Sue S. Hunter

- Sue Hunter, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

AMERICAN Legal Search ("AMERICAN") has been a valuable recruiting tool for our firm.

Sue Hunter, director of attorney recruitment and development at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, sees a good deal of interest from solo and small practice attorneys.But its hard for many of them to break through the door.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times Ive actually hired somebody in that situation, Hunter said.Certainly we do get the resumes, but usually, for whatever reason, that doesnt work out.

One reason is the fact that, even though an applicant has experience, he or she might not have clients to bring along to the new firm.
...
They really do need to be as flexible as they can be in the position they get, Hunter said.Someone with 10 years experience, people in that same law school class would probably have made partner in that firm.But without a big book of business to come in with, you may not always be able to come in as a shareholder.So being willing to come in as a more senior associate and selling yourself in that regard would help.

Before joining Baker Donelson, Hunter worked for a firm that brought on a solo attorney.It made business sense for the firm, she said.

He had a very strong estate practice and did a lot of seminars for people who are in assisted living situations, she said.He had done a great job of client development in the area of estate planning, and the firm I was with really needed to ramp up its estate work.And he had a great book of business in that instance.

Differences in focus.
...
Attorneys looking to enter larger firms must find a strength to sell themselves on, and one the firm cares about, Hunter said.

They can have an excellent divorce practice and they can make a great living for themselves, but the fact of the matter is, Baker Donelson is not looking to do domestic law, she said.

Presenters are Sue S. Hunter and Suzanne Rose.Hunter, director of attorney recruitment for the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, has more than 10 years' experience in the legal profession along with several years of business management experience.Rose, management consultant for TNBAR Management Services, has 12 years of experience as a legal administrator with the Nashville law firm of Sherrard & Roe PLC., where she supervised a staff of more than 20 employees.She currently is working with the TBA in the development of the TNBAR Management Services program and provides consulting services to attorneys across the state, assisting them with the administration and management of their law firms.Register at www.tba.org/tennbaru.

© Copyright 1999 Tennessee Bar Association

Members: Michele Bendekovic, Buchanan Ingersoll P.C.; Mark Brickson, University of North Dakota School of Law; Chandra Clouden, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; Laurel Hajek, The John Marshall Law School; Sue Hunter, Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell; David James, Office of the San Diego City Attorney; Valerie Kapilow, Northeastern University School of Law; Jill Kirson, Securities & Exchange Commission; Beth Moeller, UCLA School of Law; Chantal Morton, York University, Osgoode Hall Law School; Pam Occhipinti, Loyola University New Orleans School of Law; Elaine Petrossian, Villanova University School of Law; Diane Quick, University of Miami School of Law; Julia Yaffee, Santa Clara University School of Law.

> Sue S. Hunter Director Of Attorney Recruitment & Development

Other firms are seeing an increase in litigation - a trend explained in simple terms by Sue Hunter, director of attorney recruitment and development at Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell."I think any time you have less money, people tend to fight over it more."

The agricultural sector offers an example.
...
The emotional impact of the attack on the Pentagon and the anthrax letters definitely put a strain on the office, Hunter says from her Nashville office.

For other parts of the firm, the attacks also put a damper on some business."We were already seeing a decrease in transactional work," Hunter says, "and I think that further cautioned people."

In addition to interrupting the flow of business, the events of Sept. 11 also had an impact on cash flow.

...
At Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell, Hunter says she has seen similar changes in business patterns at the firm's nine offices.To deal with that, she says, the company has shifted some staff members around to keep productivity up.Associates working in the depressed transactional sector have taken temporary assignments to work in litigation and other areas.None of the moves are permanent, she says.

In addition, Hunter says, the firm had seen the slowdown coming and had reduced by 25 percent the number of second-year law students it brought in to work in all of its offices during the summer of 2001.That's helped reduce staff growth and allows the firm to continue to offer about 80 percent of the interns jobs after they graduate, Hunter says.

Others are also taking a cautious approach to hiring.