Law360 Spotlights BBK Recruiting Approach

Law360 Pulse recently published a spotlight on Best Best & Krieger’s recruiting efforts and Recruiting Chair Lutfi Kharuf. In the Q&A piece, “BBK's Recruiting Head On Why Money Isn't Everything,” Kharuf discusses California’s legal talent market, finding talent that aligns with firm culture, recruiting diverse attorneys, signing bonuses, competition with BigLaw, the firm’s Arthur L. Littleworth Diversity Scholarship and more.

“What attracts people to Best Best & Krieger is the story of our culture, the clients we serve, the way we serve our clients,” Kharuf said. “We have an innovative approach to handling legal matters, and we really value work-life balance. We focus on our history and our involvement in the communities where we work.”

Kharuf shared that there is an “inherent obstacle” to recruiting diverse talent because the pool of candidates is smaller. “So we are always looking to find people wherever they are, let them know about Best Best & Krieger and bring them into the firm … I think we have a good track record of bringing in talented, diverse attorneys, but we are always looking to be better.”

He notes that it’s a competitive market and good lawyers are being recruited at a rapid pace. For BBK, recruiting challenges are compounded by the fact that, though the firm is full-service, public agency work is a large focus and that’s a niche practice area.

“The firm invests in our people. There's a lot of strategic teaming and mentorship and focus on well-being,” he said. “I think the people who are attracted to Best Best & Krieger are attracted to the things we do and the way we do it. So things like throwing around huge signing bonuses or increasing salaries to a level that might not be sustainable in the long haul, those aren't things that are necessarily important to the way we recruit our talent.”

Law360 Pulse subscribers can access the full spotlight article here.