War for talent

Until recently I’ve existed in my own, safe and happy little world. That is not to say that I haven’t been part of an extremely cohesive and well-matched team within our editorial department. We all get on, work closely together and help each other out. We’ve even been known to have a couple of cheeky shandies after work at our local pub. But I‘ve had autonomy over my own work, my own schedule. In particular, I’ve only had to worry about my personal press deadlines and other time-sensitive tasks. Quite selfish really.

A few weeks ago, that changed and I’ve suddenly found myself responsible for a number of publications and, more importantly, people. And, without sounding melodramatic… well, it’s actually quite daunting.

Having always been part of the ‘managed’ group, I’ve never really given much thought to exactly what goes into building and maintaining a savvy, enthusiastic and efficient team. Indeed, I’m lucky in the sense that my predecessor did a pretty good job with us and that we’re all quite balanced (as far as journalists can be). It’s tough stuff to get right. And as for recruiting? Need I say more?

Having spoken to law-firm recruitment consultancies, marketing managers and HR personnel, it would seem that you have got a hefty task to deal with when it comes to recruiting – and retaining – highly competent staff. Particularly as the much-publicised ‘war for talent’ continues – not only in the recruitment of marketing and business-development professionals, but also in marketing’s increasing role in the recruitment of graduates and qualified lawyers. As is the case with bringing in client business, so do branding, corporate social responsibility and differentiation all feature
on the checklist of potential employees. So, there’s much activity as firms compete to stand head and shoulders above the rest and entice talented individuals into their business.

For that reason, this issue is packed with perspectives from, not only marketing, but also HR professionals. We felt it only fair to include a slightly different point of view for a change, considering how closely these two functions now seem to be working.

Hopefully, the mixture of different project implementations, recruitment campaigns and people-management experiences will provide some inspiration. Particularly as many of us struggle to cope with the ‘lost’ UK summer.

As always, I would love to hear any article ideas or feedback and can be contacted at kclifton@ark-group.com. Happy head-hunting.

Kate Clifton
Editor

Features

Opinion: Ch-Ch-Ch-Change (turn and face the strain) Free
The trepidation with which David Bowie’s lyrics approach the topic of change is mirrored by the behaviours of management teams in professional firms everywhere.
Never before have they been faced with such a dynamic business environment, with increased competition emanating from both within and outside their traditional professional boundaries. The cosy barriers that served so well to protect them from the rigours of the commercial world are now in tatters.

Case study: White & Case LLP This article is for subscribers only
Graduate recruitment in law firms around the world ranges from being very organised and systematic to being completely unstructured and ad hoc. A lot depends on the size of the firm, the type of practice and the culture of the country where the firm is located.
Having recently been involved in setting up a graduate-recruitment programme for an international law firm in Moscow, I thought it perhaps fitting to offer some suggestions in the event you are ever challenged to start up a graduate-recruitment function for an evolving or new market, or need ideas to ‘perk up’ your current recruiting process.

Case study: Project Shoreditch This article is for subscribers only
Project Shoreditch is a unique partnership between East London Business Alliance (ELBA), Linklaters, Deutsche Bank, UBS and the Shoreditch Trust, with the aim of involving business to promote regeneration of the community.
The project is the first time that three major City firms have worked directly with a government-backed regeneration programme, by focusing on the support and skills their employees can give to a deprived area. As far as we know, Project Shoreditch is the only example of such organisations working collabratively with a regeneration agency.

Case study: Burges Salmon LLP Free
Burges Salmon has always been a firm that places enormous value on its people. It only makes sense, therefore, that a lot of thought and energy should go into the recruitment process to maintain a steady stream of talent coming into the firm. We are lucky to have a team in place that focuses entirely on recruitment. This has enabled us to spend time refining the processes we use and ensures a high level of service for every candidate coming through. It also enables us to work closely with our advertising agency to come up with an advertising campaign that truly reflects the firm’s values and recruitment strategy.

Opinion: Mixing it up Free
Public relations is no longer focused simply on managing media relations. An integrated strategy can help maximise PR impact, both inside and outside the firm.
In this article, I want to discuss the concept of integrated public relations: how we define it, why we choose such an approach and how it works in practice.

Regulars

Cover feature: Leading and learning This article is for subscribers only
Unlike many businesses, law firms’ employees truly are their biggest assets. The ‘war for talent’ remains fierce. CMS Cameron McKenna is making a conscious effort to raise people management as a priority, putting retention of employees on a par with commitment to client excellence. Leadership training and ongoing education for assistants have been two areas explored.
Business school rhetoric along the lines of ‘people are our most important asset’ or ‘you will become who you hire’ has become somewhat tired in recent years.

Thought leader Free
Throughout the world, law firms are struggling to keep their lawyers at happy and motivated levels. The globally linked problem of recruitment and retention demonstrates the symptoms of a greater malaise of discontent within the profession. It is also clear that throwing money at young lawyers does not make the problem go away – Maslow may have proposed his ‘hierarchy of needs’ more than sixty years ago, but there is something in his theory which suggests that once the need for financial security is met, a person naturally seeks other motivations and inspirations.