Struggling to compete with larger firms when it comes to compensation, midsized firms can look to culture, including hybrid working arrangements, as a way to bring in and retain talent, a legal search firm leader said at a recent roundtable hosted by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

“Culture is really the No. 1 thing. People stay at firms because they’re happy; if they’re not happy, they’ll leave,” said Brian Levinson, founder and managing partner of Alevistar Legal Search. “Your associates, your partners are getting contacted on a regular basis … they might not look to leave, but if they’re happy, they might not even take [a recruiter’s] call, but if they’re not happy, they’re going to want to hear what’s happening.”