What Biglaw Is Looking For — Attorney Personality Traits
If you’re contemplating an attorney job at a “Biglaw” brand-name firm but have not yet worked in a biglaw office environment, your perception of such firms is likely to be a bit skewed in some respects (and may be accurate in other respects). This could be a disadvantage if you don’t take steps to inform yourself about your target firms and the legal industry as a whole. The most informed candidates also tend to be the most confident, expressive, and passionate candidates come interview time, and thus do better overall in securing a job offer with their target firm.
Interested in learning more? We encourage you to consult with a recruiter here at Garb Jaffe & Associates. With the aid of a Garb Jaffe recruiter, you will have access to the insider scoop on any and all of your target law firms, and will therefore be well-equipped to make a successful job transition.
Though it might seem to be a simple, shallow statement, it is worth noting for its truth: law firms operate quite differently from one another. There are significant differences in office culture, support infrastructure, benefits, hiring practices, and hours expectations, among many other factors. Naturally, each firm may be looking for different personality traits from their pool of applicants.
Knowing the personality profile desired by a particular law firm is useful in two ways: 1) it may give some insight into the nature of the job itself, and hint at whether you’ll be successful at the firm, and 2) you’ll know what personality traits to enhance and express during your interview and in other communications with the firm.
Of course, not every element of the legal hiring process is marked by differences. There are certain personality traits that have come to be expected from attorneys entering the “Biglaw” sphere. Consider the following in-demand personality traits.
Adaptability and Flexibility
In the Biglaw world, attorneys who are adaptable and flexible are highly valued.
Adaptable attorneys are capable of learning on-the-fly and succeeding in challenging situations with minimal supervision or guidance. Though it can vary from firm to firm somewhat, the nature of the biglaw workload sometimes requires that attorneys be equipped to handle sudden, unfamiliar, and difficult projects.
Flexibility matters from both an administrative and hours perspective. Your flexibility when it comes to shifting to a new project, supervising attorney, or team will be a significant advantage in the workplace. Further, in most Biglaw firms, attorneys are expected to work when it is deemed necessary — there is often little leeway for negotiation or compromise when it comes to hours expectations (though some firms have become more accepting of work-from-home arrangements).
Confidence
Though it has become something of a cliché, the truth is that successful Biglaw attorneys tend to be confident in their abilities. Expressions of overconfidence should be avoided, of course, particularly during the hiring process where boasting will be perceived even more negatively than it would in the office environment.
Confidence plays out in different ways in the office environment, and to a degree, it is an indication of future leadership ability. Confident attorneys generally feel more comfortable delegating duties to support staff and others. They also tend to be more willing to build mentor-mentee relationships in the workplace, which can help them build advantageous soft skills.
Sociability
Biglaw attorneys often have to attend events and/or interact directly with clients, experts, and other important persons — even in the early stages of their career. As such, it’s important that you be able to socialize well.
Sociability is not a measure of extrovertedness. You are not necessarily expected to enjoy or be passionate about social engagements for the firm, but you must be able to handle such engagements with grace, charisma, and a professional manner.
Detail-Oriented
Though Biglaw firms usually have ample support staff to fact-check, grammar-check, and generally pore over the details of your assignments, being detail-oriented is still a core, expected trait. Attorneys must be able to assess and edit their own work to a reasonable degree of precision. Full reliance on others in this regard will be a significant disadvantage in the workplace.
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During the recruitment process, firms make an effort to find candidates whose personality traits are best-suited for the workload and office culture. By being informed about the desired qualities, you can tailor your recruitment communications accordingly.
If you’re an attorney looking for a new position, consider speaking with one of our Los Angeles legal recruiters. We have extensive experience placing attorneys with prestigious “Biglaw” firms located across California, and will advise throughout the recruitment process so that you can secure an ideal placement.
Call us today at (310) 207-0727 for a free consultation.