Whilst most roles can be filled by personal contacts or through the general legal recruitment market, some senior roles need a more sophisticated research led approach.
For example, you may be looking to open a new office and may not know who the main players are. Or you may have exhausted the local market and wish to bring someone in from a market where you do not have a presence.
A specialist headhunter should be able to able to provide you with an overview of the competition and the relevant targets. We do this by speaking to third party clients, onshore law firms and alumni, as well as through our own knowledge of your market built up over the past ten years.
You may have a perception issue that needs to be overcome. Recent successes and growth may have gone unnoticed. In these cases it is critical that the right message is being communicated to potential targets, particularly when the potential target pool is small.
You only get one chance so you want to make sure that the headhunter who represents you, genuinely understands (and believes) your pitch. Many lawyers we help move tell us that they may never have considered a particular firm had we not explained the opportunity to them.
Whilst there is usually an upfront cost to retaining a headhunter, the amount charged is normally recovered from the success fee component when you make your hire. You will also own the research, as well as ensuring the headhunter you have instructed is loyal to you and committed to promoting your brand throughout the market.