Lateral Hiring: Proceed With Caution

Even though lateral hiring continues to be popular – with 96 percent of law firms saying that’s part of their growth strategy – fewer than a third have reported that those hires are “highly effective,” David Lat writes for Above the Law, citing stats from legal consulting firm Edge International. He comes up with a number of suggestions for improving the chances of a successful hire. Among them: Be  more strategic when considering a lateral hire and consider the effect the new lawyer might have on the existing structure. Integration efforts can make the difference between success and failure, Lat says, and he cites several ideas for enhancing integration from Mike White and David Cruickshank of Edge.