“Momentum”- Recruiter sales speak or the magic potion?

Lawyers are by nature risk averse as that’s what they do for their clients. So when they embark on a recruitment process, its usually a bit of a chess match, at least in the early stages. Invariably they expect their recruitment advisor to play down how actively they are looking to move so as not to appear desperate, and there is always the question of whether their practice is actually portable.

However there reaches a stage in the process (usually around the Business Plan delivery/ “met all the key people stage”) whereby people start talking about “momentum” and the “remaining steps of the process”. This is where the firms who are successful in the lateral partner talent war step up their game and add a level of focus to the process which sets them apart from other less wily operators who talk incessantly about extrinsic factors holding up the process, and internal meetings that can’t take place for two weeks etc.

This procrastination can sow seeds of doubt in the minds of both hirer and lateral, often at the crucial “over the rubicon” stage in their thought process.

So where it makes sense, firms that can click into fifth gear at the crucial moment can make great strides in securing the best people in competitive situations, even if they start of as underdog.