In-house Lawyer

Recruiting Your First In-house Lawyer

Hiring your first in-house lawyer is a significant step for any organisation. It doesn’t really matter whether you’ve decided to designate the newly created role as General Counsel, Head of Legal, or Legal Counsel. In each case your immediate needs may be quite similar. However, the long-term success of the appointee will vary according to the manner in which you have undertaken the recruitment project.

Whilst a General Counsel is a critical C-level hire – driving your company’s approach to complex legal and regulatory frameworks and helping to shape future business strategy – there are many factors behind the recruitment of your very first legal and compliance professional. As businesses grow, some eventually realise they have appointed the wrong type of candidate for their longer-term needs. With only one lawyer in place, that person needs to be something of a chameleon, adapting their skills to whatever the business needs next!

Florit Legal specialises in helping organisations in a range of industries to find the right lawyer for both their immediate and future needs. We have a reputation for future-proofing our searches so that the appointee continues to add the value in-house lawyers are renowned for – at every milestone along your corporate journey.

As specialist recruiters of every type of in-house lawyer, particularly first legal hires, we understand all nuances of the role, responsibilities, and stakeholder engagement, as well as the various legal career paths, skill sets and PQE profiles that are most likely to result a successful and long-lasting first-time legal appointment.

Discuss a Hiring Project

In-house Lawyer Recruitment Process

With our LTAR® System, every search for a first in-house lawyer starts with the same foundations: a full brief to elicit the precise needs of key board-level stakeholders; the range of technical skills that are most important to you; and an assessment of critical behaviours. This is then followed by proactive candidate outreach and engagement, culminating in the presentation of a shortlist aligned to your technical, behavioural and cultural-fit requirements.

Our process ensures candidates match your specific needs, whether you’re a fast-growing start-up or an established PE environment expanding into new markets, gearing up for further funding, an IPO or other crystallising event.

Our expertise:

Identifying existing in-house counsel who can handle a lot of the strategic legal work in-house, but also establish even more cost-effective relationships with external law firms.
Identifying the most suitable law firm candidates who are capable of making an effective transition to the role of an in-house lawyer.
Identifying interim in-house counsel for any pressing needs, whilst a permanent appointment is being sought.

Trust Florit Legal to deliver a diverse shortlist of thoroughly assessed legal and compliance talent for sole in-house legal roles across a range of industries.

Discuss a Hiring Project

What our clients say

“Miguel and his team have helped us to recruit several members of our Legal Team. They have a good grasp of the issues and qualities that really matter to us.”

Alex Simpson - General Counsel

“Their honesty and knowledgeable approach works. I would strongly recommend any company looking for an in-house lawyer to speak to Florit Legal.”

Andrew Greenwood - Risk Director

“I worked with Florit Legal previously and the team to be well informed, responsive, and creative in their approach to the legal market. I have no reservation in recommending them.”

Andrew Hoyle - Non-Executive Director

“Having never recruited a lawyer before, I contacted Florit Brooke following a recommendation from Addleshaw Goddard. They quickly understood my needs, grasped the issues and delivered what we were looking for.”

Andrew Turner - Chief Executive Officer

“Honesty and integrity is what we look for when hiring, and the same goes for the consultants we choose to deal with. We found Miguel lived up to his reputation and also displayed tenacity, tact and understanding.”

David Biesterfield - Development Director

“Miguel has his finger on the pulse of the legal market. He is persistent in a way that gets results, and is not a negative. Florit Legal provided the best candidates by far. An excellent result and very easy to deal with.”

Jennifer Hamilton - Development and Environment Director

"I worked with Florit Legal and would have no hesitation in recommending them."

Jenny Geddes - In-house Talent Acquisition Specialist

"Miguel has hired lawyers for me in three different companies. He has a real ability to understand your business and your needs quickly, which enables him to add value. The team are professional, reliable and able to deliver a result."

Ken Mullen - Company Secretary & General Counsel

“Florit Legal is a legal recruitment business I feel I can trust. They have proven their ability to identify and engage with some excellent candidates and successfully recruit for us.”

Mark Amsden - FTSE General Counsel and Company Secretary

“I have always found Miguel to be personable, proactive and responsive. He tends to present options rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and provides honest insight and feedback. He has delivered every time.”

Paul Gregson - HR Director

“Initially recommended to me by DLA Piper, Miguel Florit is a trusted advisor who recruited several members of our UK legal team, including me. My personal expectations have also been exceeded, evolving beyond legal into a general management role.”

Paul Ravenscroft - Global Head of M&A

“Miguel’s, and his team’s, approach to in-house legal recruitment is refreshing, breaks the stereotypes and is one to which all legal recruitment consultants should aspire. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend them more highly. The service and work ethic simply surpasses that offered by the opposition; you should give them a try."

Richard Fox - Head of Legal

“I faced a very important and urgent resourcing issue and they not only offered a pragmatic solution, but also secured a very capable appointee. I can trust Miguel to give me honest, helpful and practical advice.”

Sarah Caddy - Legal Director, Company Secretary

“No waffle and certainly not pushy. It’s worth speaking to them. As an experienced HR professional, I can honestly say that their approach is much better than many of their competitors.

Sian Evans - Group HR Director

"Florit Legal have assisted Croda with a number of searches over the years. I give them an exclusive mandate, since they take great care to understand our needs and waste no time in identifying the right mix of highly relevant and well briefed candidates. The behavioural assessment technology they provide for us is very helpful."

Tom Brophy - Group General Counsel & Company Secretary (FTSE 100)