Recruiting lateral partners is starting to look more like scouting for Major League Baseball.
Law firms are beginning to use statistical analysis similar to the “sabermetrics” methods used to evaluate ballplayers and made famous by the book and film “Moneyball.” Using performance-oriented data, firms try to create profiles of the types of lawyers they need to hire to help boost profits, then search for candidates who fit the profile. They may also use the tools to estimate whether a certain candidate would help the firm’s bottom line. More than 20 percent of Am Law 200 firms are starting to use these techniques, according to recruiters and software providers.
