Relocation can be an extra hurdle for legal departments as they try to diversify their in-house ranks. However, recruiters told Corporate Counsel that helping diverse attorneys find a community in what will be their new homes is a good way to begin that recruitment process.

Sonya Som, a partner at recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles in Chicago, said corporations historically have taken a view that everyone needs a job. The power has shifted and many candidates are juggling between two to three offers at a time. One competitive advantage companies can offer when recruiting diverse candidates is to help the candidates look around the community to explore the neighborhoods, schools and religious institutions.

"Companies are beginning to recognize that these people have options and are thinking, 'What are all of the things that we can possibly do that gives us an edge?'" Som explained.

Som said many candidates she has worked with will consider what kind of community they can build in a new area and how their families will adapt to a new city or state.

"If their family isn't happy and cannot integrate well, it does have the potential to detract how successful someone can become in their jobs," Som said.

Diverse in-house attorneys contemplating the prospect of relocating for work want to know that they will be able to relate to someone in their new home. Ron Jordan, the chairman and founder of Carter-White & Shaw, a diverse recruiting firm in Chestertown, Maryland, said many corporations do not know where or how to begin that process.

"When you bring someone [to a new location] there needs to be a process of assimilation. Not just within the culture of the in-house counsel, but to the community at large," Jordan explained. "Most general counsels and [human resources] departments don't take into consideration the cultural background of someone."

There have been times, Jordan said, where he's seen clients make sure diverse attorneys are welcome. In one instance in 2010, a client based in Minneapolis asked him to find a candidate for a corporate associate in-house role. The attorney he found was an African American woman from Atlanta. He said the company made strides to introduce her to prominent African American attorneys in Minneapolis.

"A lot of diverse attorneys, at least the ones I've worked with, want to know there is somebody there for them outside of the office," Jordan said.

That extra effort paid off. Jordan said the attorney stayed with the company for a few years, found another job, but got married and made a home in Minneapolis.

"That's a good story, but most companies, especially if you're in-house, are very insular," Jordan said. "They do not have tentacles within those communities of where the company is located."

Opportunity is another driver for attorneys. While the prospect of moving may be daunting, showing that there is a path to a high-ranking in-house legal position is another good motivator.

John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner of legal recruiting firm BarkerGilmore, said it can be difficult to get any sitting general counsel to move because their employers know their value. However, diverse entry-level and midlevel in-house attorneys may be more likely to move for the right opportunity.

"What makes this opportunity attractive? What is the draw? You need to sell the sizzle, not the steak," Gilmore said.

It may be easier to sell a move to entry-level and midlevel in-house attorneys if there is potential for growth. Jordan said oftentimes young diverse attorneys are overlooked because recruiters and their clients are not looking in the right places.

"If you want a pipeline of younger attorneys of color, then go to the Council on Legal Education Opportunity," Jordan said. "I invite my clients to go there, so they can find the next generation of lawyers of color."