Herbert Smith Freehills & Ashurst: The global war on talent for law firms and how they differentiate to win

feat. Joanne Elson (Herbert Smith Freehills), Nicole Williams (Ashurst) & Jodi Geddes (Circle In)

Meet our guests

Joanne Elson

Senior Associate and Family Network Co-Chair, Herbert Smith Freehills

Nicole Williams

Counsel, Global Co-Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging, Ashurst

Jodi Geddes

Co-Founder, Circle In

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The battle for talent is fierce when it comes to the legal industry. Many law firms have adopted the best policies to attract the best talent. Learn from two top-performing law firms about the policies they have in place and how they ensure a consistent experience across a global workforce.

 Here are the top takeaways from the webinar:

  • The impacts of COVID-19 coupled with uncertain economic times, global warming, and the war in Ukraine means employees are naturally reaching out for support at work, which is a real positive because it means people are feeling safe to share their worries.  This mounting pressure on managers though requires organizations to really focus on upskilling and scaffolding their people leaders.
  • The more traditional markers of diversity have now broadened, and people expect and want to be able to bring their whole, authentic selves to work.  Workplaces need to respond to this expectation by offering support and guidance for every employee.
  • To attract and retain younger talent or recently qualified counsel, firms need to offer mentor programs and opportunities for collaboration that can work equally well onsite or remotely. Organizations also need to think of creative ways to nurture well-being and connection as a whole in this new hybrid landscape.
  • To differentiate yourself as an organization, you need to consider your policies, perks, and the overall employee experience.  Employees – current and prospective – value action and workplaces that walk their talk.
  • If COVID-19 has shown us anything, it’s that even in a high-pressure industry, like law, where longer hours are more the norm, workplaces can offer flexible work arrangements and still see the same level of productivity.

We loved this advice from Nicole: “You need to make sure that you create an environment where your people really feel that they belong.  It’s an ongoing journey that really requires you to bring everybody along with you….every single person has a critical role to play.”

As part of this webinar, we are sharing with you our latest research ‘The Unsaid – leading with empathy when there’s no support: a manager’s dilemma‘ shining a light on the manager experience right now. You can download via our website here.

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