The Importance of Background Checks When Hiring at Law Firms

Earlier in the year we spoke about ways to recruit and retain top performing attorneys. Perhaps you just recently interviewed the attorney of your dreams and can’t wait to make them an offer for joining your practice! But wait just one moment; don’t jump the gun!

Do you know the importance of performing a background check on your new employee? This quick and easy step could save the “face” of your firm. As attorneys, we know that reputation is everything. Therefore, it’s important to know everything and anything about the person who’s ready to represent your law firm.

An investigative check will reveal whether or not this attorney has been disciplined, is in the process of losing law licenses and the related right to practice law, his/her history with the state bar and associations, whether they’re highly rated in their area of expertise, surveys conducted in the local community, quality of work, ethics and more!!

If the candidate is a new attorney straight out of school, a background check to confirm the candidate’s degree, GPA, academic track record, associations, and more is equally important. As we learned in an earlier entry, 50 percent of all resumes and applications contain false or overstated information (according to the Society for Human Resource Management). Guess what? This includes attorneys!

Reputation is everything when it comes to practicing law. Conducting a background check will ensure that you’re hiring a reputable and well respected attorney, and save you from the costs (and headaches) associated with termination at a later date.

Remember, before conducting a background check you must always obtain an applicant’s written authorization. Be wary of the attorney that “forgets” or declines to sign an application permitting you to move forward with the screening. If you, as the employer, make a decision based on information found in the background check, you must provide the applicant with written notification. This is called an adverse action notice and it must be accompanied by a copy of the report.

Most attorneys specialize within one or two areas of law. If employment law and compliance is not your particular area, be sure to contact Employer Solutions Plus, your Professional Employer Organization, or a compliance specialist that can assist you with background checks, and the hiring process.

For additional resources specific to law firms, visit our HR Solutions for Law Firms section.