How to Evaluate a Potential Legal Support Recruiting Firm in Toronto

Finding good legal support staff can be tough.  You need someone with experience, strong knowledge and skills, and the personality and work ethic to mesh well with your existing team.  Turning to a recruiter can help – but how do you know which recruiting firm to choose?

Improve your odds of finding the right people on your timetable by selecting a recruiter with the following attributes:

Local Focus

Some recruiting firms advertise that they serve entire provinces, or even the entire country.  While a national reach can sound promising, it often means that the recruiter’s knowledge of your particular geographic area – and the legal support talent who work in it – is thin.

Instead, look for a recruiter that is based in and focuses on serving the geographic area in which you practice law.  Your recruiter will understand the business and legal pressures facing your practice.  He or she will also know the people; both the best legal support professionals currently working, and the “rising stars” at various law firms and legal departments.

Legal Support Specialization

Whether they focus locally or nationally, some recruiting firms try to offer a “one-stop shop” solution when it comes to staffing.  If you need someone, they boast, they’ll have them!

Like a large geographic focus, a large professional focus means trading depth of knowledge for breadth.  Your recruiter may end up being a “mile wide” on jobs, but an “inch deep” on understanding the real demands and day-to-day work required in any of them.

The best legal support recruiters limit their work to finding the right people for law firms and legal departments – period.  They devote their time to understanding precisely what makes law different and what makes legal support staff thrive.  This means better candidates and better results.

Personal Connections

Finally, choose a staffing firm where you can reach your recruiter, in person, every time you call.

Why?  Your connection with your staffing firm is a relationship.  Like any relationship, its quality improves as you communicate, send feedback, and share information.  A recruiter who takes this relationship as seriously as you do – and shows it by picking up the phone – will take the time to understand what makes your practice unique and will find people who support that vision.

At Kent Legal, we focus on placing legal support professionals with law firms and legal departments throughout the greater Toronto area.  Contact us today to learn more.

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