Legal Recruiter Bay Area Forum

[Anonymous User]

Any recommendations for legal recruiters in the Bay Area (i.e., San Francisco, Oakland, Walnut Creek, CA)? There are droves of recruiters, but never sure which ones are legit. For example, AJW Recruiting? Swan Legal? Ryder? Lighthouse? Parker & Lynch?

[Anonymous User]

I am a recruiter based in the Bay Area. I'm glad to answer any questions you have about making a selection.

[Anonymous User]

I am a recruiter based in the Bay Area. I'm glad to answer any questions you have about making a selection.

Great, any information you can share with all of us would be superb. I imagine a lot of us are considering which reputable recruiters to approach and what the current situation means on lateral movement.

[mongeese]

I used Ryder Smith before and thought that they were pretty good, but that was probably 7 years ago. I know other people that used them 3-4 years ago and thought they were good as well.

[Anonymous User]

I am a recruiter based in the Bay Area. I'm glad to answer any questions you have about making a selection.

Great, any information you can share with all of us would be superb. I imagine a lot of us are considering which reputable recruiters to approach and what the current situation means on lateral movement.

Sure. Right now many firms are still looking. In fact, we're seeing more demand in certain practice areas especially bankruptcy. Some areas are slowing down and some firms (few for now) are putting hiring on hold (either firm-wide or based on practice area).

Also, the process generally is slowing down as firms are relying more on phone screenings and video conferencing interviews. It's still a little early to tell the full effect of the shift to videoconferencing, but there is definitely still movement on candidate submissions. Notably, I would proceed with caution if a recruiter claims everything is business as usual.

In regard, to selecting the right recruiter, I think there are a few important factors to consider:

(1) Trust: This is really the most important factor. You don't want to work with someone who is shopping your resume everywhere or can't be transparent about the process. Some recruiters will shop your resume to open new unposted needs at firms to which you would never agreed to be submitted. Talk about confidentiality and the process before you agree to anything.

(2) Personal connection: You want to pick the right person who you get along with. Lateraling can be a long drawn-out process, so you want to work with someone you like and enjoy speaking with.

(3) Types of search firm: Most firms have access to the same jobs, but the firms differ in internal structure. For instance, some firms allow recruiters to work nationally. Other firms will pair you with multiple recruiters for each geographic area of interest (e.g. one for Southern California, one for NYC, one for Northern California, etc.). Law firms tend to be relatively agnostic about the firm as long as the recruiter is honest/reputable and is submitting quality candidates. That being said you should consider the geographic expertise of the recruiter because some search firms are focused more on certain geographic regions. For instance, a national firm based in New York with more of an East Coast focus might be less familiar with or have less insight about small Bay Area boutiques, regional California firms, or even about California offices of AmLaw firms.

(4) Exclusivity: Generally, it's easier to work with just one primary recruiter. But, it can still be helpful to talk to others to get a second opinion and to double check that your primary recruiter is giving you the right info. Working with a lot of recruiters at once can result in issues especially if one of them is broadly submitting you or shopping your resume arbitrarily with the notion that you have given the recruiter blanket permission to sub/shop anywhere. I would recommend not working with anyone who wants blanket permission to sub you to any firm, someone who wants to keep where you've been subbed a secret from other recruiters, or someone who demands full exclusivity.

[Whatislaw]

I am a recruiter based in the Bay Area. I'm glad to answer any questions you have about making a selection.

Great, any information you can share with all of us would be superb. I imagine a lot of us are considering which reputable recruiters to approach and what the current situation means on lateral movement.

Sure. Right now many firms are still looking. In fact, we're seeing more demand in certain practice areas especially bankruptcy. Some areas are slowing down and some firms (few for now) are putting hiring on hold (either firm-wide or based on practice area).

Also, the process generally is slowing down as firms are relying more on phone screenings and video conferencing interviews. It's still a little early to tell the full effect of the shift to videoconferencing, but there is definitely still movement on candidate submissions. Notably, I would proceed with caution if a recruiter claims everything is business as usual.

In regard, to selecting the right recruiter, I think there are a few important factors to consider:

(1) Trust: This is really the most important factor. You don't want to work with someone who is shopping your resume everywhere or can't be transparent about the process. Some recruiters will shop your resume to open new unposted needs at firms to which you would never agreed to be submitted. Talk about confidentiality and the process before you agree to anything.

(2) Personal connection: You want to pick the right person who you get along with. Lateraling can be a long drawn-out process, so you want to work with someone you like and enjoy speaking with.

(3) Types of search firm: Most firms have access to the same jobs, but the firms differ in internal structure. For instance, some firms allow recruiters to work nationally. Other firms will pair you with multiple recruiters for each geographic area of interest (e.g. one for Southern California, one for NYC, one for Northern California, etc.). Law firms tend to be relatively agnostic about the firm as long as the recruiter is honest/reputable and is submitting quality candidates. That being said you should consider the geographic expertise of the recruiter because some search firms are focused more on certain geographic regions. For instance, a national firm based in New York with more of an East Coast focus might be less familiar with or have less insight about small Bay Area boutiques, regional California firms, or even about California offices of AmLaw firms.

(4) Exclusivity: Generally, it's easier to work with just one primary recruiter. But, it can still be helpful to talk to others to get a second opinion and to double check that your primary recruiter is giving you the right info. Working with a lot of recruiters at once can result in issues especially if one of them is broadly submitting you or shopping your resume arbitrarily with the notion that you have given the recruiter blanket permission to sub/shop anywhere. I would recommend not working with anyone who wants blanket permission to sub you to any firm, someone who wants to keep where you've been subbed a secret from other recruiters, or someone who demands full exclusivity.

Any recruiters or recruiting firms you would caution against for users like me who are looking at the Bay Area? Any thoughts on L&E and whether any firms will be looking to layoff their associates considering we're looking at a recession?

[Anonymous User]

SV Corporate (Tech/EC/VC) midlevel here. I used Nick Goseland to make my move last year. He was absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend him.

[Whatislaw]

I used Ryder Smith before and thought that they were pretty good, but that was probably 7 years ago. I know other people that used them 3-4 years ago and thought they were good as well.

Do you recall the name of your recruiter?

[mongeese]

I used Ryder Smith before and thought that they were pretty good, but that was probably 7 years ago. I know other people that used them 3-4 years ago and thought they were good as well.

Do you recall the name of your recruiter?

Lee Kuhn. I was in IP and the other people I know were EC/VC. I didn't accept a position through them in the end, but I know that some of the EC/VC people did.

[Anonymous User]

Corporate mid-level in EC/VC here. I recently used Josh Bilgrei at Whistler Partners for a move from a non-Bay Area CA market into SV. Would definitely recommend him.

[Anonymous User]

I am a recruiter based in the Bay Area. I'm glad to answer any questions you have about making a selection.

Great, any information you can share with all of us would be superb. I imagine a lot of us are considering which reputable recruiters to approach and what the current situation means on lateral movement.

Sure. Right now many firms are still looking. In fact, we're seeing more demand in certain practice areas especially bankruptcy. Some areas are slowing down and some firms (few for now) are putting hiring on hold (either firm-wide or based on practice area).

Also, the process generally is slowing down as firms are relying more on phone screenings and video conferencing interviews. It's still a little early to tell the full effect of the shift to videoconferencing, but there is definitely still movement on candidate submissions. Notably, I would proceed with caution if a recruiter claims everything is business as usual.

In regard, to selecting the right recruiter, I think there are a few important factors to consider:

(1) Trust: This is really the most important factor. You don't want to work with someone who is shopping your resume everywhere or can't be transparent about the process. Some recruiters will shop your resume to open new unposted needs at firms to which you would never agreed to be submitted. Talk about confidentiality and the process before you agree to anything.

(2) Personal connection: You want to pick the right person who you get along with. Lateraling can be a long drawn-out process, so you want to work with someone you like and enjoy speaking with.

(3) Types of search firm: Most firms have access to the same jobs, but the firms differ in internal structure. For instance, some firms allow recruiters to work nationally. Other firms will pair you with multiple recruiters for each geographic area of interest (e.g. one for Southern California, one for NYC, one for Northern California, etc.). Law firms tend to be relatively agnostic about the firm as long as the recruiter is honest/reputable and is submitting quality candidates. That being said you should consider the geographic expertise of the recruiter because some search firms are focused more on certain geographic regions. For instance, a national firm based in New York with more of an East Coast focus might be less familiar with or have less insight about small Bay Area boutiques, regional California firms, or even about California offices of AmLaw firms.

(4) Exclusivity: Generally, it's easier to work with just one primary recruiter. But, it can still be helpful to talk to others to get a second opinion and to double check that your primary recruiter is giving you the right info. Working with a lot of recruiters at once can result in issues especially if one of them is broadly submitting you or shopping your resume arbitrarily with the notion that you have given the recruiter blanket permission to sub/shop anywhere. I would recommend not working with anyone who wants blanket permission to sub you to any firm, someone who wants to keep where you've been subbed a secret from other recruiters, or someone who demands full exclusivity.

Any recruiters or recruiting firms you would caution against for users like me who are looking at the Bay Area? Any thoughts on L&E and whether any firms will be looking to layoff their associates considering we're looking at a recession?

That's a really good question. There are certainly firms/recruiters I would not advise anyone to use. However, I don't feel comfortable publicly outing them (especially given that they are also my competition). I would speak to a few different recruiters before making a choice. I will say I think that the person you choose can often matter more than the firm.

Also, once you select someone at a specific search firm, it can be tricky to switch to another person at that search firm, so that's another aspect to consider. LinkedIn can be a really good way to gain some insight into the recruiters that you are considering.

I haven't heard anything hinting at any L&E related layoffs anywhere locally. CA L&E is still considered hot for now.

[Anonymous User]

I used Ryder Smith before and thought that they were pretty good, but that was probably 7 years ago. I know other people that used them 3-4 years ago and thought they were good as well.

Do you recall the name of your recruiter?

Lee Kuhn. I was in IP and the other people I know were EC/VC. I didn't accept a position through them in the end, but I know that some of the EC/VC people did.

Lee is great. She helped place me and a few other associates at new positions in SF/SV.

[RedGiant]

Using a recruiter in this market environment will send your application to the circular file. Reach out to friends or alums to shepherd your resume through. Referrals (in-firm) are way cheaper. Or apply directly. Firms have their pick right now--they don't need to pay fees.

That said, Laura Boysen Aragon at Solutus is da bomb.

[Anonymous User]

I would not use a recruiter right now. I tried applying using someone from Ryder Smith (her name starts with a N), and had no success. She also blasted my resume all over town, even though I specifically told her only to apply on my behalf to a few select firms. I got a contact at one firm to get me an interview, but that firm withdrew the interview on the day of because this recruiter had applied to the firm without my permission and knowledge, and the firm did not want to get into a recruiter fee dispute.