for its stellar workplace culture or has a less favourable reputation, understanding and managing your corporate reputation is crucial in the hiring process. This blog explores how law firms can overcome reputational challenges, build a better brand, and attract the best legal professionals.

In the ever-evolving legal landscape, attracting and retaining top talent is a constant challenge. One strategic approach that has proven effective is the implementation of robust mentorship programs. This blog explores the significance of mentorship in the legal profession and offers insights on creating impactful mentorship programs.

As businesses traverse an increasingly complex global market, the ability to quantify and enhance the return on investment from your legal team becomes crucial. This guide is meticulously crafted to help you understand, measure, and maximize the value your legal talent brings to your organization.

In the dynamic and highly competitive legal industry of Canada, law firm leaders face numerous challenges when it comes to recruiting top legal talent. The recruitment process is not only about finding candidates with the right qualifications but also about identifying individuals who align with the firm’s culture, values, and long-term goals. This blog explores the key challenges in legal recruitment in Canada and offers insights for law firm leaders to navigate these complexities effectively.

Effective collaboration between organizations and their legal recruiters is key to a successful hiring process. We aim to foster relationships with our clients that are responsive, communicative, and adhere to terms of engagement, or else it can hinder our ability to deliver the best candidates. In this blog, we discuss how working closely with your legal recruiter not only streamlines the recruitment process but also enhances the quality of your hires.

In today’s complex and rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations face increasing legal challenges and regulatory requirements. Recognizing the critical role of in-house legal capabilities can significantly enhance an organization’s ability to navigate these complexities and mitigate risks effectively.

In the legal field, the foundation of a successful firm extends beyond the prowess of its lawyers. The backbone of any thriving law firm or legal department is its robust support team. Law clerks, paralegals, and legal assistants are indispensable, ensuring seamless operations and contributing significantly to the organization’s accomplishments.

The legal industry is experiencing a notable transformation in its executive search practices. Organizations increasingly recognize the significance of adopting a retained search model for hiring top-tier legal executives. This article explores the growing trend towards retained search models in the legal executive search market, highlighting the benefits and market statistics that support this shift.

In the competitive world of legal talent acquisition, the right hire can make all the difference for your organization. Finding a lawyer who not only possesses the requisite skills but also aligns with your firm’s culture, values, and long-term goals can be challenging. This is where legal recruiters play a pivotal role. In this blog, we’ll delve into the importance of legal recruiters and how their expertise can help shape your organization.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the significance of diversity in legal teams, explore strategies for fostering diversity in hiring, and highlight key initiatives and roles dedicated to promoting diversity within the legal industry.

There are common misconceptions surrounding retained search that often lead organizations to overlook its immense value. Let’s set the record straight and debunk the top three myths about retained search. Discover the truth about retained search and why it should be your go-to strategy for securing exceptional hires.

As businesses navigate complex legal landscapes, the demand for lawyers with specialized expertise in compliance, risk management, and intellectual property has surged. By understanding the opportunities and benefits these roles offer, businesses can make informed decisions when seeking to hire lawyers to strengthen their legal teams and drive growth.

As small and mid-sized law firms compete for top talent in a job market dominated by big law, it’s crucial to have effective strategies to attract and retain the best legal professionals. At Life After Law, we understand the challenges faced by smaller firms in this competitive landscape. In this article, we will share strategies specifically tailored to small and mid-sized law firms to help them win the war for talent and build high-performing teams.

The legal industry has come a long way in terms of gender equality, but there is still much work to be done to level the playing field. We explore some practical strategies that firms and legal departments can use to create a more inclusive workplace for women, as well as the benefits of gender diversity and the future of women in law.

Faced with continuing labour shortages, fierce competition, and a world that – while starting to return to normal – is still very different from the one before the pandemic, many employers are thinking about what tactics they will need to consider for their 2023 hiring strategy.

Here are a few things to consider as you make your plans for the coming year.

The trend that we saw in 2022 of the job market for lawyers and legal executives being candidate-driven will continue into 2023. The competition for top candidates is still very fierce, and many firms have a particular need for mid-senior-level candidates. Additionally, lawyers with strong expertise in fields such as litigation, commercial law, real estate, employment, tax, and family law are in high demand. Therefore, candidates with experience and expertise in those fields have an advantage in the 2023 job market.

Many law firms and organizations are already starting to look at their hiring needs for the year ahead. Some need to replace staff that have retired or left for another position. Some see their business growing and need to increase the number of staff that they have within the organization. And some need to hire for both reasons. But if your firm is considering hiring for Q4, there are some unique factors to take into consideration.

Whether you are just starting your legal career or ready to take the next step and move into a new position, job searching at the end of the year can seem like a challenging prospect. With the holidays just around the corner, you may be wondering whether it is even worth it to start looking for a job now or whether it is better to wait until the New Year. Here is what you need to know if you are looking for a legal position in Q4.

LinkedIn has grown to be the must-have social media platform for anyone looking to advance their career. With more than 722 million users, LinkedIn can prove a valuable tool for lawyers looking to attract new clients, make new professional connections, and become thought leaders in their field.

Get to know Randi Bean, CEO & Founder at Life After Law.

We are honoured to announce that Life After Law was selected to receive the Acquisition International 2013 Legal Award: Lawyer’s Choice for Alternative Recruitment.

As 2020 draws to a close, I think it’s safe to say that this has been a year like no other!

Check out our top pet peeves when interviewing a candidate!

COVID-19 has already affected so many people around the world, and at Life After Law, our top priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone that we work with.

We are hearing it in the news daily – the economy is starting to open in various stages

Get to know Alvero Besa, Recruitment & Operations Consultant at Life After Law.

Get to know Michaela Krell, National Director at Life After Law.

Get to know Pearl Prokosh, National Manager at Life After Law.

We are hearing it in the news daily – the economy is starting to open in various stages. Many of our clients are reaching out to us for advice on how and when to start a new search. We have also been busier than ever speaking to excellent candidates that are now looking for new […]

See what our experts with 20 years of legal recruitment experience have to say!

The 2021 Chambers Canada -Leading Lawyers Ranking, one of the most prestigious legal rankings in the world was recently published.

The current marketplace has recently experienced a number of economic and cultural shock waves that have resulted in organizations having to reassess their hiring practices and needs.

Company Culture is important because it speaks to how the people who are part of the Company feel about themselves, the work they do and the Company itself.

As a law and MBA student at McGill University in 2018, Aly Haji watched several friends graduate and pursue their dream of landing jobs at prominent law firms— only to see them quit within a year or two.

In today’s competitive talent market, finding the right hire can be difficult at any time of year. But if you have positions that you need to fill at the end of the year, it can be especially challenging – after all, who wants to work during the holidays?

With the holiday season in full swing, you may feel like it is time to put the job search on pause. After all, companies are reaching their year-end, and perhaps hiring is not the first thing on their mind anyway. But if you are looking to make a bold career move, then December can actually be a great time to ramp up – not slow down – your job search.

2022 will be a job seeker’s market across a range of industries and that includes the legal industry as firms compete to hire the best talent. While early on in the pandemic, many law firms were just struggling to survive, a backlog of cases plus challenges to restrictions means that now law firms are looking to expand and position themselves for long-term growth.

2022 has barely begun and already law firms are finding that attracting and retaining talent is going to be challenging this year. Over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, many lawyers began to re-evaluate their priorities and seek out a better work-life balance as various restrictions and regulations brought with them an increased […]

Every day, we see lawyers looking to make a change, and often for something different from traditional legal practice. Recently, Randi Bean joined Paula Price on The Joyful Practice for Women Lawyers podcast to share her story about leaving private practice and founding Life After Law

Finding the right legal talent for your firm or organization can be daunting. The talent competition is extremely fierce, and young legal professionals know that they’ve got options for choosing the next step in their career path. Many organizations and firms currently have postings sitting empty for months simply because those postings are not reaching – or not appealing to – the right slate of candidates.

When you are a legal professional applying for your dream position, you know that the competition will be fierce. You also know that many of your competitors for the job may well have similar qualifications and resumes to yours. So, what can you do to make yourself stand out from the crowd? Lots actually!

Since the pandemic, the job market has shifted significantly. Candidates still compete with each other to get the best jobs, but more and more, the real competition is between employers competing with each other to get the best talent. In short, it is a candidates’ market.

Law firms and other companies that hire for legal positions are finding themselves in a position that they may not have been in before. Instead of top candidates vying for a position in their firms, they find they are having to compete more with other firms to get those candidates.

When considering taking on a new position at a legal firm, salary negotiation can feel like a tricky process. On the one hand, you don’t want to appear overly greedy and cause the employer to pass you up for another candidate, but on the other hand, you want to have a strong and fair compensation package and not leave too much money or too many benefits on the table.