Find me an entrepreneurial lawyer.

It’s pretty much the same everywhere we go.  Firms, when listing upcoming requirements, are focused more on the business acumen of individuals than the technical ability.  The ability to bring in business, to represent the firm in a positive light is usually top of the list. 

However if you are to be successful in finding that candidate who can seamlessly introduce work, who can approach the market with vigour and fresh ideas, who can stand in front of clients and sway them to instruct your firm, you need to ask one question – how entrepreneurial are we?  Indeed if the requirement at every firm is to find these candidates you have to assess what these individuals look for when they are on the market.

Being entrepreneurial according to one dictionary is ‘characterised by the taking of financial risks in the hope of profit; enterprising’.  In addition it is about setting your firm aside from the competition, being innovative, being different and understanding your unique selling points. 

Most firms these days describe themselves as modern: as putting the client need first and, almost apologetically, as being business people first, lawyers second.  So clearly that is not going to sway a candidate.  In our experience the firms that demonstrate entrepreneurial flair are those that can move quickly, can invest in the mid to long term (as a financial risk) and who are prepared to risk failure in order to succeed – things that don’t necessarily sit well in a recruitment campaign.

One of our clients manages to successfully recruit the entrepreneurial lawyer more often than not.  Below are some tips as to how they demonstrate they are slightly different during the interview process, they:

Move quickly (demonstrating that they are not held back by internal politics or lack of desire to get things done)
Don’t insist on a following (they look at those that can demonstrate a track record of winning business)
Offer transparency (management accounts, financial accounts are open)
Demonstrate cross-selling successes
Give realistic time-scales for making profit
Cost marketing, business development & professional support
Have flexible working arrangements
Show how they passionate about their markets (the IP team all have well used twitter accounts)

This coupled with an internal recruitment brand where all understand the mission, values and vision of the practice, where the interviewers have a consistent & positive attitude and where the process is slick, timely and well tested, lends itself to a greater ability to attract the entrepreneurial solicitor.

So, ‘find me an entrepreneurial solicitor’ may be your demand but, in turn, they are demanding ‘find me an entrepreneurial law firm’.

Jon-Paul Hanrahan | Managing Consultant | North West Corporate and Commercial