Guide to Legal Staff

Hiring law staff with the right skills and retaining them through training
By Trisha Schulz

When it comes to operating your law firm, you know that your legal support staff is crucial to your success. Finding the right fit for your firm is key to getting the outstanding results you need. Then, once you've got the right staff, you'll need to focus on training and keeping the staff productive and together.

To retain productive employees, make them feel ownership with the firm and its services. Get the entire office on board with strategic developments so they feel they have a say in the direction of the company. Pay also can be a mighty tool for legal support staff, and you should never underpay a valued employee. Consider the following information when looking to hire and retain law staff:

1. Focus on the person, not the resume. For administrative staff, legal knowledge is a must but procedures can be taught.

2. Remember that it only takes one negative employee on your law staff to bring down morale for the entire office.

3. Once you've hired an effective legal staff you've got to be willing to work to retain them. Be respectful and don't take their efforts for granted.

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire a legal staffing agency Find a legal staffing services company that keeps your goals in the forefront. Expertise in placements and taking the time to fully understand your specific needs are critical considerations when hiring legal staffing companies.

I recommend: Secure temporary or direct hires through Frontline Source Group, based in Texas. With offices in major cities throughout the US and Canada, Robert Half Legal staffing services offers professional placement to law firms and corporate legal departments.

Test legal staff skills before a new hire Evaluating a potential employee's skills and knowledge is the key to any effective hire. A number of companies provide tests for job candidates to take, and there's always the option of creating your own.

I recommend: ABA Search & Staffing offers a skills evaluation system that utilizes several tests for potential employees to prove basic litigation knowledge, legal abbreviations and more. Browse through the tests available from KGA.

Explore options in training for legal staff While ongoing learning is crucial for staff updates in the law profession, perhaps the best audience for training is new employees and legal support staff. Take advantage of training opportunities via the web or in your city.

I recommend: Seminar Information Service provides a litigation skills seminar that covers client interviews, pleadings, discovery and trial preparation. TrainUp.com also offers a seminar on discovery for legal staff. You can request a date for an on-site seminar.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Human resources experts recommend that there always be more than one person who can perform a task. Cross-training your legal staff is a must, but don't assume all employees will be solid performers in all areas.