So you want to give notice at your current firm the second your bonus hits your account. We get it. We’ve done it. We’ve helped other attorneys do it.

Now let’s talk timing. Most associates think November is a great time to start a new year search — which means this is when firms get slammed with the most resumes. Beyond the glut of resumes on desks, the holiday schedule can also slow down the review process even further. If you want to avoid the bottleneck and give your credentials room to stand out from the pack, then we suggest beginning your search in early September. If things move relatively quickly and we’re able to secure an offer for you in September or early October, we can always negotiate a start date into the new year. In some cases, your new firm may want to match your full bonus and have you start immediately, if you're as excited as they are to get working together. Start dates are always negotiable, so when possible, time your search around when your candidacy can stand out and get the most traction.

If you haven’t started your search and it’s already after September or early October, don’t despair! We can provide all the tips and tricks you’ll need to make your application stand out from the flurry of resumes that firms receive toward the end of the year as associates gear up to move at the beginning of next year.

That depends on a few factors. First, when are you starting your search? If it's early in Q1, things will move briskly in a bustling market. If it's the heart of summer, then be prepared for the process to take a little extra time. Next, what kind of search is it? An in-house search is a notoriously slow process, with interviews that can stretch out over weeks or months. A retool or practice group switch also requires a little extra time and patience. But, if you're an associate at a solid firm, a move to a peer group or upgraded team can usually be accomplished in a matter of weeks. It's impossible to say without knowing the specific factors surrounding your search, but in general, expect the process to take around four to eight weeks — this usually allows ample time to set up interviews with a few different firms and will allow you to explore your options.

We send great emails, so we can’t blame you for flirting with this idea. Here’s the bottom line: exclusivity with a recruiter is the most simple arrangement you can have, and it can certainly set you up for success. But it’s not always the right answer. Sometimes, your recruiter gets complacent, stops putting in the effort they once did, or is otherwise asleep at the wheel. If your spidey sense is tingling, then why not take another call or two with a different recruiter to make sure you’re getting the best service possible? Come prepared with a list of firms you and your other recruiter have already reached out to, and we can fill in any gaps for you. If you’re working with us, this goes both ways! Feel free to explore the market and decide which service is best for you; the difference between us and other companies is that we’re pretty sure you’ll end up choosing us.

​Aside from keeping your options open and letting you really explore which firms and practice groups will be your optimal landing spot, applying to more than one position at once can serve as very helpful leverage for your dream job. Firms are often reactive to the possibility that they might miss out on an awesome candidate, so if you have an interview at another firm, this can be extremely helpful for moving along the timeline with your ideal firm. You also want to keep in mind that if you’re even open to the possibility of joining a firm, it’s important to start the process with them at the same time as other firms you’re interested in. You don’t want to end up in a situation where you have to choose between an offer at one firm and a first round interview at another firm. What you really want is to choose between a few offers, and we can maximize the odds of that happening if we time our outreach to firms appropriately.

No, we’re never going to send your resume anywhere unless you tell us to. We’ve all heard the horror stories about recruiters sending resumes everywhere once they get their hands on it, but that’s just not us. In addition to simply being decent human beings, most of us used to be attorneys and we can relate with the icky feeling we would get if people were sending our resumes around without our consent. So no, rest assured that your materials are safe with us. We’re here to work with you, not hijack your resume and violate your privacy.

If you’ve been practicing for less than 6 years, your resume should be a maximum of 1 page. This may not seem like much space, but when you work with us, your resume will be a highlight reel of your career so far. We have formatting, phrasing, and overall content tips that will have the most pertinent details of your work and education history jumping off the page and screaming that you deserve your dream job to anyone who reads your resume. If you want to get into the nitty gritty of what will make your resume pop, just shoot us an email - we can set up a call to walk through any questions you have!

​Grades matter less with each year that passes after you graduate from law school. Meanwhile, the experience you’ve been able to gather starts to matter more and more. If you got great grades and landed in a top firm, but you’re not getting substantive experience because you get piecemeal assignments, that’s an issue that should be addressed before it’s too late. On the other hand, if you’re getting great experience and you’re wondering whether certain firms would get hung up on not-so-great grades, then the answer is that they (probably) won’t care. Some firms are sticklers, but lucky for you, we’re here to let you know which ones those are.

​If the answer to the first question were yes, then of course the answer to the second question would be yes. But you knew that! You’re a lawyer.

So let’s dive into the first question. The short answer is no and the long answer is longer, but it also ends in no. Firms pay us a fee for each attorney we place because of the value we bring to their hiring process. We know their groups inside and out and what kinds of candidates they look for and want, allowing us to streamline the process for them. We connect them with brilliant attorneys who may not yet be familiar with their name. We support their growth in the directions they want with partner and group hires. We work with them and for you. The benefits of this relationship extend in both directions. We know the best way to present your candidacy and the most effective ways to advocate on your behalf.

We provide a service that simply can’t be matched by an attorney who is also working a full-time job, whether that's you, or your best friend over at x firm who can put in a good word for you. Our work doesn't end after we submit you-- in fact, that's just the start of the good stuff we bring to the table. There's often a lot of follow up and vocal advocating necessary to push things along and elevate your materials to the top of the pile. Should things progress to an offer, we aggressively negotiate the best deal on your behalf. Simply put, we're able to put ourselves in a position that you or your good pal just can't be in, understandably. You work hard for your clients. Let us work hard for you. We’ll consistently bring you opportunities that, frankly, you probably wouldn’t have heard about before. Then, we’ll leverage our extensive network that we’ve spent years building to connect you with the exact right person for your particular goal. The rare exception is if the partner in your desired group has recently personally asked you to apply - then sure, you probably don’t need us to use our connections because you already have your own. Otherwise, let us work do the work for you.

Of course! We welcome your referrals with open arms. Bear in mind that our contacts in the legal industry are generally limited to premier firms of all sizes - so if your friend/colleague is looking for something that's a bit more downmarket, we may have to refer them to a different recruiting agency. There are recruiters that specialize in that type of search; though we're not one of them, we are happy to point anyone in the right direction.

The best thing to do when talking to multiple recruiters is to determine which one will bring you the most value. Sometimes this is hard to suss out on an initial call, but the right kinds of questions will make the cream rise to the top.

One question we hear from attorneys fairly regularly is “how’s the market right now?” If this question is trotted out as a way to interview recruiters, then it’s not going to be very effective. The question allows the recruiter to talk in broad strokes about trends they’ve noticed that may or may not be relevant to the career move you’re considering. Another broad and ineffective question is "do you have a good relationship with this firm? Tell me about it". Spoiler alert. The answer will always be yes.

Consider that first call with the recruiter their interview with you, to win the job of working with you. Ask specific questions that will tell you how this person works, how they think and react on the fly, and how deep their knowledge truly goes.

For example, suppose you’re a corporate attorney in New York that is interested in working with more interesting clients, such as sports teams or stadiums. You could mention this to the recruiter and see if they know any firms that have reputable sports practices. If they do, you can drill down even further with “do you know any mid-size firms with reputable sports practices? It would be great to get a lifestyle upgrade as well. And while we’re at it, do any of these mid-size firms pay market?” If the recruiter squirms when you ask him or her those questions, good! The questions got you an even more important answer. Remember that how the recruiter responds to your questions on the fly is how they'll respond to firms about questions regarding your candidacy. Put them to the test — and then work confidently with the single recruiter that impressed you most.

That depends on what time of year your new firm gives out bonuses. Because most firms award bonuses to associates at the end of the year or in January/February, then most firms will give a prorated bonus to any new associates if they start shortly before bonuses are awarded. (We’ll be able to tell you if a firm you’re interested in has a fiscal year that’s off-market.) How many months do you have to work at your new firm in order to make sure that you are awarded a full bonus at the end of the year? That depends on which firm we’re talking about, and the answer is often negotiable. Almost every firm will make their initial offer with a prorated bonus, but we are able to negotiate effectively to get you the maximum amount possible. In certain circumstances, we’ve had associates start in October and still be awarded a full bonus in December. Since firms decide whether to prorate bonuses on a case-by-case basis, we are happy to weigh in on your particular situation – just shoot us an email to set up a time to discuss in more detail.

​The answer to this is almost certainly yes. After so many years of experience in the recruiting industry, there are very few firms that we have not worked with. As new boutiques emerge on the scene, we are often the first to know about them – that means that you will be the first to know about them! That said, us having a relationship with the firm will only get you so far along in the interview process. We are able to help you brush up your resume, and we can present your candidacy in a focused light and color that we know the firm responds to-- we may even be able to get your resume directly on a partner’s desk instead of having it lost in a pile on the recruiting coordinator’s floor, but the partners still have to like your resume enough to want to call you in for an interview. Picture a scenario where a recruiting agency presents an attorney who graduated from a middling school and now works at a middling law firm – even though that recruiting agency may have a relationship with the law firm, the firm is still going to prefer the candidate who went to a great school and works at a great firm. Don’t sell yourself short in the quest to find the best legal recruiting agency; any agency’s power is limited in these situations. And besides, you’ve already found the best one. You’re reading their website right now!