NALP 2017: Kinney Recruiting’s Takeaways and Counterpoints

A lot has been written about this year’s installment of the annual NALP conference that recently took place in San Francisco. To get those who didn’t attend up to speed, the biggest overall takeaways have been: 1) the state of the market is good and recruiting is off to a great start in 2017; 2) law firms are really focused on associate retention; and 3) the Millennial generation is changing the face of Biglaw hiring.

While all of these points are certainly true to some degree, each generalization misses a lot of nuance that we’re seeing in the day-to-day world of recruiting. Yes, the recruiting market is better than it was 9 years ago at the onset of the Great Recession, but it’s important to ask what that means for any given associate.

For an attorney looking to make a lateral move, you shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security that you’re just going to blindly land your dream job because the market is great. Job prospects still depend on the person, the geographic market, the practice area, and a whole slew of other factors that active recruiters like those of us here at Kinney spend their days getting to know inside and out. If you’re looking for a change, we can help you break down what your real options are.

Is Retention the Goal?

One of the biggest factors cited by NALP to show that the market has rebounded is the notion that firms are now hugely focused on associate retention. We would suggest that that’s not entirely accurate. In our experience, firms aren’t focused on retention per se – that is, they’re not looking to retain associates across the board. Rather, firms employ targeted retention strategies aimed to cull the herd and retain the best of the best.

The reality is that, within 5-10 years of hiring, 95% of associates will leave the firm, and firms want it that way. Weaker associates are typically allowed to move on to competitors, while the strongest (if they’re not made partner) are transitioned to clients in a best-case scenario. This latter group is who firms’ retention efforts are focused on.

Too many associates are told they’re on partner track and simply accept those statements at face value. It’s understandably tempting to believe that, because you’ve been at the firm a long time and are being told things are great, you’re obviously on the path to partnership. The reality, though, is that a lot more analysis goes into the ultimate decision of whether or not a given associate will make partner.

What you’re hearing on the surface from the people you work with and bill thousands of hours for may not be in line with what the ultimate decision-makers are actually thinking. At Kinney, our recruiters talk to firms every day. We know what they really consider. While some associates’ partnership chances are very real, all too often we talk to laterals who are convinced they’re going to make partner, only to dig deeper and find out that the chances really aren’t that great. The worst is when we have to break that news to someone who hasn’t already seen the writing on the wall for himself or herself. Only an in-depth analysis of all the factors can tell whether or not you’re one of the associates being targeted for retention.

Are Millennials Changing How Biglaw Works?

Endless ink has been spilled about how Millennials are changing the way we work, not just in the legal industry. To some degree this is true, just as every generation has a tendency to change how things are done. Given the sheer size of the Millennial generation and the number of them joining the workforce, there’s bound to be some effect.

What this shift really means is an entirely different question. When most people talk about firms being “Millennial-friendly,” they’re referring to little perks that are meant to improve the age-old dilemma of work-life balance. But that’s nothing new. A focus on “firm culture” has been a big thing for associates for a long time – firms have been taking their associates out for Friday beers for 20 years that we know about and probably longer.

At the end of the day, though, what associates really care about are things like access to in-house jobs when they’re ready to move on. Even with the Millennial generation, the top associates are still first and foremost good lawyers, and good jobs are what they care about. Having programs in place to help land those good jobs is what really matters. For example, certain firms have internal programs that establish confidential contacts between associates and internal recruiters who are designated to stay in touch with people like us and connect us with associates who want to go in-house confidentially, with the goal of in-house placements down the road. Such mechanisms didn’t exist at all in the past, and smart moves like that are what really make firms more attractive to young associates.

That’s not to say that certain Millennial-friendly perks aren’t a real thing. One of the biggest that we’ve seen gaining traction in the legal market is the ability to work remotely. Some firms are openly embracing the new remote working culture, while others are still staunchly against it. While job prospects certainly remain the biggest concern, offering legitimate work-life perks that make a firm stand out from the crowd can be a big factor in recruiting. If there’s a certain perk you’re looking for, we’d be happy to discuss which firms offer it and which firms don’t.

When it comes to attorney recruitment, nuance is everything. At Kinney Recruiting, it’s our job to know those nuances and do the research, so you don’t have to. We’ve helped countless attorneys make lateral moves across the country and throughout Asia and Europe. If you have questions about the perks that various firms offer, your prospects of making partner at your current firm, or the state of the legal hiring market in general, our team is here to answer them. If you want to get in touch with me directly to bat things around, please just email robert@kinneyrecruiting.com.