Anne Heaviside, J.D.’s Post

What do legal recruiters and the restaurant industry have in common? Last night, I ate at Aaron Bludorn's newest restaurant, Bar Bludorn, in Memorial. Molly, one of the best wine directors in town, is greeting customers as we walk in. She recognizes us immediately and knows our name. Aaron and Cherif Mbodji are walking the floor greeting customers tableside. I'm dying for them to stop by our table so I can hear about their 4 night run at Phish at The Sphere! Everyone from the top down is building relationships with the customer. They are investing their time in every single person who walks in the door. They understand in a neighborhood like Memorial that repeat customers are the only way to success. Legal recruiters SHOULD do the same. We are in the relationship business. So what are my non-negotiables? 1. If a candidate emails me, I get them a response within 24 hours. The response may say "you are still pending" or "I checked in yesterday but no movement" but either Mary or I will respond to you within 24 hours if you email me at work. (MY LI inbox gets buried with trash so admittedly it takes me longer due to spam). 2. I listen. If you say you don't want to explore ABC firm, I'm not going to push you to apply. If the offer isn't right, then we debate it, and move on. For example, a current candidate is in conflicts now, after turning down an offer I got him 5 months ago! We kept working together to find the one. 3. I aim to nurture my relationships. You want coffee downtown, I'll be there. You want coffee in the Heights, yes I can do that Monday at 830. Law firm needs to meet with asap for lunch, I'm headed there now. Come to Austin, I'll headed there next Wednesday to meet. 4. I know my niche industry better than anyone out there. Just like Molly knows wine inside and out, I know Texas. You mention an attorney's name, I can generally tell you grad year, practice area and lateral history. My colleagues say I'm a walking Leopard List! I ride the elevator downtown at 609 Main and I know most of the faces in those elevators. There are WAY too many legal recruiters out there. Providing exceptional service is a must. It's expected and it's good business. If your recruiter isn't responsive, isn't proactive, and isn't listening to your feedback, find a new one. Go to Bar Bludorn! Reservations are a must. It's homier and a different feel than Bludorn or Navy Blue but I will be a repeat customer! Thank you for coming to Memorial! We needed you!

Who are the BEST legal recruiters I know? Who would I recommend if you were moving to X city? I want to dispel a myth that all recruiters are bad. There are a TON of crappy recruiters. Many are unethical. If you read Fishbowl, you would think all recruiters are going straight to hell. BUT there are some fantastic, ethical recruiters out in the world who are responsive, who have real connections with their law firm clients and who don't push you to accept the first offer. So, who are those fabulous recruiters? 1. Texas: my Key Choice Recruiting team of Charlotte Ferraro Aaronson, J.D., Joey Sandler, Celia Villarreal Sekula, Keyavash Hemyari, and Roseanna Baber Hill. 2. DC: Matt Schwartz and Karen S. Vladeck   3. Atlanta: Amanda Brandenburg 4. NYC: Evan Fox 5. Los Angeles: Josh Bilgrei 6. Environmental all cities: Roseanna Baber Hill 7. In House Houston: Stacy Humphries 8. New Orleans: Michael Harold & Miller Engelhardt 9. NC: Jordan Abshire 10. Anne Heaviside, J.D.! ME! I'm a Texas associate specialist with 70% of my placements in Houston and 30% in Dallas. My bread and butter is years 3-8 but I've placed 2-15 year attorneys. My practice is evenly divided between Litigation and Transactional with some healthcare regulatory/transactional, some L&E, some tax, some ECEB. I love placing CAPM associates and I love moving associates to litigation boutiques!

Education Day 2 on How to Pick a Legal Recruiter Big company vs small company While there are many great legal recruiters with larger companies like MLA, some of the best legal recruiters are at smaller shops. Why? Many legal recruiters start at larger name brand recruiting firms because they provide excellent training. They have 1-6 month training programs, provide amazing resources, and there is generally a manager in charge of training juniors on a daily basis. Larger firms often provide a draw or base salary which some need when starting out in this business. Recruiting has a high attrition rate so many don't last. For the recruiters who have thrived in full desk recruiting, many hit a point where they feel they can do it on their own. They don't want to give over 50% of their commission fee to the house anymore so they go out on their own. Some of the best recruiters I know are at small 1-10 person shops. So, don't eliminate a recruiter just because they are a mom and pop. You should still do your due diligence and interview them like I laid out in my post yesterday. Stay tuned tomorrow for more insight into how to pick a legal recruiter.

Until they teach this in law school, I'll keep educating associates and law students on how to choose your legal recruiter! This week, I will be posting a series on how to choose your recruiter. I'll give general advice and then end with specific recruiter recommendations for different cities and niche practice areas. Yes, some of us are better in certain areas than others and that's ok! 1. There are WAY too many bad recruiters. No bar to entry means very low quality so buyer beware. You must do your homework. 2. Do NOT use the first recruiter to email you about a job today. That is a likely a bot. Good recruiters are busy and are NEVER the first to email out about a job. 3. Candidates CAN interview recruiters. Ask them questions like what firms have you placed in Houston in the last 12 months? Who is your best client? Do you specialize in litigation or transactional or both? How are you different than other recruiters? How often will you update me on my applications? Do you get unposted jobs? From what firms? Have you negotiated a full year end bonus guarantee or signing bonus in the last 12 months? What is the state of the market in CAPM in Q1 2024? Who are your contacts at ABC firm? What are my chances at ABC firm with a 3.4 from a Top 50 law school? Candidates, your job is to select a reputable and hard working legal recruiter with a specialty in YOUR MARKET. If the recruiter can't answer these questions, they are not your person. Keep looking! Stay tuned tomorrow for more advice on how to work with a legal recruiter!

Did you know law students can join HYLA? Well, they can! Register today! Tip for 1L law students in Houston: Join HYLA and attend the May 16th mixer hosted by Key Choice Recruiting. The KCR team will be there and you can get free advice on Houston firms, interview tips and how to manage OCI! Plus, you can socialize with associates from all the best Houston firms. It's a WIN!

I haven't seen this in a while! Fund Formation 3-6 years Houston or Dallas. Please contact my colleague Joey Sandler who is working this job all week! He will provide the firm name, partners, compensation, hours and cultural insights as we have a deep relationship with this firm.

Another out of the box litigation Houston opportunity this morning! A great Big Law exit with 115 hours a month budget! Yes, you read that right! 115 monthly budget! Full time, full benefit, complex comm lit. 1. 2020-2023 litigation associates with no prior lateral moves preferred 2. Commercial Litigation work - no insurance defense, no PI 3. 115 hours ONLY A MONTH 4. Base comp. will be 130-150k depending on experience 5. Currently against multiple AmLaw 50 firms in Houston so very high end complex work   6. Plaintiff and defense work but all hourly not contingent 7. Not downtown, easy Montrose location  8. Work for 1 comm lit partner former Big Law and 2 Senior Associates who are ready and eager to train you!   Email my work address and put Montrose Comm Lit in the subject line. I'll be setting up screener calls for Wednesday and Thursday of next week. Interviews start the week of April 22.

Who is ready to leave Big Law and switch to the plaintiff side? If you are a 2020 - 2023 litigation associate in Houston with a passion for plaintiff side work, please contact me asap! Here are the highlights: 1. No billable hours! 2. 4 days in the office, Fridays remote 3. 150-200k base with high bonus model 4. Firm pays 100% of the employee's health insurance premium 5. 401k after only 60 days with profit sharing! 6. No parking fees as not downtown - Montrose location 7. Former V&E and Jones Day litigators so learn from the best! 8 Nicest boss ever! For the fastest response, please email me and Mary Powell at Key Choice Recruiting. Mary can get you on my calendar fast so we can chat about the firm and opportunity. Interviews start the week of April 22nd!

Amazing lunch yesterday that resulted in 2 HOUSTON CORPORATE JOBS for an AmLaw 30! Job number 1: 2019 - 2021 M&A, strategic and private equity M&A. This is one of the only M&A openings in Houston at this time! 2000 hours but it's a real 2000, no more. Work directly for 3 partners on the ground in Houston. Corporate group has 10 attorneys in Houston and several in Dallas -Houston MP is amazing - I had lunch with him a few months ago and was really impressed with his vision for the Houston office growth. -I just placed a 2015 litigator at this firm in Houston and love working with the recruiting department. -Base comp 225 - 415k Job number 2: 2018 - 2020 grads, broader corporate work that will have some M&A but you will be a corporate generalist in this role Message me for details. I'm working on this all day so you will hear from me shortly!

It's always fun to move someone to my hometown, New Orleans. This candidate was highly sought after by multiple New Orleans firms and received multiple offers. I can't wait to go visit her next time I'm in town! Her boss is a former colleague of mine and I know they will make a great team.   #recruitingwins #hometownhire #neworleanshire Key Choice Recruiting