When it comes to a competitive legal job market, law firms face some unique challenges. As a result, firms need help retaining top legal talent and attracting new hires with the right skills. This article offers helpful information if you’re looking to attract and retain top-tier legal talent at your personal injury law firm.
What do the numbers say about the legal talent shortage?
The legal industry is facing a serious talent shortage as baby boomers retire and millennials choose other career paths.
This could lead to further disruption in the industry. As these shortages become more acute, it could present challenges for individuals trying to find legal representation. If these possible shortages continue, law firms may not be able to hire as many new associates or accept as many new cases. That is why it is essential to retain the attorneys you have on your team.
What’s one of the keys to retaining top legal talent?
Better case management.
You can build real impact with a legal practice analytics dashboard that helps you see and analyze KPIs like caseload by the attorney, stalled cases, matter open and close dates, overdue tasks, etc. This will allow you to analyze your firm’s performance, make informed decisions, and take action to keep your firm successful. In addition, you can use an iOS and Android legal case management app to stay up-to-date, manage cases, intakes, documents, and calendars, and collaborate remotely with coworkers.
How to attract top legal talent
An effective way to attract excellent candidates is to offer part-time, flexible, or remote work schedule options. This shows your current and potential team members that you are invested in their personal well-being and want them to be happy with their work schedules.
However, before you move forward with the hiring process, consider rethinking your interview procedures and focus on attracting people who would be a good fit for your organization.
How to retain top legal talent
To retain legal talent, it’s important to create an environment where lawyers and staff feel valued and appreciated. This includes not only providing sufficient compensation but other factors, including the office culture and work environment.
When evaluating the office culture and conditions, is there room for improvement? Many firms expect attorneys to work long hours, which can be difficult for those who have families or other responsibilities outside of work. Does your firm offer a flexible work environment where attorneys can work long hours, but take time off when necessary for personal obligations or emergencies?
How can you show employees you care?
Lawyers who are satisfied at work are more likely to stay in their current position. This is a big reason why law firms are having trouble retaining top talent. If you want to keep your best people around, you need to show them you care.
Does your organization have a mentorship program? Is there a way for senior firm members to help associate attorneys and share their experiences over the years, including their successes and the mistakes they made along the way? This is an excellent way for associate attorneys to learn from the experience of their more senior team members and improve office morale.
If you have trouble managing your legal team, using law firm task management software can be a great solution to improve productivity. Through this tool, you will be able to create, assign, and track tasks through various phases of the case. This system makes matter management easier, more predictable, and more efficient.
A secure cloud-based legal platform can help you run your practice from anywhere and have peace of mind knowing that you are using a secure program and all of your client’s legal information is safe.
Should you offer benefits that matter to employees?
Beyond compensation, you should also think about the other benefits you offer employees. This can be especially important if you want to recruit new talent or retain high-performing attorneys.
Health insurance is a standard benefit offered by many law firms. You may want to consider adding a health-savings account to your benefits package. This tax-advantaged account can help employees save for out-of-pocket medical expenses. Another option to consider is adding dental or vision benefits to your health plan. You can also offer a 401(k) plan, which allows employees to contribute to a retirement account.
What tools do lawyers use for case management?
The most successful lawyers use functional solutions to manage their legal teams more effectively. The technology a firm uses will depend on the size of the firm and the number of clients. With tools such as matter management software, you can communicate with your team and share important information through different matter-specific communication channels. Implementing legal talent management and promoting collaboration within your legal team is a great way to retain your most valued contributors and ensure they’re satisfied with their roles.
Regardless of the industry, businesses need to be careful when hiring and retaining new employees. This is especially true in the legal industry, where firms are having trouble finding and keeping top legal talent. Learn more about how Cloud-based legal management software can help your office improve its IT systems and create a more efficient workplace for you and the top attorneys on your team. Request a demo of CloudLex today.
