Law360 Canada (April 12, 2024, 1:37 PM EDT) — If you are following this series, then you already know that you have invested a great deal of time and money in attracting the right people to join your team. The next
critical step is ensuring they get off to a great and positive start on day one. Having an effective strategy for onboarding and acclimating new hires into your firm culture will go a long way to lower turnover, higher
morale, increased productivity, increased ability to attract more talent and higher profitability. Here are some quick tips on creating an onboarding plan.
In their shoes: The horror stories I have heard from clients and colleagues on their experiences arriving at a new firm would astound you. The experience can be equated to the trauma a child feels when they have moved schools and show up on their first day. It’s daunting, to say the least. New people, new teachers, new surroundings, new rules, etc. I’m not sure if you have ever experienced this for yourself, but I would bet you know
someone who has.
While your new hire is not a child, some of those fears and apprehensions are bound to occur. It can be overwhelming. As you formulate your formal onboarding plan, consider the emotions that your people will have in their new experience. Look at all the ways you can alleviate these and get them off to a great start, emotionally. Do that first, and all the work-related stuff will flow much easier.
Gain feedback and insights: When considering the elements of your onboarding plan, I suggest you seek input from recent hires. What was their experience? What would they have liked to have seen? What could have made their transition to your firm more seamless?
Pre-boarding: Send your new hire a schedule, by email, of what they can expect on day one, so
they are prepared. Try to get all the HR paperwork done ahead of time, so their first day can be
spent meeting their new colleagues. Send them a welcome package including any firm swag and
consider including a gift card to the nearest and most popular coffee shop. Try to get them excited
about their first day.
Day one: Have their workspace set up ahead of time, including ID badges, passwords, building and
parking information, etc. Send out a firm-wide email welcoming your new hire to the firm. As the
managing partner or owner, greet them at reception, welcome them to their new home and take
them around the office to introduce them to all the key players and support staff. Show them their
new work area. Organize a team lunch with everyone in their immediate group.
Peer support and shadowing: Pair them with at least one “buddy” or mentor. Carefully choose an appropriate member of your ranks to show them the ropes. If it is a new partner joining your firm, pair them with a partner; pair an associate with an associate; pair a paralegal with a paralegal. Have them shadow their buddy for the afternoon, and perhaps longer. Office management: Depending on the size of your firm, the title role here may vary. The point is to have the person in charge of running the office take the time to get them up to speed on your systems, procedures, software programs and technology. If you have an employee handbook, make
sure this person takes them through it and ensures they understand the rules. Either you as the managing partner or your office manager should repeatedly articulate your firm’s culture, history, mission statement and values.
High-value hires: In the case of a high-value hire, such as a lateral partner or group, I would also suggest going a step further by enlisting the support of an outside coach. I have worked with numerous partners in their transition to new firms. The process for which they adapt to the new 4 P’s — people, procedure, politics and personalities — will be a lot easier when they have a confidant outside the firm with no other agenda than their successful integration. This will support them in bringing a larger percentage of their book with them, building new internal relationships and hitting the ground running bringing in new clients and work.
Week one check-in: This may be done by you, your office manager, their peer support person or all
the above. Take them for coffee and ask them how their first week is/was. Is there anything you can
provide at this point? What do they need? It’s critically important to identify any potential issues as
early as possible, so you can address them, make changes and prevent even the smallest issues from
growing and becoming seriously problematic. Repeat this at two weeks, one month and three
months.
Six-month check-in: At this stage, have your new employee/partner fill out a survey to gather
information on their onboarding experience. This can be invaluable in further developing your
onboarding plans for the benefit of others yet to come on board, you and your other team members.
Their feedback will be fresh and can alert you to some of the smaller things that may have been
missed. From there, you can follow your employee review schedule.
At this point, your firm has likely already made a considerable investment to attract this new hire. Do
everything in your power to ensure they get off to the best start. When you are building a house, the
first and most important thing is the foundation. Onboarding effectively builds a strong foundation for
future success.
This is part three of a series. Part one: Law firm leadership, start here! Make ’24 the best year ever;
part two: Law firm leadership part two: Hiring.
Gary Mitchell has tailored his coaching practice exclusively to lawyers since 2005. He has three books
published, his latest, Growing a Law Practice During COVID-19, was published by LexisNexis in 2021.
Recently Mitchell launched a new app to help lawyers grow their practices, The Law Practice Builder
App™. He now hosts The LawBiz Podcast™, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. He
can be reached at gary@cohanleon.saimrasool.com.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
author’s firm, its clients, LexisNexis Canada, Law360 Canada or any of its or their respective
affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be
taken as legal advice.
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