Leveraged Finance Associate (Multi City)

When I engaged Khurram and Freshwater Counsel, I came in with a very short target list of firms in a challenging market, and they helped me secure competing offers from that list. I understand from friends’ lateral experiences that such precision is rare in the lateral market. What impressed me most was how skillfully Khurram managed the negotiation phase. Salary, bonus, and timing are always sensitive issues, and it can be a challenge to advocate for yourself without souring the relationship with a future employer before you even start. Khurram handled these conversations with exactly the right balance of persistence and diplomacy, ensuring I landed on terms that reflected my priorities while leaving the firms genuinely excited to bring me on board. I cannot recommend Freshwater Counsel highly enough to anyone looking to make a thoughtful, strategic lateral move in big law. Khurram, Jared and the Freshwater team make a daunting process feel targeted, efficient, and ultimately successful.

I connected with Ren through the recommendation of a law school friend whom he had successfully helped with a lateral move to another law firm. I, too, highly recommend Ren to any attorney considering a lateral transition. As many attorneys know, there is no shortage of legal recruiters, and it can be difficult to determine which ones are genuinely invested in their candidates’ success. Ren is unquestionably one of the best. He is thoughtful and intentional in developing a tailored plan of action, and equally effective in helping to execute it. His knowledge of the BigLaw landscape is second to none, and that expertise gave me great confidence in entrusting him with my search. Just as importantly, he is an absolute pleasure to work with — professional, kind, and genuinely supportive throughout the process.

Jack is a great recruiter who is able to make the process as smooth as possible for the candidate. He handled everything from communicating with the firms to making my interview schedule. I highly recommend Jack's services as a recruiter.

Priya was a dream to work with when I was looking to transition firms. She was incredibly responsive, keeping me updated on applications without my having to follow up; she was attentive in ensuring that any firms I submitted to would be a good fit for me; and she took time to help me prepare for all of my interviews to ensure that I was set up for success. In the end, she was able to help me find a position in a new geographic location in less time than I expected, despite a weak market for my practice area. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a new position.

Jessica placed me in my current position at DLA Piper. She made the job search easy. Jessica is very professional and responsive. I highly recommend working with her in the future.

A chain of work colleagues put me in touch with Susan when I wanted to transition to a new position. Susan was extremely transparent about her process and asked for my explicit permission before contacting firms on my behalf, which gave me the chance to research firms and decide whether I felt the fit was right. Susan helped me learn information about firms and helped me practice my interview skills so I went into an interview confident and armed with knowledge that immediately struck a chord with the people who interviewed me. She never gave up on me, even when I got discouraged. I got a great job with DLA Piper thanks to Susan's hard work, and I'm extremely happy!