Legal recruiters, ranked.

A legal recruiter fills roles for lawyers and legal staff: associates and partners moving between law firms, in-house counsel, and roles in compliance, legal operations and paralegal work. Most specialise in one side, private practice or in-house, and know which firms and teams are hiring.

Fees for associate and in-house roles are commonly quoted at around 20–25% of the hire's first-year base salary, usually on contingency. Partner and general counsel searches are often retained and priced like executive search. Terms vary by firm and market, so compare proposals before you sign.

No. The employer pays the fee. A candidate should not be asked to pay to be put forward for a role.

For contingency roles, many employers brief two or three recruiters. That makes it more likely the same candidate is sent twice, so agree upfront how duplicate submissions are handled. Partner and general counsel searches are usually exclusive.

On public data only: how focused each firm is on legal roles, how many it is actively recruiting for, and its track record. Rankings are per city; this page combines them. No firm can pay for placement.