Is Your Firm's Response Time Costing Talent?

As the United States and international community exit the pandemic, both law firms and recruiters have seen an increase in demand as firms look to deepen their benches with partners and associates eager for a new challenge or culture. However, it can take weeks to review candidate materials and complete interviews, and even longer to place offer letters in the hands of candidates. But as power shifts away from law firms and into the hands of attorneys, qualified candidates are demanding more from the hiring process, particularly around issues of communication.

I spoke with Scott Brown and Ronnie Turner, Managing Partners of Turner Brown, a boutique recruiting and management consulting firm based out of Brooklyn, New York, about the current market and how firms can tailor their recruiting processes to current candidate expectations. The most common problem Turner and Brown see is the slow response of firms in communicating feedback. Turner proposes that, when presented with a quality candidate, a firm should limit its response time to 24-48 hours. Anything longer may signal a lack of interest or speak to the firm’s organizational capabilities. “The response doesn't have to be a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ let alone an offer or anything special like that. It can be as simple as ‘Ok, we enjoyed speaking with you, we’re going to discuss and we’ll get back to you’” says Brown. “Ultimately, a respectful response time comes across as genuine, and this makes the difference in all aspects of human relations, including hiring.”

Certainly, constant and clear communication throughout the talent acquisition process is key. But another significant factor is who acts as the “champion” of the firm’s talent acquisition in hiring instances. According to Turner, ideally, the champion is the first point of contact for a candidate. The person may be someone from recruiting, the chief diversity officer, a lateral growth partner, or simply a key partner in that particular department. Turner notes that, regardless of title, the champion is often an individual who has the internal relationships to pull together key stakeholders and lead a discussion of how a particular candidate may fit into the culture and needs of the firm, all within a reasonable timeframe once the engagement with the candidate begins. If a firm’s internal communications are not seamless, though, the champion’s efforts can become ensnared in the deliberation process.

Often, problems with a firm’s recruiting process and internal communications are systemic and can be very difficult to change. However, failing to examine these systems can lead to reputational damage and even loss of key talent within the firm. “A partner or an associate who sees leadership continually missing out on high-quality talent due to poor internal communications may consider exiting. In fact, very recently, I spoke with a very significant partner at a major firm who expressed that this very dynamic--poor internal communications--weighed heavily in their decision to leave the firm. Here she is seeing great candidates knock at the door, but she can’t go answer the door herself,” says Turner. “If this happens enough, this hypothetical partner might start thinking of walking out that door, that the firm’s growth is stagnated by ineptitude,” says Brown.

Both Brown and Turner acknowledge that fixing this is difficult but possible if leadership is committed to making a change. “What a firm needs is someone with a high degree of institutional courage and respect to say ‘Hey, we're not living up to our promises, to our hopes and aspirations of what type of firm we want to be, and we need to reflect and make some changes.’ Sometimes it has to be the chairperson or one of the co-chairs, or a chief talent officer or diversity officer. But, sometimes, all you need is an extraordinary, very senior associate who knows she’s going to make partner and wants to ensure a better future for the firm she’s about to undertake a bigger role in,” says Turner.

Ultimately, what response time and communication boil down to is demonstrating respect--respect for a candidate’s time and ability--as well as a commitment to incorporating new and exciting talent into a firm’s many practices. “Winning firms build constant and clear communication into the fabric of their culture and make a common practice of it--a habitual act--regardless of whether it's a war for talent or a candidates’ market. These are the firms who really end up winning the war, not just the battle,” says Turner. “Winning firms don’t have to worry whether it’s a candidates’ market or not. They’re always operating at the winning level.”