Why do law firms use testing and assessments in hiring?

Job candidates usually hate the idea of pre-hiring assessments. But lawyers are expensive hires for law firms, and so law firms naturally want to reduce as much risk associated with that hire as they can. Testing and assessments help them do that.

Lawyer, psychologist, and founder of LawyerBrain LLC Larry Richard explains in Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute's article "Tea Reading or Testing--What's the Best Way to Hire?" how and why pre-hiring personality testing of attorneys won him over. Basically, personality testing can be addition in the hiring process to help ensure technically qualified candidates are good personality fits for the employer's clients, culture, and needs. Personality testing can also uncover traits that won't necessarily show up during the candidate's carefully screened references or carefully prepared interview.