Alternative-Fact April: 5 Traits Self-Employed Attorneys Bring To Employers
I want to conclude my “Alternative Fact April” miniseries with what I think is the biggest myth when it comes to employers’ reluctance to hire attorneys with a small-firm or solo-practice background (who I will refer to as “self-employed attorneys” for the remainder of this column).
That myth is: They bring nothing to the table.
I’ve learned that when employers and recruiters want someone who brings something to the table, it almost always means one of two things: Experience or a book of business. And it’s not just any experience. When firms (especially large or mid-sized firms) say they want someone with experience, what they really mean is experience working for a similar or larger firm. You could have done the same type of work as a solo or small-firm associate or partner, but for some reason, that doesn’t count.
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Today, I want to highlight five skills that self-employed attorneys bring to the table.
They understand the value of clients from a business perspective. I think the best trait that self-employed attorneys bring is that they appreciate the value of a paying client. As business owners, they realize that signing up clients pays for overhead expenses like rent, utilities, professional memberships and online research subscriptions, to name a few. And a lot of times, business expenses take precedence over their own personal expenses, including food. Accordingly, they will be more responsive to clients’ needs, show the appropriate bedside manner, and take advantage of all business development and upsell opportunities.
They are trainable and self-motivated. I get that every lawyer is smart and more motivated than the average bear. But self-employed lawyers have to take it to the next level to survive. They had to learn everything on their own or they won’t be able to serve clients and get paid. While they may have had practice guides and mentors to help them, it was still up to them to learn the nitty-gritty nuances that can only be learned through experience. The better self-employed attorneys continue to learn new skills and adapt to changing trends.
They made mistakes and learned from them. A common demand from employers is that they do not want to train anyone. Or they do not want to deal with the employee’s mistakes. Self-employed lawyers make mistakes as they grow their practice — mistakes involving billing, client intake, employee management, collections, collaborating with idiotic colleagues, and overpaying for useless services. They will continue to make minor mistakes but at least they have a better chance of minimizing the effect.
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They have managerial experience. Self-employed attorneys have some level of managerial experience. Many have employed legal assistants, secretaries, contract attorneys, and even a full-time associate. They may not be familiar with the advanced managerial techniques of Six Sigma, but as the Alpha and Omega of their practice, they have to master the basics of managing people. The average self-employed attorney makes sure that their employees get their jobs done. The truly great ones will motivate their employees to go above and beyond their job duties.
They truly appreciate diversity. In the legal profession, most people’s experience with diversity is limited to drafting diversity policies, attending cultural sensitivity classes, or spending an hour each week watching ABC’s Blackish and Fresh Off The Boat. But self-employed attorneys have to embrace diversity or they won’t have much of a practice. Not only that, if they mistreat anyone because of their race/gender/disability/etc. and it offends the wrong social justice warrior, their business will be virally shamed into oblivion.
But on a more positive note, self-employed attorneys have a diverse client base. Because these attorneys have worked with different groups of people, they are less likely to be prejudiced and harbor implicit biases. Also, they are likely to do more to improve a firm’s diversity rather than just giving lip service.
I should point out that not all self-employed attorneys display the above traits. I will be the first to concede that some are clueless on many levels and as a result, their practice will plateau at a very low point. But I think it is not that hard to separate the good from those who are all talk. The good ones have a strong reputation with the local bar and have a good internet presence.
At my law school OCI and at numerous job fairs and informational interviews, recruiters and employers talk big about wanting to hire people who are self-motivated, can work with others, and appreciate diversity. But when it comes to making the actual hiring decisions, they still fall back on pedigree, which results in a halo effect for a few people.
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The overall message I want to convey with my columns this month is that employers should spend more time reviewing a candidate on a holistic level instead of relying on superstitions and stereotypes when a candidate’s résumé is not perfect. I realize that it’s still a tall order, however, and it might take a cataclysmic event before the status quo changes.
Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.
