- Juristech carefully encourages the candidate to disclose all material elements of a proposed job change.
- Juristech listens to the candidate. We defer to the candidate over the phone and let them talk. We listen to what the candidate is trying to say and just as importantly, we respect what candidates may be hesitant to disclose.
- We consider the response time between questions presented to the candidate and the answers to gauge spontaneity, sincerity and clarity of mind and knowledge.
- We are willing to politely ask the hard questions to both clients and candidates. In order to protect the candidate, if we don’t think a particular opportunity is culturally appropriate for a candidate we, will inform them. We will screen on issues relating to compensation and job requirements in order to save everyone’s time.
- We carefully encourage the hiring entity (law firm or corporation) to disclose all material elements of the proposed opportunity.
- We seek out and encourage the candidate to disclose differentiating factors of his/her candidacy. What is it about the candidate that makes them unique, better suited for a particular, or different opportunities?
- We seek out and encourage the hiring client to disclose differentiating factors of the proposed position. What is it about the job that makes it unique from other opportunities in the same practice area?
- We listen to the hiring firm and ask the hard questions. Request consent to contact other members of the organization for more input on a given job description.
- Ask permission to contact prior employees who may have moved to a new position within the firm in order to ask them about the proposed opportunity.
- We call professionals who were previously employed with a law firm or company to learn more about the underlying realities of a given position or hiring entity. Use LinkedIn to find them.
- We ask about the client’s concrete policies as well as opinions relating to telecommuting.
- We request that the candidate make certain the resume or C.V. contain italicized transition sentences beneath each job held in the past to briefly encapsulate why the candidate moved from job A to job B. We then follow up by verbally asking the candidate to explain particular job changes. We carefully analyze the longevity record of each job held by the candidate. In a very general sense, the longer the better.
- We carefully consider the number of jobs previously held by the candidate. Make sure that the number of jobs held by the candidate does not exceed the maximum number of prior jobs acceptable to a given law firm or hiring entity. But we do not assume that a large number of jobs necessarily disqualifies a candidate. In 2012, Juristech placed a textile patent specialist who had a long string of jobs, who nevertheless was hired by the law firm due to a compelling need for that patent specialty. The placement later proved to be successful.
- We tell the candidate to create a standard resume format, starting with formal education, including both undergrad and law school name and years of graduation.
- We encourage date specificity on resumes, to mention the month and year of each position held.
- We tell the candidate to produce a PDF or scanned copy of both transcripts and to attach them on the same e-mail as the resume and cover e-mail.
- Also on the same resume and transcript e-mail, we ask the candidate to include a three or four maximum paragraph cover email arguing why their candidacy would be ideal for a particular position. Encourage the candidate to keep all three components in one e-mail: resume, transcripts and cover e-mail.
- We call the candidate and the hiring firm the day before a proposed interview to remind both sides of the imminent meeting. Also e-mail notice.
- We ask the candidate about his/her interview thoughts. How comfortable is the candidate generally during interviews? Give them the golden rule: don’t talk too much or too little. A good interview is a spirited game of verbal tennis, keep a good volley of words back and forth.
- If representing a partner level candidate where portable business is required for a given position, we ask the candidate how many support staff, including associates and paralegals or assistants report back to the candidate. The more support staff, the greater the indication that the candidate has generative ability or portable business. Another subtle approach is to ask “what can you tell me about your generative ability or portable business?”
Don’t ever pressure a candidate into giving up information on portables early in the representation- but you can gently inform them that portables is often a threshold issue in the lateral move of partners. - We seek express verbal or written consent from a candidate to submit his/her bio, LinkedIn profile or resume to a given potential employer.
- It is permissible to request carte blanche from a candidate, or the permission to submit identifying information about the candidate to any firm or company without expressly seeking consent from the candidate for each potential submission. The recruiter is permitted to send the resume/bio at will to any potential employer without firm by firm consent once general consent is provided by the candidate. Giving carte blanche makes it easier for a recruiter to uncover all potential opportunities and provides the recruiter with incentive to spend more time submitting the resume to more potential opportunities.
- Juristech recruiters tell candidates the golden rule: tell us what you know about your situation and candidacy. The more comprehensive and accurate our information, the better quality advice and representation we can provide to the candidate.
- After gently asking about portables, from law firm candidates we ask for a range of billing rates for different types of matters.
- We ask whether the candidate has been submitted to other firms or companies within the past 12 months. A candidate who doesn’t know where the resume was submitted is a red flag, a sign that the candidate might be in some ways, disorganized.
- Nine times out of ten, when a candidate refuses to provide portable information it means they don’t have the requisite level of portables the job requires.
- Juristech is able to provide information about cost of living and tax differentials from one state to another.
- Juristech can provide state bar reciprocity requirements for all 50 jurisdictions.
- For qualified candidates, Juristech will submit an e-mail research inquiry to determine if a certain job exists for a particular background of a candidate. This could consist of multiple emails being submitted to partners in different firms to determine if there may be a dormant or active interest in a certain type of candidate. The approach is acceptable to the partner recipients about 99% of the time. For the 1% that ask not to be contacted, their e-mail is placed in our “do not e-mail”, automated block box, provided in our appropriate software program.
- Juristech regularly conducts regional and sometimes national e-mail inquiries to find appropriate candidates for a particular position.
Our Services
Our Expertise
Juristech Associates, Ltd recruiting and consulting services include:
- Permanent placement of lateral attorneys, including partners and associates. (See Open Positions).
- Placement of intellectual property specialists, including patent attorneys, trademark attorneys, patent agents and searchers.
- Placement of practice groups and assistance in the creation of practice departments.
- (Assisting in) Creation of job descriptions to target most appropriate candidates.
- (Assisting in) Creation of resume to offer prospective employers a clear understanding of a legal candidate.
- Confirmation of bar admissions (patent or general)
- Career counseling.
- Portable business development strategy assessment.
- Assisting in Lateral Partner Questionnaire Completion.
- The Provision of Interview Guidance.
Elements of Service:
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