How a legal search runs, start to finish.
If you haven't used a legal recruiter before, or you're comparing a few, this page covers the whole process: what you provide, what we do, how candidates get screened, and how the fee works. The fee is contingency, paid by the employer, with nothing owed until someone starts.
- The employer pays the fee. The attorney never pays anything, at any stage.
- Terms in writing before the search begins.
- Every candidate you meet has already been interviewed by us.
- Most of the attorneys we reach aren't applying anywhere.
What you give us in an hour decides how good the first shortlist is.
A search begins with one call, usually thirty to sixty minutes. We want the role, the practice area, the experience band, the market, and the compensation range you can work with. Past that, the useful details are the ones firms don't think to volunteer: who the person reports to, what went wrong with the last hire in this seat, whether hybrid is on the table, and how many interview rounds you run. If the role has been open for months, tell us what hasn't worked. That's information, not an admission.
Two decisions get made at the start. First, how confidential the search is. Ours are confidential by default, and your firm's name doesn't reach a candidate until you approve it. Second, whether you want to work with one recruiter or several. Both arrangements happen. We put the fee model and the terms in writing before going to market, so the economics are settled before anyone spends time on candidates.
What happens in each week of a search.
Most associate-level searches close in about five to six weeks from kickoff to signed offer. Partner searches run longer. The first shortlist usually reaches a client within days, which surprises firms expecting a month of silence. It's possible because the work of finding those attorneys has been going on for years before your call. Most of the people we present aren't applying anywhere. They're employed and reachable, and they'll take a call about the right seat.
Screening happens before you see anyone. We interview every candidate ourselves and check practice fit against the work you described, the real reason they're leaving, compensation expectations against your range, and, for litigation roles, what they've done in a courtroom. You get a short list with our notes on each person. The stages below are how a typical search runs, and we'll tell you at each one where things stand.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Kickoff call | Thirty to sixty minutes on the role, the market, the compensation range, and your interview process. We tell you what's realistic before you commit to anything. |
| 2. Terms in writing | The fee model and the engagement terms, agreed in writing before we go to market. Contingency, so nothing is owed until a hire starts. |
| 3. Search and outreach | We work our own network first, then run targeted outreach to attorneys who fit and aren't looking. Your firm's name stays out of it until you release it. |
| 4. Screening interviews | We interview every candidate on practice fit, motivation, compensation, and, for litigation roles, courtroom experience. Candidates who don't fit the seat never reach you. |
| 5. Shortlist | Usually within days. A small number of candidates with our notes on each, including where they're weaker and what they'll ask you for. |
| 6. Your interviews | You run your own process. We schedule, prepare candidates, carry feedback in both directions, and tell you when someone is going cold. |
| 7. Offer | We give you a read on the number before it goes out and handle the back and forth on terms, so neither side is negotiating against an assumption. |
| 8. Resignation and counteroffer | We prepare the candidate for a counteroffer before they resign, because most firms make one. We manage the notice period with both sides. |
| 9. After the start | We stay in contact with the new hire and with you through the first months. Problems that surface early are usually fixable. |
The fee is paid by the firm, and only if you hire.
Contingency search means what the word says. There's no retainer and no up-front cost, and you owe nothing unless you hire someone we introduced. The attorney never pays, at any stage, which is worth stating because candidates always ask. Terms go in writing before the search starts. If we don't produce someone you want to hire, the search costs you nothing beyond the hours you spent in interviews.
Firms ask whether to use one recruiter or several. Several on the same role tends to produce the same candidates arriving from different directions, duplicate submissions, and arguments about who introduced whom. One recruiter who understands the seat will put more hours into it, and an exclusive arrangement buys more of ours on a hard search. Either way, plan for two things after the offer. A counteroffer from their current firm, which we prepare the candidate for in advance, and a start date that moves. Notice periods, trial calendars, and files that need transitioning all push it, so build a few weeks of slack into your plan.
How do legal recruiters get paid?
The hiring employer pays the fee, and the attorney pays nothing. We work on contingency, which means no retainer and nothing owed until a candidate we introduced accepts and starts. Terms are agreed in writing before the search begins. Retained search, where part of the fee is paid up front, exists for very senior or highly sensitive roles, and we'll tell you if a search calls for that structure.
How long does it take to fill a legal role?
A shortlist usually reaches you within days of the kickoff call. Most associate-level searches close in about five to six weeks from start to signed offer. Partner searches take longer, because there are fewer candidates and often a book of business and conflicts to work through. Your interview calendar is the biggest variable after that. Firms that keep rounds close together hire sooner.
What do we have to provide?
One call at the start, a realistic compensation range, and prompt feedback on the candidates you meet. Beyond that, the details that make a shortlist accurate: reporting line, caseload or deal flow, whether hybrid is possible, how many interview rounds you run, and what went wrong with the last hire in the seat. Thirty candid minutes at kickoff produces a far better first list than a forwarded job posting.
Should we use one recruiter or several?
One usually works better. Several recruiters chasing the same role reach the same candidates, which creates duplicate submissions and disputes over who introduced whom, and it pushes each recruiter toward volume instead of fit. A single recruiter who knows the seat will spend more time on it. Exclusivity isn't required to work with us, though it does buy more attention on a difficult search.
How do you screen candidates before we see them?
We interview every candidate ourselves before presenting them. We check practice fit against the work you described, the real reason they're leaving, compensation expectations against your range, and, for litigation roles, their courtroom experience. You receive a short list with notes on each person, including where they're weaker and what they will ask for. Candidates who don't fit the seat never reach your inbox.
What happens if our candidate gets a counteroffer?
Expect one. Most firms counter a good attorney who resigns, usually with money plus a promise about workload. We work through it with the candidate before they give notice, so the decision is made in advance rather than in an emotional conversation with a managing partner. Start dates drift as well, since notice periods and case transitions take time. Plan for a few weeks of slack.
Want to talk it through before you commit?
Tell us the role you're trying to fill, or ask about the process itself. We'll give you a realistic read on the market, the timeline, and whether a search makes sense right now.