LEGAL TALENT & LATERAL SEARCH

Associate • Partner • Professional Staff

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Building high-impact legal teams through relationship-driven lateral recruiting, market intelligence, and discreet candidate engagement.

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OVERVIEW

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Including Inclusion partners with leading law firms on lateral associate and partner hiring mandates, delivering targeted recruiting support across practice groups, geographies, and seniority levels.

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We identify and engage exceptional legal talent that is often outside traditional recruiting channels—including passive candidates and high-performing attorneys selectively open to strategic moves.

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Our work is grounded in direct experience within law firm environments and a nuanced understanding of how legal talent evaluates opportunities, transitions between firms, and makes long-term career decisions.

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WHAT WE DO

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Lateral Associate Recruiting 

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We support firms in sourcing and securing high-caliber associates across key practice areas, including:

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• Corporate

• Litigation

• Labor & Employment

• Regulatory / Compliance

• Bankruptcy / Restructuring

• IP / Technology

• Real Estate

• General practice and specialized support roles

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Our process is precise and market-informed, including:

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• targeted sourcing and direct outreach

• passive candidate identification and engagement

• practice-specific market mapping and benchmarking

• candidate screening, calibration, and presentation

• compensation intelligence and market positioning

• interview coordination and process management

 

We prioritize technical excellence, demonstrated performance in sophisticated firm environments, and long-term retention fit.

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Partner Recruiting

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We advise on confidential, high-stakes partner-level mandates, including:

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• lateral partner additions across AmLaw platforms

• strategic practice group expansion hires

• team lift-outs and group transitions

• succession planning and replacement searches

• confidential exploratory partner conversations

 

These searches are highly discreet and relationship-led, with emphasis on:

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• practice and platform alignment

• client portability and revenue trajectory

• cultural and leadership fit

• transition timing and sequencing strategy

• real-time market intelligence on partner mobility

 

Professional Staff Recruiting

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We provide targeted support for key business professionals within law firms, including:

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• Human Resources and People Operations

• Legal Operations and Practice Management

• Marketing and Business Development

• Finance and Accounting

• Practice Support Leadership

• Office Administration and Operations

 

This function is offered in support of broader firm transformation and hiring initiatives.

 

HOW WE WORK

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We operate as a relationship-based lateral search partner, not a volume-driven recruiting platform.

Our process is built on:

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• direct engagement with hiring partners and firm leadership

• rigorous role definition and search alignment

• precision sourcing rather than broad-market distribution

• discreet outreach to passive and semi-passive talent

• continuous feedback loops with stakeholders

• structured evaluation of both technical and cultural fit

 

We function as an extension of internal recruiting, HR, and practice leadership teams.

 

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES OUR APPROACH

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Deep Law Firm Fluency

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Our experience within law firm environments informs a practical understanding of:

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• how hiring decisions are made in practice groups

• drivers of associate performance, satisfaction, and attrition

• structural dynamics of group growth and integration

• mechanics of partner mobility and firm-to-firm transitions

• internal constraints that shape hiring outcomes

 

Access to Passive, High-Caliber Talent

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We maintain active relationships with attorneys and professionals who are:

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• not actively on the market

• selectively open to opportunities

• under-engaged in traditional recruiting pipelines

• identified through long-standing professional networks

 

Market Intelligence & Candidate Positioning

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We provide real-time insight into:

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• compensation and bonus structures across markets

• candidate positioning, narrative, and mobility readiness

• shifting demand across practice areas and geographies

• timing dynamics in lateral movement cycles

• competitive firm behavior and hiring strategies

 

Relationship-Driven Execution Model

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Our approach prioritizes durability of relationships over transactional placement volume, resulting in:

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• stronger engagement from passive talent

• improved alignment between candidates and firms

• enhanced retention outcomes

• more efficient, lower-friction search processes

 

EXTENDED TALENT NETWORK

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Through a broader professional ecosystem, we maintain relationships across adjacent leadership and advisory domains, including:

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• legal and compliance-adjacent professionals

• nonprofit and mission-driven executives

• organizational design and workforce strategy leaders

• cross-sector operational and leadership talent

 

This network expands visibility into candidates outside conventional legal recruiting pipelines.

 

This is not a separate offering—it is a structural advantage in sourcing reach and candidate access.

 

ENGAGEMENT MODEL

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We partner with law firms through:

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• exclusive lateral associate or partner search mandates

• ongoing recruiting partnerships by practice group

• confidential partner and team acquisition searches

• selective contingency-based engagements

 

We integrate closely with internal recruiting teams and practice leadership to ensure alignment and execution consistency.

 

IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE

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We are best aligned with firms that are:

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• actively scaling or restructuring practice groups

• prioritizing high-performance lateral associate hiring

• pursuing strategic partner or team acquisitions

• focused on improving hiring precision and retention outcomes

• open to embedded, relationship-based search partnerships

 

CONTACT

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Including Inclusion – Legal Talent & Lateral Search

stacey@includinginclusion.com
https://includinginclusion.com

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