Six Signs That You Are Working With A Bad Recruiter

In a practice that involves highly confidential matters, it is important to chose a recruiter that is servicing your needs and not their own.

Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. Michael Allen is Managing Principal at Lateral Link, focusing exclusively on partner placements with Am Law 200 clients.

Every week I hear both good and bad stories about legal recruiters from both associates and partners.

From strong regional names like Alan Miles and Kay Hoppe, to larger international firms like MLA Global and Lateral Link, we all share some common practices, but also operate very differently with our clients and candidates.

There are quite a few names I won’t mention, who regularly garner the attention from partners and associates for questionable recruiter practices.

In a practice that involves highly confidential matters, it is important to chose a recruiter that is servicing your needs and not their own. I compiled a list of six telltale signs your recruiter may not be prioritizing your interests in your search for a new firm.

1) Phantom Submissions. Astonishingly, for some recruiters, it is a common practice to submit attorneys to firms without telling them. The rationale behind this is that either you may change your mind and interview with the submitted firm, but more likely, they are gaming the origination clause that is in most recruiting firms’ contracts. This clause states that the first firm to submit a hired candidate is owed compensation for that attorney (up to typically 6 months). We have heard of several recruiting firms and recruiters submitting attorneys to a plethora of firms without telling the attorney, in hopes of attempting to invoke this clause.

A good recruiter will never submit you to a firm without your knowledge and will respect your wishes in every matter. Confidentiality is paramount when dealing with lateral moves and disseminating your resume and alerting firms of your interest in moving can potentially have repercussions for your current position. A good recruiter will control the flow of information to ensure that your search remains confidential, and will use caution throughout the process.

2) Shotgun Approach. If your recruiter sends you a list of possible firms that’s as wide as a sawed-off shotgun’s splatter, they are not really interested in helping you, but instead are trying to move you to any firm.

Different situations dictate how many firms an attorney should apply to. If you need to move ASAP because of personal or business conflicts, then it would make sense to apply to a broad spectrum of firms to assure a quick lateral transition.

Lateraling to firms is not dissimilar to applying to Law School. The process involves sending in a submission to prospective firms, but unlike Law School, your chances of getting accepted depend on a myriad of variables including the number of applicants, conflicts between firms, personality, practice area demand and more. A good recruiter will ballpark your chances of getting accepted and will apply to enough firms to ensure that you have choices between firms you actually want to work at.

3) Your Recruiter might be HAL-9000. If your recruiter is sending out mass emails that either are not relevant to you or sound like 300 other attorneys also received them, then they are likely using mail merge to keep in touch with as many people possible. This is not always a bad sign, but if you are getting emails that say “Dear (your name) I think this would be a great time for you to move, I have a position that would be perfect just for you,” then this is a sure sign that your recruiter is not interested in servicing your needs.

We use email blasts occasionally to let attorneys know of new significant developments, but many recruiters at other firms try to game the system by spamming as many attorneys as possible. Sadly, this often works for them, so it is important to be diligent when evaluating the sincerity of communication from your recruiter. Look to see if they take a keen interest in your work or life. I won’t call out anyone specifically but one recruiter stands out from the others given their persistent spam.

4) Long Shot or No Shot. As much as we would like every attorney to have a shot with Wachtell or Irell, it’s simply not the case. There are recruiters who insinuate that they have the ability to place attorneys far above their pay grade.  These recruiters are likely snaring you into a trap. Sure you’ll be disappointed when Watchell rejects you, but good thing your helpful recruiter applied to a bunch of other Am Law 200 firms as backups.

At Lateral Link, we strive to place attorneys at firms where they will be happy and where they will succeed. We don’t want you to settle and we would rather you not move at all, than move to a firm that’s not a fit. Our clients appreciate the discretion as well. It is always good to apply to a few reach firms, worst case scenario you get to gauge your credentials or hone your interview skills, but if a recruiter is selling you on a pipe dream, it’s time to find another recruiter.

5) They don’t go to bat for you. When you work with a good recruiter during the lateral process, they should essentially be your advisor, assistant and confidant. A good recruiter is there to help you through the process by checking your resume, preparing you for interviews, keeping track of meetings and appointments, helping you draw up LPQ’s (if you are a partner) and serving as a vent for your worries or frustrations. If your recruiter is M.I.A. every time you call, refuses to help you prepare the necessary documents and doesn’t prep you for interviews, it’s time to get a new recruiter, fast! Also, make sure your recruiter has a strong relationship and credibility with the client.

6) Buying or Selling. You should know whether your recruiter is focusing on the candidate, the client (or worse of all, his or her own interests). Unlike the real estate market, there are not two brokers — one for the buyer and one for the seller. In legal recruiting, there is one broker whose job is to make the best match possible by leveraging relationships, information, and discretion. It is very important for you to use a recruiter with a good reputation for his or her credibility and integrity.

Lateral Link is comprised of former practicing attorneys who have worked at firms like Skadden, Irell, Gibson Dunn and many other Am Law 100 firms, and who know what it is like to go through the lateral process. In negotiating deals where we represent both the attorney and the firm, our experience helps us ensure that the firm and attorney are a good match. Many recruiters in the business would be more than happy to make any placement. At Lateral Link, we strive only to make the best placements.

Like any industry, there are good and bad recruiters out there. The key to a smooth lateral move is identifying the good ones. When searching for a good lateral recruiter, be sure to find someone who will not only become personally invested in your move, but will go to bat for you, be honest with you and who will help you make the move that is best for you.


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.