Search Consultant
Partner Practice Group - London

About MLA's Partner Practice Group-London

The London Partner Practice Group focuses on the U.S. law firm market in Europe. We assist clients in recruiting partners and groups on a retained and contingent basis. We also help partners and their practices make lateral moves. While the candidate side of our business is essentially local, the recruitment and integration process requires an understanding not only of the London legal market but also of each client’s history, culture, structure and strategy. We work closely with members of our Partner Practice Group in the U.S. and Asia to ensure that our clients here benefit from the knowledge we have acquired helping firms grow in the U.S. and internationally for more than twenty-five years.

Retained Partner Search. Our Retained Partner Practice marries executive search capability with unparalleled market knowledge to provide the best lateral hiring solution at the highest levels of law firm partnership. We often provide law firms with preliminary strategic advice on the market, positioning and any local regulatory hurdles that may obstruct a project. Our global team collaborates on cross-border assignments that require a local office understanding of clients, targets and business practices. These assignments include office start-ups and mergers.

One critical element of our approach to the search process is to work closely with managing and hiring partners in order to understand every relevant component of their business. With these insights into firm culture, finances, management style and strategic vision, we can better ensure that clients only consider partners whose long-term career goals, personal style and other critical needs are compatible with those of the firm and that both sides have reasonable expectations.

Our approach includes exclusive focus for our clients; we will not take on a competing retained project in the same market at the same time. We gain a depth of knowledge about our client firms and combine this with exhaustive market research. Armed with market intelligence and bolstered by credibility built over more than two decades, we contact the right partners and proactively discuss the opportunity with them. We are accountable for our results, reporting on our progress with our retained clients on a regular (usually weekly) basis. We remain involved through salary negotiations, lateral form completion, and partnership votes. As counsellors on both sides, we facilitate a smooth transition for firm and partner, ensuring that the hire is integrated into the firm and set for future success.

Law Firm Clients. Firms that engage MLA benefit from contacts and know-how acquired over twenty-five years in the legal search profession and benefit from the knowledge base of the legal recruiting firm voted “best in the U.S.” by the law firms of the AmLaw 100. A recruiting call from MLA is rarely viewed as “just another headhunter call” for one simple reason: we do not recruit for opportunities we do not believe in. That reputation precedes our contacts with potential candidates and allows MLA to open doors that might otherwise remain closed.

Partner Placement. MLA represents successful law firm partners seeking to make a transition to a new law firm platform. A successful partner's move to a new firm involves a complex interplay of financial, cultural and personal concerns. Our approach builds upon the experience of our consultants, the quality of our service and MLA's consistent history of results. Partners who engage MLA gain discreet access to law firm decision-makers and to the type of in-depth information about firms that is critical in making an informed career decision.

Responsibilities

The Partner Practice Consultant will work on a mix of retained and contingent searches and will also assist partner candidates and their practices to move laterally. While the role is principally execution focused, the new consultant will be expected to collaborate with MLA partners on pitches for retained assignments and to network in the London legal community to attract partner candidates who they will assist to move laterally. They will be responsible for negotiating fee agreements, writing and editing proposals, position descriptions and candidate reports. The new consultant will be expected to collaborate with others at MLA to identify and act upon synergies with other practice groups in London, Asia and the United States.

Experience

The ideal candidate is a former lawyer with several years’ recruitment experience and solid knowledge of the London law firm market. As we are looking for long-term growth in this market, we would like to attract a candidate who has relationships with key law firms and demonstrates the potential to become a partner at MLA.

We seek candidates who possess most of the following qualities. Of key importance is attitude. We hire entrepreneurial, team-spirited individuals who are committed to client service. It is our goal not just to close assignments but to deliver the right individual to our clients on every assignment. We are relationship, not transaction-driven, adopting a long-term, global approach to business development.

• 3+ years’ legal recruitment experience in London at the partner level
• Qualified lawyer with good credentials
• Knowledge and network within the London legal community
• Reputation for client service and delivering results
• Proven ability to develop business and to gain repeat instructions from clients
• Experience successfully negotiating search and placement fee agreements
• Proven ability to close
• Understanding of the importance of rigorously collecting and sharing market information
• Highly developed communication skills including:
  • ability to write – marketing materials, position descriptions, candidate reports and articles
  • public speaking ability – we encourage our consultants to speak at conferences and seminars
  • ability to communicate effectively with people of different cultures
• Organisational skills, including proven ability to prioritise and to follow up
• Commercial acumen
• Self-starter
• Presence
• A team player
• Commitment to ethics, equal opportunity and diversity

Why MLA?

What makes this opportunity so advantageous:

• MLA is the world leader for partner search – we have placed more partners than any other search firm worldwide.
• Opportunity to work with our strong U.S. client base.
  Professional corporate environment, including opportunity to work with and learn from high quality, experienced search consultants in our London office, all of whom are former practicing lawyers.
• Excellent research function which constantly adds to our database of 220,000 candidates, some of whose careers we have tracked across borders for 20 years.
• Ongoing training including training manual specific to the partner practice, regular practice group conference calls and annual training retreat in the U.S. for all MLA recruiters. The retreat also serves as a source of global collaboration.
• Sophisticated marketing function, which includes our proprietary Lateral Partner Satisfaction Survey, assistance with publication of articles and arrangement of public speaking opportunities.
• Rapidly growing European business within truly global organization, providing excellent career path, including partnership track and opportunities to work overseas

Renumeration

MLA aims to pay at the top of the market in all of its offices.  The package for this position will be competitive and commensurate with skills and experience. It includes an attractive base salary, commissions and team-based bonus.

How to Respond

CVs and Enquiries to:

Melinda Wallman

Email: mwallman@mlaglobal.com

London Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 9963

Ijeoma Dabengwa

Email: idabengwa@mlaglobal.com

London Tel: +44 (0)20 7448 9962