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AI is transforming markets worldwide, and it’ s having a real impact on hiring, especially in inhouse legal recruitment. It’ s not just changing organizational structures; it’ s influencing where in-house jobs are located and, in some cases, how much they pay. The hiring process itself is evolving as well. These changes aren’ t always obvious, and there’ s more than one angle to consider.
AI gets search green light
From the executive search point of view, AI isn’ t yet a hot topic with clients, and companies aren’ t asking us to use or avoid using AI when we source candidates.
In the US, the process is driven by commercial priorities, and the chance to save on recruitment costs with AI is appealing. In other regions, such as parts of Europe, there are tighter safeguards, so the landscape could shift in the future.
For executive search firms in the legal sector, AI offers big efficiency gains in managing processes and finding talent, if the firm is careful about how it manages its own intellectual property. Any tool is only as good as the data behind it. If the data isn’ t strong, the tool won’ t find the best candidates.
Hold on to the human
There’ s no question that the human touch has declined in hiring, whether you’ re looking at recruitment firms or in-house teams, and that includes counsel jobs. AI might speed things up, but it doesn’ t build trust. That’ s a two-way conversation.
Running senior legal candidates through AI screenings or automated interviews isn’ t the right approach. The higher the role, the more important real human connections become. Leaders want to connect with people to get their motivations and goals, not feel like just another file processed by a machine. If recruitment relies too much on AI, top legal talent will
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