Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from the Reinventing Professionals podcast, hosted by legal tech speaker and consultant Ari Kaplan, provided to Legaltech News. Kaplan speaks with Zelda Owens, the managing director of attorney placements for the Glenmont Group, a leading legal industry recruiting firm. She has also served as director of Women in E-Discovery's New York City chapter and as the chairperson of the Masters Conference.

Ari Kaplan: Tell us about your background and your role at the Glenmont Group.

Zelda Owens: My background is in information management and outsourcing. I have spent the past 11 years in the legal industry providing outsourcing services, particularly in e-discovery for law firms and corporations. I really wanted to focus on providing law firms and corporations exceptional legal talent so I joined the Glenmont Group.

Ari Kaplan: How has the recruiting process changed during your tenure in the field?

Zelda Owens: The recruiting process is much more transactional now than it was 10 years ago. Attorneys really had to develop networks of senior legal contacts in order to find great opportunities and it was much more relationship driven. Now, it's a much more transactional process because there is not a lot of available talent, while the need for attorneys and related positions has increased tremendously. I'm finding that as a recruiter, companies and law firms really want to see the profile, skillset, and success of attorneys in order to vet those that they want to hire.

Ari Kaplan: How can candidates distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive market?

Zelda Owens: Attorneys must have additional skills in order to be competitive. For instance, I have been a resource for corporations and law firms in providing privacy counsel. Employers are looking for people who know how to work with software developers and IT leaders. Those attorneys are really in demand because they have deep domain expertise.

Ari Kaplan: In what areas is technology displacing human talent?

Zelda Owens: In law, I would have to say it is in areas effectively utilizing artificial intelligence. In the discovery world, instead of having live human attorneys go through documents, algorithms are now choosing the records on which attorneys should focus. As a result, it takes much less talent to review that material. Anything that requires a judgment call that is repeatable will be replaced by technology.

Ari Kaplan: You moderated a panel at the New York City Masters Conference on July 24 about building what you called “rockstar” teams. What are some best practices for law firms and law departments who are interested in doing just that?

Zelda Owens: Actually, the general counsel on our panel mentioned that he doesn't need a “rockstar” team. He wants a team that can perform consistently, and in a timely and cost-effective manner. Although law firms feel that they have to provide the very best talent and service, corporations are increasingly recognizing that this approach is just too expensive and can exceed their budget. Often, all they want is a team that is good and reliable. That was a very surprising revelation as we engaged in our discussion.

Ari Kaplan: Where do you see legal recruiting headed?

Zelda Owens: Legal recruiting, especially at the junior level, will continue to be transactional so that the law firms themselves can use technology and online services to find good talent. For more senior, sophisticated attorney talent, human recruiters will definitely continue to vet and shepherd people through the process so that corporations and law firms can find top talent that will fit into their senior level teams.

 

Ari Kaplan regularly interviews leaders in the legal industry and in the broader professional services community to share perspective, highlight transformative change, and introduce new technology at ReinventingProfessionals.com.