Michael Allen
Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts from Lateral Link’s team of expert contributors. Michael Allen is the CEO of Lateral Link. He is based in the Los Angeles office and focuses exclusively on Partner and General Counsel placements for top firms and companies. Prior to founding Lateral Link in 2006, he worked as an attorney at both Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Irell & Manella LLP. Michael graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, San Diego before earning his JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Lateral Link is pleased to announce that we have promoted seven of our recruiters, including Zain Atassi, Wendy Boone, Ata Farhadi, Miranda Ganguly, and Matt Ritter. They have all demonstrated excellence in legal recruiting, hard work in deal making, and great attitudes along the way.
Zain Atassi is now a Principal in Lateral Link’s Chicago office. Zain holds a J.D. from Washington University School of Law and a B.A. with Honors from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to recruiting, she spent six years as a litigation attorney with Chicago-based law firms. Zain resides on the Northshore of Chicago with her husband and two children, and she is fluent in Arabic.
Wendy Boone Jaikaran is now a Managing Director of Associate Recruiting in Texas. Prior to recruiting, Wendy spent seven years as an IP litigation associate at a well-respected IP boutique in Houston. She received her J.D. from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and her B.S. in advertising from The University of Texas at Austin.
Ata Farhadi is now a Senior Director in Lateral Link’s Los Angeles office. Ata received his B.A. from Oxford and his LL.M. from USC. He is a trained Shakespearean actor and has performed with the Independent Shakespeare Company, Theatricum Botanicum, and Warriors for Peace.
Allie Fennell is now a Senior Director in Lateral Link’s Atlanta office. Allie received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law. Outside of work, Allie volunteers with the fundraising arm of the Atlanta Humane Society, where she adopted her rescue pup from several years ago.
Matt Ritter is now a Principal with Lateral Link in Los Angeles. Matt obtained his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and was a corporate associate at both Kirkland & Ellis and Mayer Brown in NYC. Matt has also toured as a comedian, and wrote and produced a few hit TV shows.
Thanks to the efforts of these recruiters, and our many other colleagues stateside and abroad, Lateral Link had one of its strongest years from over the last decade. We have collectively closed thousands of successful placements, promoted three hardworking individuals to Principal, and most importantly, we enjoy what we do.
We opened our doors almost 15 years ago with a goal to become the best-in-class legal recruiting firm. We are committed to maintaining core values that thrive on client service, comradery, and making the right placements. Over 15 years later, we have the same goals, and we think we’ve done a pretty good job at meeting them.
We only hire the best. Most of our recruiters are former attorneys with top Am Law 100 law experience. Firms value our introductions and candidates appreciate our guidance because they trust our expertise.
As we all know in our space, there is a premium on talent, including legal recruiters who treat their careers as seriously as the candidates and clients they represent. Here at Lateral Link, we provide the most generous compensation structures for our recruiters in the business. Our top performers earn an effective rate of 70 percent of business generation, compared to around 50 percent for most of our competitors.
Our team is built on recognizing and rewarding talent and cooperation. We have clear criteria for upward mobility that is available for everyone.
If you are looking for a top culture, best in class recruiting team, resources, brand, fun, and unbeatable compensation, reach out and send us your cover letter and résumé. We work with the best, and our candidates and clients expect that we only hire the best.
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 and companies 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.