Halfords Group, a constituent part of the FTSE 250, instructed Florit Legal on its General Counsel search project.
The existing incumbent had been successfully appointed into another senior role, as part of an advertised selection legal recruitment project we had previously managed for another FTSE 250 plc, elsewhere in the UK. Following a recommendation from the outgoing General Counsel, and following a competitive tendering exercise, Florit Legal was retained by the company and given an exclusive mandate to hire a suitable replacement via a General Counsel search assignment.
The brief was to hire a qualified lawyer not only with general counsel experience but also with experience of having acted as a company secretary in a fully listed PLC environment, and following on from a proven career as a lawyer in private practice.
Our approach is always to take a full brief from all key stakeholders before commencing any General Counsel search – in this case the Chief Executive Officer, Finance Director, HR Director and Chairman.
The role was advertised in the principal online and print legal recruitment media, at the same time as the role was discussed with existing contacts of ours, and target candidates identified by additional research and search activities.
A total of 86 interested parties and applicants had been considered from a variety of backgrounds to produce an initial shortlist of 10 senior candidates offering a combination of the core skills and experience required. These candidates included several recommended by members of the board, to be considered alongside candidates produced by Florit Legal’s General Counsel search. Out of the initial shortlist, 6 candidates were recommended for first stage interview.
After a three-stage recruitment process references were taken from directors of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies in order that a successful General Counsel search appointment could be made.
Consultation: a full brief from CEO, FD, HRD and Chairman.
Documentation: full candidate and role specification briefing documentation produced.
Methodology: advertised selection as part of wider recruitment methodology incorporating both search and selection and our existing candidate network.
Delivery time: offer accepted within 12 weeks from initial instruction.
Appointee: qualified lawyer with previous FTSE 250 plc Company Secretary experience.
Location: Redditch, Worcestershire.
Florit Legal Recruitment is one of the top specialists in the search and recruitment of in-house legal counsel in the UK. We are among the best legal recruitment agencies for in-house legal jobs, general counsel, company secretary and head of legal appointments, and a reliable source of UK lawyer salary information and executive coaching for lawyers.
