Why Law Firms Use Legal Recruiters

We spend all day, every day speaking with attorneys. Many don't know about your opening because they're either not looking or don't have the time to look.

That's a big part of what you're paying for: reaching attorneys who aren't coming to you on their own.

Days, weeks, months and years of these conversations compound into relationships, market intel and intuition. We learn what attorneys want, what would make them move and which opportunities make sense for them.

Specialized Knowledge Matters

And that understanding has to be specialized. Attorney practices are highly nuanced. Insurance defense is not the same as complex commercial litigation. Slip-and-fall PI is not the same as catastrophic personal injury. Light corporate contract work is not the same as sophisticated M&A.

A generalist recruiter doesn't know the difference, and it matters, because we have to know exactly who we're going after and position your firm in a way that resonates.

It's like medicine. If you're an adult with a broken arm, you're not going to a pediatrician. You're going to an adult orthopedic surgeon.

We Hear What They Won't Tell You

We're also having conversations with these attorneys that you won't. They'll tell us things they'll never tell you directly, like when they have other offers or they're interviewing elsewhere. That lets us tell you what you need to hear: move faster, or sharpen the offer.

And it works the other way too. What they tell us about their goals helps us pull them out of consideration early when it's not the right fit, before they cost you any time.

The Investment Math

We also invest heavily in resources to make our work more effective and efficient — databases, research platforms and outreach tools. An investment that may not make economic sense for a firm filling an occasional opening is part of our everyday business.

Then there's the math. If you're hiring for expansion, that's an attorney who could be billing while you're trying to fill the seat on your own. If we get there in a fraction of the time, they're billing that much sooner.

What's your hourly rate worth? What revenue does that person bring in?

Zero Risk

And in many cases we work on contingency, which means there's zero risk. You don't hire someone we bring you, you don't pay a fee. You only pay if you hire someone you believe is worth it.

Why I Do This

I've been recruiting since 2008 and founded Holtz & Bernard in 2019 with the sole focus on attorney recruitment. I've worked for big agencies, and I've worked in-house on the other side.

I've seen how much work goes into finding the right person.

Posting an opening is one part of it. Finding the attorney, getting their attention, understanding their motivations and helping both sides get to a decision is where we come in.