March 22, 2017 | Share

Keep Your Eyes Open: What to Look for When Hiring Legal Staff

By guest blogger: Shawndria McCoy, Esq., a North Carolina attorney

This article is catered to the private practice attorney seeking to hire office staff, whether adding a partner, associate, paralegal, legal secretary, or receptionist to their office. It is imperative that you hire the best person especially since this person will be the face of your business.  You want to ensure that your office staff will encourage growth in the office, which only comes by how they represent your business.  Clients can make or break your business simply by the recommendation they give to others on how they were treated by you and your office staff.  You want clients to flock to your firm, not steer clear.  There are many aspects you want to keep in mind when hiring office staff.  I discuss just a few here.

1. What is the prospective employee’s work ethic? You do not want someone who cannot come to work on time or who simply sits in the pretty office waiting for the phone to ring. No! You want to hire someone who will hustle for clients and encourage the business to grow and who also desire to grow themselves. You need a go-getter, not a complacent person. You want someone who can be professional and respectful in the workplace and that includes not only how they act, but also someone who can get to work on time. The prospective employee needs to be someone who really wants to work and not spend time on their cell phone or playing games on the computer or calling out sick every other day. Equally important, you want a person that is a team player and not one trying to cause conflicts in the workplace among other employees or with clients.
2. How does the person communicate? Professionalism is a must and there is no way around it. Does the person say thank you and speak gently to clients? Are they abrasive and cold and condescending? Definitely not the person you want in your firm. Phone etiquette is a high priority as it is usually the first interaction many clients have with the firm before they see a face.
3. Can you trust the person? Opening your business’ and clients’ personal information up to just anyone is unacceptable and in some instances, unethical. You have to be sensitive to who you hire to ensure that to the best of your ability the person is not making you or the firm vulnerable to confidentiality breaches and/or a lawsuit. A partner is typically more likely to take great care in their actions since they share ethical responsibility in the firm. However, a legal secretary is not held to the same standard as an attorney and do not have to worry about maintaining any type of license to work. As an attorney your state bar license is always on the line and can be taken away due to the conduct of an employee. You cannot afford to play with your license or to allow anyone else to do so. Consider the prospective employees’ background. A person fired from a previous job for embezzlement probably is not a good candidate to be working in your firm and receiving money from clients.
4. Does the prospective employee possess the necessary skill set to get the job done and done correctly? Sometimes, we can be tempted to hire a person because they are our friend or family member and are in desperate need of a job. Sympathy for a person cannot outweigh efficiency. You want a person who will be able to keep up with a growing business and with the necessary skills that the business requires. If you practice in an area that requires you to send out a lot of emails and letters on a daily basis, would it be efficient and effective for you to hire someone who types 10 words per minute? Likewise, does their skill set and work experience match the salary they are asking for? There will be a learning curve in any job and no employee will know everything, but you want them to walk into the door at least having some basic knowledge and ability to perform.
5. Dress is key. Because you will likely be meeting clients at your office and your staff will interact with them before you do, you want someone who will “dress for the part.” I understand many businesses, including law firms, offer a dress down jean policy on Fridays or special occasions. Everyday should not be a dress down day. Your staff should dress professional. Do not accept an employee who wears cutout jeans, even if it is dress down Friday, or halter tops or shorts and flip flops. In my opinion, a sloppy dresser is equivalent to sloppy work. You do not want clients to think your work is sloppy by how your staff present their appearance. Make your employees take pride in their appearance. Again, they are the face of your business.
6. What is the individual’s personal goals? Is the person seeking temporary work or longevity in their career? Training staff to assist you in the manner you desire is not an easy task. It takes time, patience, and work to get your office staff acclimated to a routine that will help your business grow and thrive. As best you can, you want someone who desires to work for you for some time – at least 2 years. You do not want to hire someone today, spend 6 months training them only to have them quit the following week. I understand this is something you cannot always prevent, but when interviewing the person you can gather ideas on their plans for longevity and stability. This also means you want someone who is easily adaptable. The legal profession is not stagnant and neither is the business world. Technology, business practices, and the law itself are constantly changing, and you want someone who can keep up with changes.
7. If you are seeking to hire a partner, what do they have to offer to the partnership? Are they bringing funds, experience, exceptional knowledge? What practice areas will they be practicing in? What are their expectations for the business and how will they contribute to its growth? What is their character and track record interacting with others? How long have you known this person? What is their individual motivation for practicing law and what are their motivations for desiring to become a partner? There is much to be learned when hiring a partner so do not take this lightly. A partner can add to the firm or subtract. Avoid the parasites and the person who simply wants to ride your coattails because they see your hustle. A partnership is a give and take for all partners.