Frequently Asked Questions

JMC Legal Recruitment sources candidates through a combination of our proprietary candidate database of over 30,000 legal professionals, active headhunting, referral networks, and direct market mapping. A significant proportion of the candidates we introduce are not actively job-seeking, they are experienced solicitors and in-house counsel who trust us to approach them when the right opportunity arises. 

This access to passive candidates is one of the most important advantages of working with a specialist legal recruiter over a generalist or in-house search approach.

Every candidate JMC Legal Recruitment puts forward to a client has been thoroughly interviewed and assessed by one of our consultants. We review qualifications, training, PQE, practice area experience, deal or matter exposure, and cultural fit for the specific role in question. We will also have a clear understanding of the candidate's motivations for moving, their notice period, and any competing offers or processes they are involved in. 

We only present candidates we believe are genuinely suitable, not a volume of CVs for you to filter through.

Yes, and this is one of the core advantages of working with JMC Legal Recruitment. The most experienced and successful lawyers are rarely advertising themselves on job boards. Our consultants have built long-term relationships with solicitors, associates, and partners at all levels, and are trusted to approach them confidentially when a genuinely relevant opportunity arises. 

If you are looking for a specific profile that the active market is unlikely to satisfy, a proactive search through JMC Legal Recruitment is the most effective route.

Partner and senior-level recruitment requires a fundamentally different approach to associate-level hiring. It involves discretion, long-term relationship building, and a genuine understanding of what makes a compelling opportunity at that level, including client portability, compensation structures, cultural alignment, and long-term trajectory. 

JMC Legal Recruitment has a dedicated partner recruitment specialism led by Jason Connolly, with a track record of successfully managing complex and high-profile partner moves. Find out more on our partner recruitment page.

Yes. JMC Legal Recruitment has significant experience managing team moves, which are among the most complex and sensitive instructions in legal recruitment. These involve careful sequencing, strict confidentiality, and a deep understanding of the dynamics involved, both from the perspective of the receiving firm and the individuals considering the move. We work closely with all parties to ensure the process is handled professionally and that the move is structured in a way that works for everyone involved. Team move instructions are typically handled on a retained basis

Confidentiality is fundamental to the way JMC Legal Recruitment operates, particularly at the senior end of the market. 

We never share a client's identity with a candidate without explicit permission, and we never reveal that a search is underway to anyone outside of those directly involved. Candidates are approached on the basis of a role description only until both parties have agreed to proceed. For highly sensitive instructions, such as replacing an existing partner or restructuring a practice group, we will agree a specific confidentiality protocol at the outset of the engagement.

Yes. JMC Legal Recruitment has a dedicated in-house division that places Legal Counsel, Senior Legal Counsel, Heads of Legal, General Counsel, CLOs, and Legal Executives into businesses across a wide range of sectors: including financial services, technology, media, healthcare, FMCG, and more. 

Our in-house clients range from FTSE 100 companies and private equity firms to fast-growing start-ups and not-for-profit organisations. Find out more about our in-house recruitment service here.

JMC Legal Recruitment recruits across the full spectrum of legal practice areas. In private practice, this includes corporate, banking and finance, commercial litigation, real estate, residential property, employment, family, private client, intellectual property, construction, planning and environment, regulatory, and technology law. 

In-house, we recruit across all sectors and cover both generalist legal counsel roles and specialist in-house positions. If you have a requirement in a practice area not listed here, contact us to discuss, our network is broad and we are usually able to assist.

Yes. Appointing a General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer is a significant strategic hire, and JMC Legal Recruitment approaches these instructions with the level of rigour they require. These searches are typically conducted on a retained basis, involving thorough market mapping, discreet candidate outreach, and a carefully managed assessment process. We understand the commercial and cultural considerations that go into hiring at this level, and we work closely with the board or executive team to ensure the brief is clearly defined before the search begins.

The process typically begins with a briefing call or meeting to understand the role, team, culture, and timeline in detail. JMC Legal Recruitment will then conduct a search, whether contingency or retained, and present a shortlist of thoroughly vetted candidates. We manage all candidate communication, coordinate interview scheduling, provide feedback both ways, and support offer negotiations through to acceptance. 

Post-placement, we maintain contact with both client and candidate to ensure the onboarding goes smoothly and the placement is a long-term success.

JMC Legal Recruitment is committed to presenting diverse shortlists as standard practice, not as an exception. We actively work to remove unconscious bias from the briefing and search process, challenge assumptions in job specifications where they may inadvertently narrow the candidate pool, and draw on a broad network to ensure we are not repeatedly sourcing from the same limited talent pools. We are happy to discuss a firm's specific diversity objectives as part of the initial briefing and to tailor our search approach accordingly.

Counter-offers are a reality in the legal recruitment market, particularly at senior associate and partner level. JMC Legal Recruitment addresses this proactively by having an honest conversation with every candidate about the likelihood and implications of a counter-offer before they hand in their notice. We work to ensure candidates have fully thought through their reasons for moving before accepting an offer, which significantly reduces the risk of a counter-offer derailing a placement at the final stage. We maintain close communication with both parties through the notice period to manage any issues that arise.

JMC Legal Recruitment stands behind the quality of its placements. In the event that a placed candidate leaves or is dismissed within the rebate period set out in our terms, we will either conduct a replacement search or provide a partial fee refund, depending on the circumstances and the terms agreed at instruction. We take a long-term view of our client relationships and will always work constructively to resolve any issues that arise post-placement. Our goal is to build partnerships with firms and businesses, not to make one-off transactions.