Case Study - Global Associate Legal Search

The Client

An AmLaw 100 law firm headquartered in New York City, NY.

Executive Summary

After a certain practice group experienced significant growth, our law firm client exclusively engaged Major, Lindsey & Africa to source Australian associates for their New York office. Our Associate Practice Group consultants in Sydney, New York and Hong Kong collaborated to identify high-caliber candidates and ensure a smooth transition for both the candidates and the client.

The Challenge

Our New York law firm client was faced with a demanding workload and needed to scale up quickly at the associate level. The client was authorized to hire 10 associates as soon as possible but found it challenging to attract a sufficient number of qualified local candidates given the speed at which they needed to hire.

The Approach

One of our New York Associate Practice Group consultants presented our Australia/New York initiative, where talented Australian associates with transferable skills relocate to U.S. firms to gain international experience. With the assistance of our consultants in Sydney and Hong Kong, our team reviewed the client's requirements (i.e., experience level, skill set, academic credentials, etc.) and provided detailed information about the Australian legal market.

The Solution

We screened 30 Australian associates and presented 18 of them to the client within three weeks of launching the search. Of that 18, 10 candidates were granted initial interviews, six were brought back for second round interviews, four received offers and all four candidates accepted their offers.

The Result

Our client hired four high-caliber Australian lawyers from top-tier Australian firms. Although the immediate hiring need is filled, the client requested that we continue to send strong profiles of Australian candidates on an opportunistic basis.