Law firm Consulting
Lateral Lawyer® Consulting is a boutique recruiting consultancy serving law firms that seek to expand their ranks of partners or shareholders.
Our principal consultant, Adam Weiss, is the author of The Lateral Lawyer®: Opportunities & Pitfalls for the Law Firm Partner Switching Firms, a primer on how to move firms at the partner level, and a guide for partners, management team members, recruiting staff, and professional recruiters alike.
- Does your firm seek to expand its partnership through lateral hiring?
- Does your firm seek to pique the interest of attractive lateral candidates in your market? (Many partners may know virtually nothing about your firm today, but could become excellent candidates for if only they were more familiar with you).
- Would your firm benefit from structuring/streamlining the lateral recruiting process? (Consistent with sound due diligence practices, of course, but in a way that makes time-to-decision a competitive advantage for your firm).
If these challenges seem familiar, a conversation with a Lateral Lawyer professional is in order.
Lateral Lawyer® Group: We wrote the book on lateral moves.
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Out-recruiting the Competition to Win the War for Legal Talent
To build a robust lateral recruiting program:
- Make Recruiting a Priority. Building partnership bench should rank high on management’s agenda. Senior leaders must devote substantial time, attention, and resources to lateral recruiting
- Establish recruiting processes by measuring results. Employ a candidate tracking system to gather data on recruiting. Collect and analyze lateral recruiting information
- Get the word out. If your firm is amenable to seeing lateral candidates, let the market know! Raise profile among prospective laterals; identify, cultivate, and market “employer brand”
- Cooperate with recruiters. Recruiters offer insights and information that might otherwise escape your awareness; leverage our knowledge
Our Consultants
Lateral Lawyer® Consulting advises law firm leaders on all issues related to identifying, communicating with, attracting, and on-boarding partner-level legal talent.
Our two principal consultants, Adam S. Weiss and Cameron C. Powell, both experienced lawyers with backgrounds as management consultants (Adam with McKinsey & Co., Inc. and Cameron with the Corporate Executive Board), have a combined 50+ years of practice in law, consulting, and advising lawyers and law firms on the business of law.
Who we Are
Experienced Advisors
“Cameron is a true Renaissance man — he has a tremendous breadth of knowledge in a wide array of disciplines, which enables him to cross-pollinate ideas in entirely new ways.”
“Adam is extremely talented, articulate, creative and entrepreneurial. He brings fresh ideas and energy to tough problems, and he’s not afraid to ask challenging questions. In addition, he has a good sense for business opportunity. He understands what it takes to create value . . .”
“Cameron . . . has a great sense of humor. I have met few people who can actually build a presentation that you enjoy watching. I would work with him again at the first opportunity. He is one you can learn from.
About Us
Typical matters
Specific issues on which Lateral Lawyer® Consulting is called to advise include:
- Establish and improve partner-level recruitment processes
- Identify Most Desirable Candidate (“MDC”) criteria and potential pool
- Improve effectiveness of interviews
- Manage relations with recruiting firms
- Implement best practices
- Develop employer brand
What Others Say
Testimonials
"Adam is extremely talented, articulate, creative and entrepreneurial. He brings fresh ideas and energy to tough problems, and he's not afraid to ask challenging questions. In addition, he has a good sense for business opportunity. He understands what it takes to create value, and he is willing to take measured risks to succeed."
“Articulate . . . creative . . . not afraid to ask challenging questions”
Adam is the consummate matchmaker. He nails down what a partner offers in terms of practice and skills, and finds those firms that will cherish that package. Adam’s advice to law firm partners is economically spot-on: the only way to determine the real value of your practice is to create an actual market for it. As an executive coach who has shared clients with Adam, I see why he is so highly regarded by the people he has placed: he takes the time to listen and then puts what he has heard into play on their behalf. Our mutual clients consistently tell me, “Adam is the best” “He brought me opportunities I wouldn’t have seen myself”. Not only has he placed “big-book” partners; he also succeeds in identifying win-win niche opportunities. Equal parts dealmaker and confidante, he combines a powerful intellect, perceptiveness and marketing savvy. Adam is a cool, high-touch communicator and very efficient—characteristics prized by high-level executives and attorneys alike. Adam’s experience at Weil and as a corporate attorney, plus his naturally laid back demeanor make him a polished and convincing advocate for his clients. Whether you’re in California, New York, Texas, London, Brazil or Asia, Adam is the go-to recruiter for partners considering changing firms for higher compensation, a better fit, or both.
“Consumate matchmaker . . . dealmaker . . . confidante . . . cool . . . polished advocate”
"Adam is one of the most authentic and caring people that I have had the pleasure to work with. Besides his amazing intellect and impressive experience, his empathy and communication abilities allow him to create rapport with people, find out what is important to them, and then if appropriate help them achieve their full potential."
“Authentic . . . caring . . . empathy . . . communication”
"As legal recruiters go, Adam Weiss is unique in important respects. Above all, he focuses keenly on what is best for you, not him. That is, he is tireless and unconditionally dedicated to whatever will maximize your chances of a positive, dynamic and fruitful professional change, the hallmark of his client service style. Similarly, he is a great listener. He pays attention so he can identify the most effective and efficient ways to assist you. His knowledge of the legal industry, appreciation of the nuances of the recruiting process and overall professionalism make him, in my estimation, among the best partner-level recruiters out there. He is also upbeat and persistent and will never lose faith or avoid any challenges, no matter how daunting. He wants you to succeed. I recommend Adam to anyone who is even merely curious about changing firms, as he is generous with his time and advice."
“Tireless . . . upbeat . . . persistent . . . generous”
"Adam helped place me at my current firm. In that process he demonstrated (a) tremendous knowledge of the partner-level recruiting process; (b) effectiveness at finding a good match between me and my current firm (where my practice has thrived); and (c) overall professionalism/discretion/sensitivity to my concerns and the needs of my practice."
“Knowledge . . . effectiveness . . . professionalism”
"Adam was terrific in helping me move law firms after being at one firm for many, many years. His knowledge and experience were invaluable in making a move and he is very patient. This is not someone who is just trying to get a person placed as quickly as possible whether it is a good fit or not. He is great to work with."
“Terrific . . . invaluable . . . patient . . . great to work with”
"Adam's advice and experience are invaluable, particularly for more senior candidates who wish to balance the right professional fit with whatever personal goals they may have. Adam understands the profession from both supply and demand sides and shows maturity and a light touch in his approach. I'm grateful for his counsel."
“Invaluable . . . maturity . . . a light tough . . . I’m grateful”
"Adam is a tenacious recruiter who's on top of his game and a real people's person. His background in law practice and business consulting make him uniquely qualified for placing professionals in the kind of environments in which they can thrive."
“Tenacious . . . people person . . . uniquely qualified”