"Lateral hires" refers to the process of hiring employees from outside the organization at the same level or rank as their current position. It typically involves hiring individuals who already have experience and skills in a similar role, rather than promoting from within.
Full definition
Firms that are most successful are those that are open to incorporating the ideas
of lateral hires into their culture.
Watch this space for parts two and three of this report, covering associate and counsel
lateral hiring in 2014.
Some firms follow a process
for lateral hiring and believe that preserving their culture and values are paramount in these transactions.
A few partners believe the firm should recruit recent law school graduates or
lateral hires with some general experience.
Partners who join the firm
as lateral hires receive credit for all or part of their experience.
That platform will be equally attractive to
potential lateral hires at other Canadian firms who'll want to know whether there are wider horizons than those they're currently flying.
Since potential
lateral hires who control a substantial amount of client business may have multiple options to consider, few firms have the luxury of negotiating back - end loaded compensation arrangements.
The majority of partners regard guaranteed pay deals for
senior lateral hires as an ineffective weapon in the war for talent, despite a consensus that such deals are common.
In our conversations with law firms, we have observed the most
successful lateral hiring programs also develop a clear plan for integration and support after a lateral has joined a new firm.
Firms also do well to understand that
lateral hires often make moves because they believe a new situation will help them overcome existing weaknesses of their own.
And she «gets» law practice management — especially as it relates to the firm's growth opportunities,
including lateral hiring and law firm combinations.
Firms engaged in
aggressive lateral hiring and law firm mergers might be adding top line revenues, but most are also adding disproportionately more costs.
This is a critical part of the analysis beyond just the «fit» because too many
lateral hiring mistakes may disrupt a law firm's existing culture.
By attracting exceptional law school graduates and
accomplished lateral hires, we have enhanced the scope of our legal services to include nearly every area of law.
The
right lateral hires can accelerate a firm's growth, expand their service offerings and improve profitability.
We have begun to answer the age - old question as to the relationship
between lateral hiring and financial performance: Does it drive an increase in revenues and profitability?
Ironically — and about 40 percent of managing partners admit —
lateral hiring usually is not profitable for the firms that do it.
The software enables law firms to track some 200 key performance metrics in support
of lateral hiring, including billing, revenue and collections.
Turn to
lateral hires in areas of need, reduce hiring, speed reviews, and terminate under - performing junior lawyers.
Even if the firm has identified your department for growth, is this going to happen organically, or
through lateral hires?
Some firms pursue the growth strategy through mergers, others through
aggressive lateral hiring, and in some instances they start reducing fees.
David is the latest in a series of successful partners to join the firm as
lateral hires from leading City firms.
Last week's vote to leave the European Union came among one of the busiest
lateral hiring sprees by US law firms in London, but that growth may now be put to the test
The US associate
lateral hiring market in Asia for US and UK firms is in a severe down cycle, at least when compared to recent boom hiring periods (mid ’06 — mid» 08; mid ’10 to mid» 11).
With that in mind, I have undertaken a further, small, piece of research looking at how various
lateral hiring policies have affected law firm financial variables over time, and the results are quite intriguing.
Briefly, I compared the results, and
lateral hiring programmes, of six pairs of UK law firms over the five year period of my first research.
In recent months, the firm has been beefing up the Hong Kong office with
new lateral hires.
The US
associate lateral hiring market in Asia for US and UK firms is in a severe down cycle, at least when compared to recent boom hiring periods (mid ’06 — mid» 08; mid» 10
My own research shows that roughly 50 % of
lateral hires leave after four years, leaving aside all the people law firms take on who perform disappointingly.
The research results from Mark Brandon at Motive Legal in the United Kingdom, shows that nearly a third of
lateral hires into London law offices had failed within five years.
Lateral hire data gives a strong indicator of the practice and geographic markets where firms are growing their capabilities, providing a deep insight into the growth strategy of your competitors and allowing you to quickly respond to any competitive threat to your firm or exploit a potential opportunity.
My impression is that a high percentage of unsuccesful
lateral hiring decisions could have been avoided had the process had more substance to it and been fully followed.
To gain more insight on developing a strong
lateral hiring process at your law firm, read other articles on our blogs:
Spiers is the firm's
first lateral hire in London since 2014, when the firm hired high yield partner Gil Strauss from Weil Gotshal & Manges.
Chambers Associate: Cozen has taken on a number of
lateral hires over the past year, including the acquisition of a fifteen - strong group from Miami - based IP boutique Feldman Gale.
Relationship lawyers, faced with pressure from above to «cross sell,» try to introduce their clients to partners in the firm's new office in (pick a city) or the
latest lateral hire in (pick a... Continue Reading
The post he re-blogged (now housed in Asia Law Portal) is titled: Sales divisions,
not lateral hiring — are the best avenue to BigLaw growth.