When you’re engaged in inhouse legal recruitment, it inevitably means a comprehensive review of many potential candidates. In your process of interviews, you might wonder how best to distinguish between so many high-caliber candidates. The good news is that there are a few red flags you can look for during the hiring process that should deter you from a prospective in-house lawyer or at least prompt some serious questions.
Red Flag 1: You have trouble securing meeting times
Some candidates you review will already be working somewhere, perhaps in private practice. That’s to be expected, as they’re contemplating moving to become an in-house lawyer instead of one working for a law firm. Are you having trouble locking down meetings or interviews with this candidate? Does the lawyer candidate get in touch to push back or change interview times?
Some companies looking for in-house lawyers accommodate this lack of availability, even going so far as to think positively since the lawyer must be sought after. This is wrong-headed, and a serious candidate would make time and stick to appointments as agreed. If anything, it also shows something of a cavalier attitude to other people’s time. Will they be the same in your company?
Red Flag 2: They employ a condescending tone
When you ask the candidate questions on legal matters, take careful note of the tone to answer. An in-house lawyer will have to explain complex legal issues to non-legal professionals daily, which means doing so in an approachable, accessible, and affable manner. If you detect a hint of condescension, of impatience, perhaps the tiny hint of an eye roll, then this is not a good candidate for the position.
A successful in-house lawyer can explain even the most complex legal problem in simple terms, possibly using analogies or other linguistic tools to make it less “legalese” and more a language people can follow and have confidence in.
Red Flag 3: The candidate appears disorganised
Suppose you can look at how your candidate lawyer operates and pay attention to how they appear to organize themselves. In that case, you can gain insight into this candidate’s quality. Do they keep ordered notes on a computer or tablet? Or do they have chaotic hand-written notepads packed with gibberish?
You can even sense their organization by how they dress, how prompt they are for the interview or meeting, how much detail or information they can recall without being scattered, and searching for it across different platforms when they would typically deliver about deadlines…the list goes on. Get a sense of their organization, and favor those with strong organizational skills.
Red Flag 4: The candidate is a self-promoter
Lawyers are ambitious career people. It’s in their nature. That’s not a bad thing when they work in law firms because it helps them climb the ladder to reach partner level, higher salaries, and better, more high-profile cases. When working as an in-house lawyer, they are part of a wider team and need to be collaborators. In-house legal counsel needs to be interested in others within the company, protecting others’ interests and promoting the health of the company or organization.
Red Flag 5: Poor communicator
Your in-house lawyer will need to communicate on different levels. A certain caginess and reticence with outsiders are helpful when the lawyer represents you in legal matters. Still, communication skills need to be in tip-top condition when working as part of a team.
For instance, if you’ve written emails to your candidate, how long did it take them to respond? Did you get it straight away when you requested information, or did it take time? Lawyers need to be elegant, agile communicators who can react quickly and get the right message across every time.
In the time of hiring, you must consider all the red flags. This is how you will successfully be able to hire a good professional lawyer.
