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What do in-house lawyers look for in an employer?
The director of G2 Legal discusses what makes an organisation enticing to legal counsel.
Jess Feyder
Recently, on The Corporate Counsel Show, Daniel Stirling, director at G2 Legal, discussed the factors that are important to in-house legal professionals when choosing an organisation.
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“There’s certainly a lot of the factors that people are considering these days, not just, ‘OK, who’s going to pay me a little bit more than the next place’,” said Mr Stirling.
The first notable factor is the kind of working experience available to them; it has become especially important to candidates that the organisation offers flexible work, he said.
Flexible work is almost an expectation now, whereas before, it was more of an anomaly, Mr Stirling reflected.
It’s so important even that it was speculated that if the option of working from home was withdrawn after COVID-19 lockdowns ended, then resignations would occur, he noted, though many organisations chose to retain at least some flexibility.
Beforehand, some organisations might have allowed a bit of work from home, but now, many are comfortable if people are in the office one or two days a week, Mr Stirling noted.
“The expectations there. If you’re not offering that, or something competitive in that way, then it’s going to make it a bit more challenging to bring people on board,” he stated.
Nowadays, candidates are increasingly interested in the organisation and what it stands for, he said.
They consider how it is viewed in the market, and they are interested in what it’s doing in terms of ESG and socially, in the community, he explained.
“Obviously, people still like to be paid well as well,” he said, but they’re also thinking holistically — about the team they would be working within, the organisation, and whether it is an enjoyable place to work, noted Mr Stirling.
Candidates are also actively thinking about what is being offered in terms of career development, he noted.
Staying aware of what in-house candidates want is important when figuring out how to retain and attract talent, noted Mr Stirling; it helps to have a relationship with a good recruiter.
“Having that ongoing dialogue is sometimes useful because we’re out there every day speaking to different candidates about their situation and what they’re looking for.
“There are a few different things that, on top of their day job, leaders of law departments and general counsel need to [consider] to make sure the team is happy and working efficiently,” he added.
The transcript of this podcast episode was slightly edited for publishing purposes. To listen to the full conversation with Daniel Stirling, click below:
