Working With a Legal Recruiter: How the Process Actually Works

Want to know how working with an attorney recruiter actually works? Here's the straightforward version.

It Starts With a Call

We discuss your opening and get an understanding of what you need: the practice, experience, compensation and expectations. We also want to understand the opportunity from the attorney's perspective. Why would the right person want to join you?

If there's a mutual fit, we cover terms.

Terms

Most Am Law and larger firms have their own recruiting agreements, and we're happy to review and work from those where appropriate. If you're an Am Law firm with a South Florida office, there's a good chance we already have an agreement in place.

Most boutiques and smaller firms don't work off their internal agreements, so we typically use our standard agreement with them.

Here's what terms look like:

• Most searches are contingency, meaning we only get paid if we successfully place the attorney. Our fee is 25% of the attorney's first-year base salary.
• When it makes sense, we suggest an engaged search. You pay a $5,000 engagement fee to begin the search, which is applied toward the total fee, and the remaining balance is due after a successful placement.
• Payment is due within 15–30 days of the attorney's start date, depending on the agreement.
• We also provide a six-month guarantee if the attorney leaves or is terminated.

Once the agreement is signed and any engagement fee is paid, we get to work.

The Search

We build a targeted list of attorneys whose backgrounds match the profile, using our database, SurePoint/Leopard Solutions, LinkedIn, market research, and AI-assisted sourcing tools such as Pin and Noon.

Next, we pre-qualify that list, eliminating attorneys who aren't a fit and narrowing it down to the strongest potential matches.

From there, we conduct our outreach. Calls to attorneys we know, referrals, cold calls, emails, LinkedIn messages. Whatever it takes to reach the right people.

We learn what they want, what would make them move, and whether your opportunity actually makes sense for them.

Sharing Candidates

If your position aligns with their background and where they want to go, we get their permission to share their resume and relevant supporting materials with you, such as a law school transcript, writing samples for litigators, a deal sheet for corporate attorneys, a cover letter, and/or the LPQ (Lengthy Painful Questionnaire) if a partner.

Sometimes, if we're not 100% sure it's a match, we'll start by giving you a "blind" overview of the attorney to gauge your interest before sharing their materials and identifying information.

Interviews to Offer

Next, we help coordinate interviews, gather feedback and, if there's mutual interest, work through the offer.

Behind the scenes, it's a lot of work and one hell of a roller coaster ride. Confidential conversations, market research, changing priorities, counteroffers and sometimes a little unofficial therapy.

The part you see is the resume and the interview. The value is everything that happens in between.

That's the process, from our first call to your new attorney's first day.