A Former Partner's Perspective On Legal Recruiters And Lateral Partner Moves

Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts on lateral moves from Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. Ed Wisneski is a Director with Lateral Link, a full-service, multinational legal recruiting firm. Ed’s practice focuses on: (1) working with law firm partners who wish to make successful lateral moves that are personally beneficial, maximizes their profitability and best meets the needs of their existing clients; (2) working with law firm associates who wish to make lateral moves that will enable them to meet their career goals; (3) working with top-level government attorneys who wish to make successful transitions into (or back to) private practice; and (4) working with corporate general counsel to attract and acquire top tier attorneys for important in-house positions. Prior to joining Lateral Link, Ed was a partner and an associate at Patton Boggs LLP, a premier international law firm. Over a 20 year career, Ed developed an ability to work closely with colleagues and clients to successfully navigate complex civil litigation matters. Ed strongly believes that his many years on the “inside” of a top law firm provided him with unique perspectives into the legal marketplace and what it takes to make a successful lateral move. Ed holds a B.S. in Communications from the University of Delaware, and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he graduated cum laude.

If you are a partner in a medium to large law firm, part of your week involves fielding multiple calls from legal recruiters. I know this because for many years prior becoming a Director at Lateral Link, I was a partner at a large international law firm. Towards the end of my tenure, I would receive calls from as many as six legal recruiters in a week, each with an earnest promise that they would find me the perfect job.

Did I take every call? No. But I did take many. Why? Because in today’s highly competitive legal market, it makes sense to know your options.

In a sea of legal recruiters, how can you determine which recruiter is right for you? How can that recruiter help you make a prudent lateral move? How can that recruiter help you test your marketability without causing a distraction to your busy work schedule?

Now that I am a legal recruiter myself, I believe I have a unique perspective on the answers to these questions and they are not as complicated as you might think. The following factors will help you know what to look for in a good recruiter and how to best work with them.

1. Field Recruiters’ Calls: Today’s legal market has changed dramatically. With a few exceptions, a partner cannot expect to spend their entire career at one firm. There are many reasons for this including increased competition, higher billable rates, and ever more discerning clients. In this climate, it is imperative that individual partners periodically assess whether their current firm offers the best platform for their continued success. No longer can a partner be assured that this year will be as productive and profitable as the year prior, or that their current firm will be as willing or able to provide the resources necessary to maximize their profitability. Thus, it makes sense to field those recruiter calls. Recruiters contact you because they are aware of lateral partner opportunities in your practice area and it costs you only a few minutes time to learn about these opportunities. Knowing that there is a market for your services, even if you never move, is useful in representing your interests at your current firm. Market knowledge can be critical in not underplaying (or overplaying) your hand when it comes to negotiating compensation packages or making requests for additional firm resources.

2. Choose the Right Recruiter: Whether you are seriously considering a lateral move, or are happy in your current firm but interested in testing the market, using a recruiter makes perfect sense. After all, recruiters’ services are free to you. But how do you choose the right recruiter? The best answer is to ask questions. A good recruiter will understand your practice and be able to discuss it intelligently. They will understand the type of work you do and the nuanced differences within your general practice area that would make you a good potential fit at one firm but not another. For example, it is not uncommon for a recruiter to say he has an opportunity for an “insurance partner,” but a knowledgeable recruiter will understand whether the opportunity is for a lawyer who represents policyholders or carriers. In this case, one such position might be perfect for you, while the other would be a complete non-starter.

Partners should also consider the recruiter’s area of expertise. A recruiter that focuses their practice on lateral partner moves rather than associate placements should understand the differences between the two. Partner moves are more complex, requiring a heightened understanding of the business side of a law practice, including partnership agreements, lateral contracts, salary negotiation, cross-selling, and conflicts.

A good recruiter will have thorough knowledge of the market and firm needs in your practice area in your preferred location. This knowledge provides a partner seeking to make a lateral move with additional options. And these options lead to enhanced leverage when it comes to negotiating a compensation package. Indeed, when a partner makes a lateral move with the aid of a recruiter, it is often to a firm other than the one that prompted the initial contact.

Finally, a “good” recruiter is one that you feel you can trust with your confidential information (including salary, portable business numbers, and your interest in moving), and who responds promptly and professionally to your needs. There are many excellent recruiters out there, so there is no need to work with one who does not meet these necessary standards of care.

3. Work With Your Recruiter and Set Your Agenda: Once you have decided to work with a legal recruiter, it is important to work with them up front to set goals, expectations, and a plan of attack. There are numerous approaches to a job search that a recruiter can utilize on your behalf that do not disrupt your ongoing work, or create a significant risk that your current firm will be alerted to your search. Remember that it is your search and your timetable, not your recruiter’s. Setting expectations and a plan in advance will allow your recruiter to tailor a plan that you can be comfortable with, while simultaneously maximizing your chance of success.

In the end, as a former law firm partner and current legal recruiter, I believe that there is great value in what recruiters can do to provide benefit in your search. So take the calls, choose your recruiter carefully, and good luck!

Previously from Lateral Link:

• Headhunters. Huh. What Are They Good For?
• Taking The Temperature Of Your Career
• Planning For A Legal Career Overseas (Part II): Language Skills, Caveats, And What You Can Be Doing Now
• Planning For A Legal Career Overseas (Part I): Picking The Right Practice Area And The Right Firm
• The Top 5 Reasons Attorneys Move

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Lateral Link is one of the top-rated International Legal Recruiting Firms. With over 14 offices world-wide, Lateral Link specializes in placing attorneys at the most prestigious law firms in the world. Managed by former practicing attorneys from top law schools, Lateral Link has a tradition of hiring lawyers to execute the lateral leaps of practicing attorneys. Click ::here:: to find out more about us.