5 Costly Mistakes Companies Make When Hiring In-House Lawyers (and How to Avoid Them)
Hiring in-house lawyers can be a game-changer for businesses, providing dedicated legal expertise and reducing reliance on external counsel. However, many companies make critical mistakes during the hiring process, leading to costly inefficiencies, misaligned expectations, and underperformance. To ensure you get it right, we’ve outlined the five most common mistakes companies make when hiring in-house lawyers—and how to avoid them.
1. Failing to Clearly Define the Role
One of the biggest mistakes companies make when hiring in-house lawyers is not clearly defining the role they need. Many businesses hire legal counsel without a precise understanding of what expertise and responsibilities are required. As a result, they may end up with an overqualified (and expensive) candidate or someone who lacks essential skills for the business.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Conduct an internal needs assessment to identify your company’s legal risks and requirements.
- Draft a detailed job description that outlines responsibilities, required qualifications, and expected outcomes.
- Differentiate between needing a generalist (broad legal knowledge across multiple areas) versus a specialist (expertise in areas like corporate governance, employment law, or regulatory compliance).
2. Overlooking Cultural Fit
Hiring in-house lawyers isn’t just about legal expertise—it’s about finding someone who aligns with your company’s culture and values. A candidate may have impeccable legal credentials, but if they struggle to integrate with your leadership team or don’t align with your business philosophy, their effectiveness will be limited.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Assess soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and adaptability.
- Involve key stakeholders in the interview process to gauge cultural alignment.
- Look for candidates who understand your industry’s challenges and can work seamlessly with both legal and non-legal teams.
3. Prioritising Cost Over Quality
While budget constraints are a reality for many businesses, making hiring decisions based solely on cost can be a major misstep. Opting for the lowest salary expectations may mean sacrificing the expertise and strategic thinking that an experienced in-house lawyer can bring.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- View hiring in-house lawyers as an investment in risk management and long-term savings.
- Benchmark salaries against industry standards to ensure you attract top talent (a specialist legal recruiter, such as Dare Recruitment, will do this benchmarking for you).
- Consider offering competitive non-monetary benefits such as flexible work arrangements or career development opportunities.
4. Ignoring Future Legal Needs
Businesses often hire based on current legal demands without considering future growth and challenges. This short-sighted approach can lead to needing another hire sooner than expected or, worse, having an in-house lawyer who lacks the expertise to support the company’s evolution.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Hire with scalability in mind, ensuring your legal counsel can adapt to business growth.
- Seek candidates with broad experience or the ability to upskill in new legal areas as required.
- Regularly review and update your in-house legal strategy to align with evolving business goals.
5. Failing to Leverage Specialist Legal Recruitment Support
Many companies attempt to manage the hiring process internally, underestimating the complexity of finding the right legal talent. Without industry expertise and a strong candidate network, businesses risk a prolonged hiring process or settling for suboptimal hires.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Partner with a specialist legal recruitment agency that understands the market and can identify top-tier candidates.
- Leverage a recruiter’s expertise in salary benchmarking, candidate vetting, and negotiation support.
- Work with a trusted specialist legal recruitment agency like Dare Recruitment to ensure your hiring process is seamless and effective.
Final Thoughts
Hiring in-house lawyers is a strategic move that can strengthen your company’s legal capabilities, but only if done correctly. By avoiding these five costly mistakes—failing to define the role, overlooking cultural fit, prioritising cost over quality, ignoring future legal needs, and not leveraging recruitment expertise—you can secure top legal talent that adds real value to your organisation.
If you’re looking to hire the best in-house legal professionals, Dare Recruitment can help. Get in touch with us today to discuss your hiring needs and find the right legal talent for your business.
