Mass High Tech has a story this week on how law firms are using podcasts to try and attract young recruits.

The article highlights two Boston-area firms — Goulston & Storrs PC and Day, Berry & Howard LLP — that have begun podcasting.

“If it’s helpful information [in the podcasts], that’s great,” Northeastern University law student Marshall Senterfitt says in the story. “If it’s just a repeat of the brochure, then it’s not.”

Well, if the first 16 podcasts from Goulston & Storrs are any indication of a typical attempt to recruit a lawyer through new media, law firms are simply missing the mark.

The podcasts take the form of partners and associates answering typical questions that a young lawyer might ask when searching for a firm to work with. Unfortunately, the responses come across as little more than glorified testimonials and do sound very much like something one would find in a recruiting brochure or video.

Here are a few excerpts from the podcasts, none of which lasts longer than 2 minutes, 12 seconds:

  • “You very quickly realize that you are part of the enterprise and that you are just as important as anybody else at that table …”
  • “[Working at Goulston & Storrs] is actually better then they described. It’s great here.”
  • “There’s something special about this place, and we all believe that to the our cores of our beings.”

Well, gee-whiz, who wouldn’t want to work there? Doesn’t it all sound so swell? But, really, what discerning young lawyer isn’t going to groan or roll his or her eyes when listening to these so-called podcasts? They couldn’t sound more scripted.

Have a real conversation
Here’s an idea that would work much better: Instead of just having its associates just say how “special” the firm is, Goulston & Storrs should take a leadership role in legal podcasting by fostering the discussion about the issues that all young lawyers face. The podcasts could feature round-table discussions or interviews with lawyers from various offices talking about how to choose a firm, how to manage the pressures of the job, how to manage the long hours, how to negotiate a starting salary, how to make the most of the first six months on the job, etc.

Wouldn’t that be a much more compelling — and genuine — way for Goulston & Storrs to show it’s a firm worth working for?

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