A Data-Driven Look At Law Firm Recruitment Success

We've selected a group of 10 law firms for a close examination of their recruitment 'return on investment.'

Today, most sophisticated law firms would hesitate to undertake any important initiative — whether formulating trial strategy or cultivating potential clients — without leveraging the power of data. Yet when it comes to identifying and developing their most important assets — their own associates and partners — traditional approaches persist.

Law firm recruiters employ GPA cutoffs and favored school lists when recruiting students, but can it be quantified whether this approach results in successful, long-term associates? In many regards, the legal profession has belatedly come into its data-driven phase, so it is time to bring the same objective, quantitative rigor to the crucial enterprise of recruiting and retaining legal talent.

Together with our friends at Leopard Solutions, we’ve selected a group of 10 law firms — including Shearman & Sterling, O’Melveny & Myers, and Goodwin Procter — for a close examination of their recruitment “return on investment.” Leveraging the industry’s most comprehensive database, we examine these firms’ recruitment success (or lack thereof) across an array of attorney categories and analyzing variables.

In addition to comparing the firms’ recruitment ROI performance for new hires and laterals (associates, partners, and counsel), we will also share insights from the data on each individual firm concerning the interplay between recruitment ROI and:

  • Promotion Rate
  • Law School
  • Gender
  • Practice Area
  • Geographic Market

Check out our full report, packed with detail on all 10 of our sample firms, available for free download here.