Frequently Asked Questions
Why work with a legal recruiter at all? I could apply to firms myself.
You could. But you'll make a handful of lateral moves across a career, while we handle dozens a year, and that experience compounds. A recruiter makes a move more likely to happen by reducing the uncertainty on both sides. Several things are hard to do alone. We position you for multiple offers rather than a single stay-or-go decision. We buffer your interest, so testing the market says nothing about your standing at your firm. We help firms build an offer that wins you.
Who pays you? What does it cost me?
Law firms pay us, not you. We earn a fee only if you accept an offer, so the service is effectively free to the lawyer. A diversified client base means we don't depend on any single fee, which keeps our advice conflict-free and independent.
Do I need to know what I want before I start?
No. Most lawyers we talk to open with some version of "I'm not even sure I want to leave." That's a fine place to begin. Clarity doesn't come before the search. It comes from it. Seeing real options side by side tells you what you care about faster than any amount of reasoning in isolation. If you're even a third of the way certain you are looking for something else, you're ready for a conversation because you'll gain clarity as you learn about firms and your own priorities.
Who do you work with?
Elite litigators, with a focus on IP litigation. Most come from large law firms or elite boutiques. We have expertise with first-time movers. Khurram practiced as an IP litigator before founding the firm, so that's where our network and market knowledge run deepest. Our work is national. We place lawyers in markets including New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Dallas.
Do I need a book of business to move as a partner?
No. Many partners, especially junior partners (sometimes called income or non-equity partners), assume a firm will only hire them for their book of business. In the placements we have made, we have consistently seen firms hire these lawyers for their technical acumen, their trial expertise, or both. The firm is busy with cases. You come in and take those cases off its plate, so its partners can focus on bringing in more. Firms are willing to pay significant sums for lawyers who can do that.
Won't interviewing at several firms at once make me look unserious?
It's a common worry, and the opposite tends to happen. Firms interview many candidates and compare them at their own pace. Presenting you to a strategic set of firms lets you do the same. When firms know you're interviewing elsewhere, they usually move faster. Simultaneous submission keeps everyone on one timeline, so you compare offers side by side rather than one at a time. That creates the space to determine fit and get clarity on the tradeoff most important to you.
How do you help me prepare for interviews?
Lawyers who don't interview well don't get offers. Lawyers get offers when they can establish they will be helpful to a firm. The key question in interviews is why you are making your move. We help lawyers develop the narratives that firms can use to make the case to extend an offer. On interview day you have a dedicated contact from our team you can reach if anything comes up, and we debrief with you after each interview to ensure you are progressing and getting clarity on your search.
Why is it best to have a single source for all my submissions?
Every firm involves tradeoffs, so you want an objective advisor to compare firms. That exclusivity lets us do two things at once: use each offer to negotiate the strongest position across firms, and give you objective, side-by-side advice.
The alternative to an objective advisor is an interested party: when you work with a friend or multiple recruiters, each of them becomes interested in a particular outcome. So each interested party then pitches you on their offer. The result is you get biased feedback instead of disinterested guidance. Interested parties are constrained in their ability to negotiate for you.
Is my search confidential?
Yes. We present you only to firms you've approved in writing, so nothing goes out without your sign-off. Part of our role is to buffer your interest, so reaching out through us doesn't signal anything about your standing at your current firm. We work with official recruiting channels to ensure all stakeholders are looped in, and they will keep your candidacy confidential.
How long does the process take?
Partners can expect a multi-month process. Our average timeline for associates and counsel is 41 days to go from submission to accepting an offer. In recent months, three lawyers accepted one of several offers in under 21 days.
Our process compresses the timeline to offers because firms move quickly when they know they're competing. Moving lawyers through the process efficiently has the additional benefit of getting lawyers clarity on their priorities and momentum to act on them.