Giving Lawyers Options
The search firm has two roles to represent law firms and companies and help obtain the best qualified candidates to effectively represent the attorney and help him or her achieve their financial and career objectives - both long and short term.

Sometimes we recruit an attorney for one position, but after getting to know him better, ultimately introduce him to a firm with attributes closer to his objectives. Sometimes an attorney wishes to evaluate several opportunities, and not limit his search to only one opportunity. Quite frankly, because this is such an important decision, we want him to feel comfortable that he has looked at the best positions, not just those with our favorite firms. We believe this attitude is different from many of our competitors who often attempt to steer a candidate to their best accounts, rather than doing a lot of time-consuming legwork with other firms.

We can very discretely find out if the candidate has the right background and credentials, or has a good chance to be hired. We can do a lot of information gathering - without ever revealing the candidate's name and any identifying information. In some cases, we can do in a day or two what it would take a candidate to do in several weeks, assuming he had the time. With a huge network of both partners and associates at more than 200 firms and corporations, we get the true inside viewpoint, not just the cheerleading spin. Approximately 50% of our placements, at both the partner and associate level, happened because of significant legwork we did behind the scenes - quietly and quickly.

In short, our goal is to provide candidates with a plethora of outstanding options which dovetail with their goals, objectives and time constraints. Having more than one option serves the candidate in another way. Not only is he in a stronger bargaining position with more than one offer, but he'll have a better idea of the market, how certain firms compare, and get a better sense of issues such as culture, philosophy and chemistry. While we believe we have an excellent understanding of the market and what makes sense, we would prefer that the candidate see for himself.

Many headhunters do not wish to work with an attorney until he or she is ready to actively and aggressively start the process. We on the other hand, believe that timing is critical, and the attorney may simply not be quite ready to begin an emotionally draining experience which often requires a good deal of time to interview, go back for second and third rounds, etc. Perhaps we're overstating it, but the whole job-changing process, we believe, is as exciting as a trip to the dentist for a root canal. Therefore, we choose to move slowly with all candidates, or potential candidates.

However, we can give our candidates a sense of the market and of specific opportunities without the candidate making a definite commitment to leave his firm. For this reason, we often have the candidate meet a decision-maker informally over a cup of coffee, lunch or a drink after work. Since we plan on being in the attorney placement business for many years to come, we would rather develop relationships with good people and look at the larger picture - and assist when the timing makes sense. Proper timing is every bit as important as the proper job!