Legal Recruiters Say Niche In-House Counsel Roles Are Hard to Fill
The challenges in placing attorneys in in-house roles are not based around industry but rather the title and specific roles of the job, according to recruiters who help companies find attorneys for their legal departments.
February 14, 2019 at 04:25 PM
3 minute read
Lawyers tend to be eager for a challenge, which makes the jobs of recruiters placing them pretty easy. However, the challenges in placing attorneys in in-house roles are not based around industry but rather the title and specific roles of the job, according to recruiters who help companies find attorneys for their legal departments.
John Gilmore, the co-founder and managing partner at BarkerGilmore, said in his experience it is not hard to place attorneys in industry-specific in-house roles, but it is hard to place them in the niche roles companies look for in their legal departments.
“I would say that it's not so much a particular industry, but the niche regulatory positions are difficult,” Gilmore said. “If someone is an expert in a niche like insurance regulation, it does pigeonhole them to that industry. If they do become an expert in that particular niche, there is a big demand for that whether it's a general counsel or a senior-level individual contributor.”
Mike Evers, the founder and president of Evers Legal Search, said that for him placement becomes harder with the niche roles combined with the geography of the company.
Evers cited the Des Moines, Iowa-based Principal Financial Group, a company he has worked with placing attorneys in the past. He said finding a specialist in the local pool of attorneys there is difficult and that beyond finding someone who is qualified for the job, he would have to find someone who is willing to move from their current location to Des Moines and enjoy the lifestyle the area has to offer.
Evers said for the niche jobs there is not enough of a supply to meet the demand companies have for these skill sets.
“If someone has been working at the legal department at Merck, and Pfizer comes calling asking if they would like to do the exact same thing for them, it's hard to get a yes from that person,” Evers said.
“I haven't seen people turn away from a company or an organization because of the company or organization. It is more about what the role entails,” Sheri Michaels, a partner at Major, Lindsey & Africa in New York, said.
In fact, Evers said companies which appear to be going through a crisis attracts candidates because having that kind of job would give them an opportunity to prove themselves.
“The general counsel job at Facebook would be a great job. You're coming in facing a challenge and you have value to offer,” Evers said.
Michaels explained lawyers who go in-house want to know they're contributing to the company, whether it be a transactional role, a litigation-based role or a regulatory role.
“The role has to have opportunity. Lawyers are looking to interact with business people by participating in all phases of discussions—from day-to-day issues to strategic planning. The goal is to 'have a seat at the table' and be considered a partner with the business team in order to achieve stated business objectives,” Michaels said.
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