At Evolve Marketing, we like to hear the stories from solicitors in the field day in day out. We get their thoughts on different aspects of the legal industry; from recruitment to leadership and the biggest challenges that young lawyers face.
This week, we spoke to Darragh Bollard, trainee solicitor and he had some interesting takes on a wide variety of topics.
We spoke to him on recruitment in the legal sector, why he choose to work within the legal sector, leadership in the corporate environment and the biggest challenges the law industry is facing.
If you would like to be featured in our Solicitors Spotlight Series then please email tadhg@3.250.192.64.
For a full transcript of the interview, please see below:
Why did you choose to work at the firm you’re at now, what was your perception of them before you started? Did that grow/ change during the recruitment process?
“I chose to work in the firm I’m in based on an impressive recruitment campaign and interview. I saw the ad for a vacancy on Linkedin and responded directly. I was impressed with the website and particularly the careers section which outlined a niche and impressive approach to firm recruitment. I was further impressed when I attended for interview and got a real sense of the atmosphere of the firm which turned out to be accurate.”
Do you think the recruitment process in the legal industry is outdated, if so, why?
“I can certainly see a change over the last number of years whereby the recruitment process is evolving. However, there is probably a little too much emphasis on application and interview rather than performance based assessment and recruitment.”
What are the characteristics of a leader within your team that you admire?
“There are many different types of leaders and different qualities that make them good leaders. In my view the most important is providing clear instruction and vision on tasks and vision, in a calm and professional way. It’s great to see leaders who lead by example and simply show you how they approach and complete tasks.”
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing solicitors and the legal industry?
“The constant challenge of retaining work, clients and practice areas is augmented by the need to anticipate what new practice areas will be relevant in future and ensuring that the necessary skills are within the firm to allow for that.”
How do you think law firms can make the entire recruitment process more candidate friendly?
“I think knowledge of what jobs are available is an important thing – candidates cannot apply for jobs they do not know about! I find LinkedIn is the most effective social medium at the moment. Easy links to websites and uncomplicated online forms are welcome. Personally, I prefer an easy application such as a letter and CV which allow the candidate scope to put their best foot forward.”
