Info on legal talent/recruitment jobs

[shadow]

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on what it’s like to work in a legal talent/recruitment position at a firm. 

I was thinking of pivoting as I heard the work life balance is much better than a typical lawyer’s hours but I know no one who is in this type of role. 

I specifically would like to know what your day would look like in this job, what the pay is like, if you enjoyed the work, and if there actually is a better work life balance. 

Thank you!

[SNAILS]

Are you thinking you want to work in HR? To my knowledge (which is quite limited, actually), law firms employ HR people who are not lawyers, and the hiring decisions are made by partners whose primary job is firms management and practicing law. In other words, I'm not sure there is much work out there for a lawyer in "legal talent/recruitment."

The straight HR jobs would pay less that than of a lawyer since they would be on par with HR jobs at other companies (manufacturing, communications, finance). 

Someone more familiar with big law might have more knowledge.

[BlockedQuebecois]

I assume OP is looking at student and associate recruitment positions such as Ari Blicker at Aird & Berlis or Lynn Thomson at NRF (or their assistant directors, etc.). Those people tend to be former lawyers, whereas the underlying HR folks (i.e., payroll, etc.) tend not to be. 

@shadow, I don't think any regular posters here have that background. If you've worked in a big firm, you're probably well placed to understand what their day-to-day looks like. For example, I expect the typical responsibilities would include: (i) planning the firm's recruitment strategy with the firm's leadership; (ii) implementing that strategy by reviewing applications, scheduling and coordinating interviews, etc.; and (iii) running the firm's summer / articling student / associate programs. At most firms, there tends to also be overlap with legal training and retention (so you are helping coordinate performance reviews, etc.) and committee membership (e.g., you may be on the firms DEI committee). 

My understanding is that the pay is a step back from being a lawyer, but not a massive one, and for what it is worth, everyone I know in the role seems very happy with their decision. 

With all that said, I would recommend you reach out to a younger person in one of those roles to see if they are willing to meet and have a coffee chat about their jobs.

[shadow]

@BlockedQuebecois yes you’re correct in the type of positions I’m inquiring about. 

Thanks for the info! I will be reaching out to someone who is in one of these roles.