Successful law firms know that the ability to effectively share their story with potential employees is critical to attracting the most desirable talent. But how do you tell a story that is compelling?

Choose A Theme

If you’ve been in the business of law for any length of time, there are many stories available to tell. But not all of them will convey the theme or central ideas you’re trying to share. That’s why you need to define the central theme for your law firm story. For the purposes of law firm storytelling, a theme is a central idea or topic that shapes your story. A law firm could have several stories they share that have various themes. For example, when sharing your law firm story with job candidates, maybe you share stories that emphasize the theme of “teamwork” or “loyalty to exceptional employees.”  It’s important to remember that your theme should connect to the desires of the listener. Here at Smokeball, we want our clients and potential employees to know the faces behind the name and get to know us a little better.

Pick Central Characters

Job candidates don’t connect to abstract ideas, they connect to people. That’s why it’s important to choose the right central characters of your law firm story.  For example, if the theme of your law firm is “loyalty to exceptional employees,” you might share a story about how you helped a specific employee reach her career goals within your law firm when it may have seemed easier to just allow her to go to another firm.  Your characters should be fully alive—share details about their circumstances and how they came to law.  The more fleshed out your characters, the more powerful your law firm story will resonate with candidates considering a job at your firm.

Don’t Fear Conflict

Good stories have conflict. When you’re sharing your law firm story with job candidates, don’t be afraid to let them see the dark side of what your law firm has had to overcome.  While it’s good to list your accomplishments, it’s more important to talk about your failures and how you came back from those failures. It’s the story of overcoming failures that most candidates will connect to.

Skip Minute Details

This is a tricky skill—good law firm stories only share what’s most important. A story that gets too bogged down in the details will lose the attention of the listener/reader.  Here are a few tips on how to cut the fat from your law firm story:

• Start in the middle. If you’re sharing your law firm story with others, never start at the very beginning—start right before the major conflict starts. For example, if your law firm story is about how you opened your law firm 20 years ago, faced a tough financial time when work in your practice area shrunk, and then made a comeback when you took a chance by switching to a completely different practice area, you need to start that story right before your law firm faced financially hard times.
• Focus on only the necessary details. Don’t share any facts that are not directly related to the overall story and theme you’re trying to share. Using the example of making a comeback, don’t share details about how you suddenly decided to rent a different office during your financial crisis, unless that detail directly relates to your law firm comeback.
• Leave them wanting more. If you have to choose between boring your audience with too many details and not giving enough information, choose to leave your audience asking for more.  An audience who wants more information is an engaged audience.

Crafting a powerful law firm story will help you attract the right type of job candidates.

***

Mike Smith is the Talent Manager of Smokeball, a legal case management software company that automates over legal forms tailored for all areas of law making it easier than ever for solos and small law firms to increase productivity and become more efficient. With over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, Mike has been able to bring his expertise with helping many businesses strategically plan for recruiting quality talent while planning, implementing and evaluating company culture, programs, policies and practices as well as employee relations.  Mike holds a Masters in Science in Management and Organizational Behavior.