Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Newport Associates is an executive legal search firm specializing in placing attorneys with leading law firms. The Executive Recruiter will develop law firm clients, source and advise attorney candidates, manage searches through placement, negotiate offers, maintain pipelines, and build a presence in the legal recruiting market.
Responsibilities
- Identify, target, and open new law firm clients across the Am Law 100 and 200, as well as elite boutiques and regional powerhouse firms
- Conduct high-volume, high-quality outreach to Practice Group Chairs, Lateral Hiring Partners, Managing Partners, and in-house legal recruiting teams
- Build and maintain a personal pipeline of firm relationships that generate repeat, exclusive, and retained search assignments
- Take detailed intake calls with firm leadership to understand not just the job spec, but the politics, the economics, the succession dynamics, and the unspoken criteria that actually drive hiring decisions
- Negotiate fee agreements, exclusivity terms, and guarantee periods with client firms
- Track competitive intelligence: which firms are expanding, which are opening offices, which groups are stretched thin, which partners are unhappy, and where conflicts will and will not clear
- Re-engage dormant client relationships and turn one-off placements into ongoing partnerships
- Source attorney candidates through LinkedIn, firm websites, Chambers and Legal 500 rankings, deal announcements, court filings, bar directories, law school alumni networks, CLE panels, and proprietary databases
- Run high-volume outbound campaigns by phone, email, LinkedIn, and text, typically 40 to 60 touches per day, to identify attorneys open to a confidential conversation
- Conduct deep-dive candidate calls to assess practice area, seniority, portable business, client relationships, rate sensitivity, compensation history, geographic flexibility, cultural fit, and true motivation for moving
- Build long-term relationships with attorneys who are not ready to move today but will be in twelve or twenty-four months
- Maintain a personal network of "market sources," attorneys who may never move themselves but who feed you intelligence and referrals
- Understand and articulate the difference between practice areas: private equity versus M&A, fund formation versus emerging companies and venture capital, private credit versus leveraged finance, private wealth versus corporate tax, and dozens of others
- Coach candidates on portable business analysis, helping them realistically assess what will and will not follow them
- Build the strategic case for why a specific attorney belongs on a specific platform, going far beyond a resume submission
- Draft compelling, confidential candidate write-ups and positioning memos that get firm leadership to say yes to an interview before they ever see a resume
- Anticipate and preempt objections around portables, conflicts, class year, practice fit, and prior moves
- Manage conflicts checks and understand how client conflicts can kill an otherwise perfect placement
- Advise candidates on how to present their practice, their book, and their trajectory in interviews
- Manage the full search lifecycle from initial outreach through offer acceptance and start date
- Schedule and coordinate interviews across multiple time zones, offices, and partner calendars
- Prep candidates before every interview and debrief them immediately after
- Debrief firms after each round and translate vague feedback into actionable next steps
- Guide candidates and firms through the Lateral Partner Questionnaire (LPQ) process, business plans, and financial disclosures
- Negotiate offers including base compensation, bonus structure, origination credit, equity versus income partner status, guarantee periods, and start dates
- Manage counteroffers, cold feet, family considerations, and the emotional realities of a career change
- Stay engaged through resignation, notice period, and onboarding to protect the placement and the relationship
- Follow up post-placement to ensure integration is going well and to generate referrals
- Maintain meticulous CRM records on every candidate, client, conversation, and search
- Track your own metrics: outreach volume, connect rate, calls scheduled, submissions, interviews, offers, and placements
- Forecast your pipeline and revenue accurately
- Contribute market intelligence to the broader team so the whole firm gets smarter
- Help refine outreach templates, search strategies, and internal processes
- Build a personal brand as a credible, knowledgeable voice in the legal recruiting market
- Post thoughtfully on LinkedIn, engage with legal industry news, and become a person attorneys want to hear from
- Attend or monitor legal industry events, bar association functions, and practice group conferences
- Read The American Lawyer, Above the Law, Law.com, Bloomberg Law, and Chambers rankings the way other people read the sports page
Skills
- Prior experience in recruiting, executive search, staffing, sales, business development, or account management
- Experience in legal services, professional services, financial services, or another relationship-driven industry
- Familiarity with the legal industry, law firm structures, or the Am Law rankings
- JD, paralegal experience, or law firm experience of any kind
- CRM or applicant tracking system experience
- A track record of building something from scratch, whether a business, a book, a territory, or a team
Benefits
- Full-time or part-time employment
- Based in the Newport Beach office, hybrid, or fully remote from anywhere in the United States
- You will be trained, supported, and set up with the infrastructure to succeed
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