A retained search built for legal leadership
Appointing a General Counsel or Head of Legal is one of the most consequential hires a business makes. The role sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, risk and governance, and the wrong appointment is expensive to unwind. Our legal executive search practice is built exclusively around these senior mandates, not adapted from generalist recruitment.
We work on a retained basis because the seniority and confidentiality of these searches demand it. A retained engagement lets us map an entire market rather than forward whoever happens to be active, and it aligns our incentives with the quality of the appointment rather than the speed of a placement.
How we run the search
Every mandate begins with a structured briefing in which we test the specification against the reality of the market: the compensation on offer, the mandate of the role, the reporting line and the cultural context the successful candidate will operate in.
We then map the relevant market systematically, approach passive candidates discreetly, and present a shortlist accompanied by honest, evidence-based assessment rather than polished summaries.
- Confidential market mapping across the relevant jurisdictions
- Direct, discreet approach to passive senior candidates
- Structured competency and motivation assessment
- Honest shortlist commentary, including risks and trade-offs
- Support through offer, negotiation and onboarding
Where we work
We conduct searches across Central and Western Europe and the Gulf, with particular depth in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and the United Arab Emirates. Cross-border mandates — where a candidate must operate across several legal systems and languages — are a core part of our work rather than an exception.