Case Study: Temporary ERISA Attorney

The Client

AmLaw 100 law firm with more than 500 attorneys globally

Executive Summary

Our client, an international AmLaw 100 law firm, was in need of a temporary ERISA attorney to handle a wide variety of matters on an ongoing but as-needed basis. Working closely with our client, our Interim Legal Talent group was able to identify a highly qualified candidate who performed the necessary tasks and assignments and ultimately became a valued resource for the firm.

The Challenge

While the law firm was in the process of bringing on an ERISA partner, they needed a consultant who could assist with a wide variety of ERISA-related matters their clients were encountering. At the time, there was uncertainty as to whether their eventual partner hire would bring over his/her own associate or whether there would even be a need for a full-time, associate hire. That coupled with the fact that the partner would need to be involved with the hiring to grow the team made an associate hire impossible for the immediate future.

The Approach

Our Interim Legal Talent worked with the client to determine the parameters of the position and the level of expertise necessary to provide counsel on the ERISA matters. As this was a temporary, as-needed assignment to be performed on-site, it was essential to find a highly-qualified candidate with the relevant expertise that could oscillate between working ten hours one week and sixty hours the next.

The Solution

Using our vast network, we identified three candidates—all of whom were interviewed. The client chose one candidate who, unfortunately, had to leave the assignment after a few months. However, due to our earlier sourcing and vetting efforts, we were able to immediately replace the former consultant with a candidate who had already interviewed with the client for the remainder of the assignment.

Our consultant had more than 30 years of employee benefits experience and was a former partner at an AmLaw 15 firm. She was working on a contractual basis for another client of ours but was able to do both positions simultaneously due to the flexibly of the workloads.

The Result

With our contractor in place, the law firm was able to handle ERISA matters that were arising for their clients. Our contractor worked with the tax partners as well as corporate partners on discrete ERISA matters that required her expertise. In the meantime, our client made the permanent hire of an ERISA partner. They subsequently offered our contractor a permanent position with the firm.

Pleased with their experience with the Interim Legal Talent group, the law firm asked for our assistance with a permanent associate hire in Los Angeles. They are now working with our colleagues in our Associate Practice Group to explore that need.