Mid-Level Structured Finance Associate

Rebecca is a fantastic recruiter and advisor. At each step of my elongated lateral process, Rebecca was an incredible advocate who always put my best interest at the forefront. It was also clear to me that Rebecca has a strong hold on the legal market, enabling her to find the perfect fit for my long term career goals. I’m grateful for Rebecca (and the MLA team at large) for all of her hard work on my process.

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.

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.

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!