Introduction
In the evolving legal landscape, the principles that guide hiring decisions are undergoing a transformation. For decades, law firms have prioritized culture fit, seeking candidates who can easily integrate into established norms and shared values. This traditional approach, while seemingly assuring harmony, is increasingly being re-evaluated in favor of a more dynamic philosophy: culture add. This shift introduces the concept of bringing in professionals who expand a firm’s existing culture while complementing the existing one, promising to inject new perspectives, and driving innovation in a rapidly changing world. In this blog post, we explore the transition from culture fit to culture add, and its growing relevance in modern legal hiring.
The Problem with Culture Fit
Following a culture fit hiring philosophy has long been beneficial for law firms. After all, it is an almost-certain guarantee that any new attorneys whom a firm brings in will enter seamlessly into the environment, match all of their values, and flourish in their specific workplace culture. However, some firms are finding that this philosophy can sometimes lead to homogeneity in thought, background, and experience.
If fit becomes a filter in the hiring process, there are unintended consequences. Those who believe the legal world should shift towards a culture add hiring philosophy often emphasize that culture fit translates into hiring people who look, think, and work alike. The talent pool could become increasingly narrowed to those who reflect existing background and personality norms. In addition, there are risks of groupthink that stifles innovation, limited growth due to a lack of new perspectives, and unconscious bias. These things can weaken a firm’s ability to creatively solve complex problems or serve a diversifying client base, so it is important for a firm to weigh its options before choosing culture fit hiring philosophies purely out of comfort.
What Is “Culture Add”?
The key difference between culture add and culture fit is no longer asking “Does this candidate fit in?” but rather “What does this candidate bring that we do not already have?” Culture add focuses on complementary perspectives, new skills, and lived experiences, providing a forward-thinking strategy for hiring processes. This new hiring philosophy can greatly benefit firms by shining a light on outdated practices, bringing insight into new markets, or connecting with clients in new, fresh ways that others cannot. Attorneys hired under a culture add philosophy elevate the team by not simply blending in, but by introducing a new perspective.
In practice, examples of this could include hiring someone who challenges groupthink, or someone who brings a fresh approach to a firm that is currently rooted in tradition. Firms should push themselves to recruit from places that are “out of the box” in today’s legal world. Focusing on attorneys who come from schools that aren’t Ivies or in the top 50 is a great place to start. Look past prestige and focus more on the beneficial qualities of smaller law schools, such as the embrace of newer technologies. If a firm isn’t pushing its current recruiting boundaries, then it is likely not getting any culture add.
Why the Shift is Happening in Law Firms
Workplace values are evolving. Innovation, equity, and inclusion are becoming more and more important to firms today. In part, this is a response to demand—clients want more inclusion, and more forward-thinking teams. They are looking for legal professionals that reflect the world in which they operate, that are better equipped to understand challenges, and that bring more creative legal solutions than have traditionally been provided.
On the other hand, there is a competitive advantage in bringing more variation to a legal team. With a wide range of perspective, a single team can increase performance with better problem solving and broader market reach. In the legal profession, precision, nuance, and insight are of the utmost importance, and shifting philosophies in the hiring process will likely spur improvement in these areas.
How Firms are Redefining Their Hiring Strategies
The first step a firm should take in order to redefine its hiring practices is to update job descriptions. This will mean including language that emphasizes openness to new perspectives, reexamining the listed requirements in order to avoid any unnecessary barriers that may unintentionally exclude some qualified candidates, and making sure to highlight the firm’s values that embrace a variety of thought and experience.
Training hiring committees to evaluate for add, rather than fit, will also be beneficial. If a firm wants to value new contributions over comfort-based compatibility, then it will be necessary to educate hiring panels on how to identify these things within candidates.
A firm should make sure it has structured interviews. Consistent, skills-based questions that focus on contribution and potential will ensure a much fairer assessment of all applicants, avoiding any bias that could come from information unnecessary to the job opening at hand.
In addition to these structured interviews, add a social component to the hiring process. Invite candidates to gather in an informal setting, where they will be able to showcase their soft skills that might not get their chance to shine in a formal interview. This is a great way to connect them with the firm’s team, beyond those present for the interview, as well. An informal setting can give all candidates someone to identify with throughout the process, and can allow them to begin building relationships even before they are hired.
Lastly, involving a broad range of voices in the hiring process will reduce bias and open the floor for many different types of candidates to shine. If a firm’s hiring committee showcases a multitude of perspectives, the firm will be taking an important step in embracing a culture add hiring philosophy.
Challenges and Considerations
Of course, for many firms, moving away from a traditional hiring philosophy and towards a new one comes with many worries and challenges, which could include a loss of firm identity, internal resistance from partners who may equate culture add with culture clash, and a difficulty balancing evolving values with performance metrics and client demand. It is important to remember, however, that shifting towards this philosophy does not have to mean abandoning firm values. It simply means hiring attorneys who strengthen these existing values and practices in new and important ways.
Conclusion
The transition from culture fit to culture add marks a significant evolution in legal hiring philosophy. This shift is a move beyond conformity and comfortability, embracing instead the strategic inclusion of new perspectives. By forgoing homogeneity and shifting towards a more nuanced approach, law firms can provide better outcomes for their clients, foster more dynamic teams, and strengthen their resilience. It is time for firms to re-assess their hiring practices and actively embrace the transformative potential of culture add to thrive in the modern legal world.
