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Leaders in Legal Business
percentage of lateral hires within the last two years. The majority of firms reported that law school job postings,
external referrals, and unsolicited write-ins each accounted for 10 percent or less of lateral hires.6
Law firms recognize that while recruiting fees are not immaterial, search consultants can add enormous
value in helping them add senior laterals who can in turn add significant revenues, expand the firm’s talent and
client bases, and bring new energy and vitality. For that reason, lateral partner hiring is more competitive than
ever — e.g., in a recent survey, 96 percent of law firm managing partners said they viewed lateral partner
recruiting as a primary growth strategy.7 To be successful in implementing that strategy, firms need to be nimble,
creative, flexible, decisive, and visionary (read more specific suggestions for law firms in To Compete for Laterals
— Linger Not, Partners).8 Thus, law firms are heeding good business sense when employing the services of savvy
recruiting professionals.
Law firm business management recruiting focuses on business management roles at firms, e.g., chiefs
and directors of various verticals such as operations, finance, business development, marketing, technology,
pricing, and more. The prominence of these professional management positions within law firms has expanded
dramatically in recent years. In order to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging economic environment,
firms continue to recognize the value professional managers and administrators bring to the firm; with that value
comes increased responsibilities and corresponding compensation. These professionals play a pivotal role in the
success of law firms; thus, the support from experienced recruiters is paramount to finding the right match in
candidates for those positions.9
General Counsel and other in-house positions are very different from law firm associates, partners, and
business management roles. They, too, benefit greatly by utilizing legal recruiters for a range of levels in corporate
law departments and across various legal disciplines, whether generalist or subject-matter specific. Searches range
from positions at start-ups with fewer than 10 employees to the GC search at a Fortune 500 company and
everything in between. Adept legal recruiters and staffers help find and place the best-matched candidate for each
role, depending on the specific needs of the corporate legal department.
Since our firm began in 1982, in-house law departments have become an increasingly attractive destination
for law firm lawyers, including partners. This increasing popularity compounds the barrage of position
applications, which are effectively managed by legal recruiting and staffing firms well versed in the arena.
Typically, the CEO, VP of human resources, chief human resources officer (CHRO), or other senior
executive at a company is faced with the task of recruiting a first or new GC. Thus, it is hugely beneficial to defer
to well-equipped legal recruiters with high-caliber expertise and experience who work on a daily basis with senior-
level lawyers. This is especially true when the hiring authority has not previously faced such a task frequently, if
at all. Consequently, senior executives routinely seek the advice of legal recruiting firms to determine whether or
not it makes economic sense to hire an inside lawyer based on a company’s legal workload.
Many legal search consultants have graduated from top law schools and worked in the law departments of
some of the nation’s largest and best-managed corporations. This experience provides an unmatched depth of
knowledge and contacts. Established recruiters with an extensive track record also have the advantage of a
longitudinal view of the candidate market. This knowledge can provide a valuable and long-term perspective on
each slate of candidates for in-house legal departments.
“Temporary project staffing” previously referred to support for document review, M&A due diligence
work, and project staffing for maternity leave, offshoring, and onshoring. Today, however, it encompasses a more
substantial portion of the legal landscape. After the 2008 recession, global demand for legal services contracted,
6 Id. at 17.
7 Thinking Like Your Client: Strategic Planning in Law Firms, LexisNexis & ALM Legal Intelligence, October 2012, at 21.
8 See Jon Lindsey & Robert Brigham, To Compete for Laterals – Linger Not, Partners, NATIONAL L. J., December 8, 2014,
http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202678232309/To-Compete-for-Laterals-mdash-Linger-Not-Partners.
8 Id.
60
percentage of lateral hires within the last two years. The majority of firms reported that law school job postings,
external referrals, and unsolicited write-ins each accounted for 10 percent or less of lateral hires.6
Law firms recognize that while recruiting fees are not immaterial, search consultants can add enormous
value in helping them add senior laterals who can in turn add significant revenues, expand the firm’s talent and
client bases, and bring new energy and vitality. For that reason, lateral partner hiring is more competitive than
ever — e.g., in a recent survey, 96 percent of law firm managing partners said they viewed lateral partner
recruiting as a primary growth strategy.7 To be successful in implementing that strategy, firms need to be nimble,
creative, flexible, decisive, and visionary (read more specific suggestions for law firms in To Compete for Laterals
— Linger Not, Partners).8 Thus, law firms are heeding good business sense when employing the services of savvy
recruiting professionals.
Law firm business management recruiting focuses on business management roles at firms, e.g., chiefs
and directors of various verticals such as operations, finance, business development, marketing, technology,
pricing, and more. The prominence of these professional management positions within law firms has expanded
dramatically in recent years. In order to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging economic environment,
firms continue to recognize the value professional managers and administrators bring to the firm; with that value
comes increased responsibilities and corresponding compensation. These professionals play a pivotal role in the
success of law firms; thus, the support from experienced recruiters is paramount to finding the right match in
candidates for those positions.9
General Counsel and other in-house positions are very different from law firm associates, partners, and
business management roles. They, too, benefit greatly by utilizing legal recruiters for a range of levels in corporate
law departments and across various legal disciplines, whether generalist or subject-matter specific. Searches range
from positions at start-ups with fewer than 10 employees to the GC search at a Fortune 500 company and
everything in between. Adept legal recruiters and staffers help find and place the best-matched candidate for each
role, depending on the specific needs of the corporate legal department.
Since our firm began in 1982, in-house law departments have become an increasingly attractive destination
for law firm lawyers, including partners. This increasing popularity compounds the barrage of position
applications, which are effectively managed by legal recruiting and staffing firms well versed in the arena.
Typically, the CEO, VP of human resources, chief human resources officer (CHRO), or other senior
executive at a company is faced with the task of recruiting a first or new GC. Thus, it is hugely beneficial to defer
to well-equipped legal recruiters with high-caliber expertise and experience who work on a daily basis with senior-
level lawyers. This is especially true when the hiring authority has not previously faced such a task frequently, if
at all. Consequently, senior executives routinely seek the advice of legal recruiting firms to determine whether or
not it makes economic sense to hire an inside lawyer based on a company’s legal workload.
Many legal search consultants have graduated from top law schools and worked in the law departments of
some of the nation’s largest and best-managed corporations. This experience provides an unmatched depth of
knowledge and contacts. Established recruiters with an extensive track record also have the advantage of a
longitudinal view of the candidate market. This knowledge can provide a valuable and long-term perspective on
each slate of candidates for in-house legal departments.
“Temporary project staffing” previously referred to support for document review, M&A due diligence
work, and project staffing for maternity leave, offshoring, and onshoring. Today, however, it encompasses a more
substantial portion of the legal landscape. After the 2008 recession, global demand for legal services contracted,
6 Id. at 17.
7 Thinking Like Your Client: Strategic Planning in Law Firms, LexisNexis & ALM Legal Intelligence, October 2012, at 21.
8 See Jon Lindsey & Robert Brigham, To Compete for Laterals – Linger Not, Partners, NATIONAL L. J., December 8, 2014,
http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202678232309/To-Compete-for-Laterals-mdash-Linger-Not-Partners.
8 Id.
60
