A leading Legal 500 firm, faced a critical HR challenge when their HR Manager decided to leave for a new opportunity outside of HR and law. They needed a replacement quickly to ensure a smooth transition and maintain its high HR operations standards. Their ideal candidate required legal experience to understand the company’s nuances and partnership structure. The urgency of the situation demanded a swift and effective recruitment process to allow for an adequate handover period with the outgoing HR Manager.
Solution
The Gerrard White legal division was instructed on a pivotal role, leveraging the existing, longstanding relationship they have enjoyed with the client over the past 12 years. The Gerrard White team, knowing the business well, were able to quickly get to work on this assignment, which involved:
Understanding the role requirements:
Engaging in detailed discussions with key stakeholders, including the outgoing HR Manager and senior management team, to fully understand the role's requirements, including specific legal experience and familiarity with a partnership setup.
Conducting a comprehensive review of the job description and salary package to ensure alignment with industry standards and the company expectations.
Candidate Sourcing and Screening:
Using our extensive talent pool and targeted recruitment strategies to identify potential candidates with relevant legal and HR experience.
Implementing a rigorous screening process to evaluate candidates’ qualifications, experience, and cultural fit, including detailed interviews and reference checks.
Shortlisting and Coordination:
Presenting highly qualified candidates carefully selected based on their alignment with the client’s needs and requirements.
Coordinating a two-stage interview process, facilitating meetings between candidates and key members of the Board and operations team to ensure that they could assess the candidates' suitability from both a professional and a cultural perspective.
Expert Advice and Negotiation:
Providing expert advice on the salary guide to ensure the proposed offer was competitive and attractive. This included benchmarking against industry standards and adjusting the offer to meet market expectations.
Assisting in managing the offer process and navigating the candidate’s notice period to ensure a smooth transition.
Gerrard White's proactive and tailored approach ensured that the recruitment process was conducted efficiently and effectively, addressing the firm’s immediate needs while maintaining high standards of candidate quality.
Results
Through our dedicated recruitment service, we were able to deliver exemplary results under tight timelines, including:
Four high-quality candidates were sourced within two days, of which 3 were interviewed and 1 offered the position
Acknowledgement by the client that the candidates sourced by us were of a much higher calibre than those they had attracted through their own adverts
Our ability to provide immediate, high-quality candidates and offer expert advice on salary and benefits made our solution invaluable
We have now successfully secured both of their HR Manager's hires, demonstrating consistent performance and a deep understanding of their needs
By addressing the challenge with speed, expertise, and high-quality candidates, Gerrard White ensured that our client maintained its HR operations without disruption, securing an experienced professional to lead their HR department.
"We always use Gerrard White for our recruitment, Cam and her team's expertise and swift action were pivotal in resolving our urgent HR need. Gerrard White’s Legal Division delivered exceptional candidates quickly and understood our unique needs perfectly. Their expertise made a significant difference in our hiring process." - Partner -
