Our seniors got talent

  • Article
  • Christian Lamy
  • 27-02-2024

For years, I’ve been baffled to see so many senior profiles that nobody wants any more, except for interim management assignments (the so-called disposable or “Kleenex” applicants).

Since Jarod Legal was founded (in July 2023), I’ve been surprised by the number of applications I’ve received from experienced profiles (if not seniors or over 50s), either unemployed or on interim management assignments.
Profiles are varied, with different origins and backgrounds, but what they all have in common is that they have genuine values and undeniable professional skills.

I’ve interviewed some fascinating people, with real professional stories to tell and with all kinds of legal or tax backgrounds.
I’ve spoken to former lawyers who have become in-house Legal Directors. Men and women who started out at Sciences Po before going to university, applicants who first worked abroad before taking up a legal position in France, generalists who, in addition to their work, wrote theses out of passion!

Another common denominator: an incredible ability to adapt to different environments, corporate issues and requests from management.

I met an applicant specialising in IT contracts who was asked to set up an economic sanctions and embargo program because she had had a short period of experience in internal audit, but above all because she was capable of doing so. I’ve spoken to former M&A lawyers who, as legal directors, have had to adapt and work on R&D projects with complex patent issues.

Our seniors got talent, yet nobody wants them except for temporary assignments.
Is it because legal and tax management departments are affected by a form of ageism? Is it because of the supposed salary expectations of these applicants? If so, how would you know if you don’t know them?

Is the legal and tax market discriminatory?
Yes, and it always has been. Even though there have been some positive developments in terms of legal recruitment, not everyone has equal opportunities. And yes, that still exists, just like burying one’s head in the sand or denial.

As far as seniors are concerned, they do get interviews, but they rarely go through to the end of the recruitment process for permanent positions. Of course, we’ll never tell them that they weren’t selected because they’re over 55, and that in a legal management department where the average age is 35, hiring a senior employee is unthinkable…

I recently spoke to a Legal Director who had also worked as a General Secretary. This person didn’t get past the interview stage with a recruitment agency. Why was she turned down? Because her legal training, apparently unknown to the recruiter, was not regarded as sufficiently valuable : the person in question holds (among other qualifications) a DJCE (Diplôme de juriste conseil d’entreprise- diploma in corporate law) and was valedictorian of her class. It’s hard not to think that this is a false excuse or a pretext.

There’s a lot of talk and debate about it, but it doesn’t generally go much further.

Why not recruit senior employees on permanent contracts, regardless of their age?

They have experience that many young managers don’t have. They have the ability to manage crisis situations (discovery procedures, various investigations by the authorities, complex negotiations, knowledge of certain foreign markets, etc.) that profiles with 10 years’ experience won’t be able to handle because they don’t have this knowledge, wisdom or agility (at least not yet).

They are agile and adaptable, and their professional experience gives them the necessary distance to deal with complex issues. Qualities that are also recognised when they carry out temporary assignments in companies undergoing a transformation, for example.

If companies recognise their skills and are prepared to recruit them for temporary assignments, why not recruit them for an indefinite period? Prejudice? Preconceptions? Budget? Headcount issues?

You may not know it, but seniors can be flexible too. They are not necessarily looking for a position as Legal Director, Tax Director or Chief Administrative Officer. Often,

They are also interested in positions as experts or company lawyers…. even if they have held management positions in the past. What they are interested in is business law (or tax or…), being part of a team, contributing to a project, helping to develop a company (and sometimes coming to its rescue) and being able to occupy a stable position.

Seniors can also be flexible in terms of compensation (without, of course, selling out) and recruiting them will certainly cost less than having a lawyer on secondment for several years (which is something I’ve noticed on several occasions recently).

Lastly, senior citizens have often had the opportunity to manage in the course of their professional careers and the knowledge they could pass on to younger profiles seems obvious.

It is high time that the profession took action to remedy this injustice done to senior citizens (and more generally to combat all forms of discrimination).

You too will be a senior citizen one day, so think about it.