Executive Compensation & Benefits Associate (3-6y)

I highly recommend Evan. I worked with Evan for nearly 3 years as an associate, and then counsel, at my prior firm. Evan was a consummate professional, always available and a real asset to me in my career search. At every juncture, it always felt like Evan had my best interests at heart, even as I decided initially to stay in my current firm and pursue an opportunity there. When it came time to pursue a role outside my firm, he had all the right contacts and relationships/resources to get me in front of key decisionmakers at all the most prestigious firms and was able to find and negotiate multiple job offers for me, even during a challenging lateral hiring window. I would highly recommend Evan, he is a great person to work with, is well respected in his field and by his clients and the firms he places them at, and he always keeps the interests of the candidate at the front of his mind throughout the process. I hope I don’t need his services again, but if I do, I know I will be in good hands.

I highly recommend Alan. He listened to my specific wants and preferences and tailored his suggestions for me. He took all the stress out of the lateral process and was a useful sounding board as I considered the next move. His deep knowledge of the various firms and practice groups within the firms was a real difference maker for me.

Greg was a fantastic recruiter! He took the time to understand exactly what I wanted, and his connections, advice and knowledge of the industry were invaluable throughout the whole process. I definitely recommend him to anyone looking to make a move.

Darin helped place me at my current firm. He was very helpful throughout the hiring process, especially when preparing for interviews, and was always available when I had questions or needed advice on the hiring process. Highly recommend!

Ed was really great to work with. I really appreciated his guidance, thoughtfulness, honesty, and initiative throughout the process. He was able to utilize his relationships with key contacts to best position me with my top targets.

There are few opportunities in a professional career that rise to the level that is working with Vijay Sandal from Sterling Clark Group. Vijay’s guidance, dedication, and experience helped me to secure a lucrative lateral offer in a deeply challenging economic environment. Vijay approached me with opportunities for roles in the legal industry I thought beyond my capabilities at the level I was in my career. I often struggle to understand the worth I can bring to the table, and Vijay not only reassured me, but helped to show me the universe of what I could achieve. Not only that, he did so with a pragmatic outlook to help prepare me for the landscape ahead. Vijay’s shrewd intellect and deep understanding of the legal market paid significant dividends in navigating potential opportunities, and nailing a role that synchronized perfectly with me. Vijay is wise, and energetic. He is confident, yet humble. He is attentive without being overbearing. He effectively guides candidates without holding their hand. He allows a candidate to shine on their own, while enhancing their value with his advice. His attention and care to each candidate allowed for a resounding success throughout the interview process and beyond. At every anxious chokehold, Vijay was there to not only comfort, but to temper any concerns with thoughtful realism. He became a soundboard to prepare with the right blend of caution, optimism, confidence, and humility. Vijay’s strategic approach to the lateral process in the legal field is second to none. His effort in understanding candidates led to finding synergies across industries. If the phrase “finding the right fit” had a symbol, it would be Vijay. Vijay goes beyond merely advocating for his clients. He prepares candidates for every conceivable issue, and curveball while also providing a sober risk assessment for all outcomes, even the ones I could not anticipate. Even after interviews concluded, Vijay was there to debrief and walk through every detail to understand where we stood, and what the best next steps would be. He truly is a master of his craft, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. I could not be happier with the results of working with him.

Kally was an absolute pleasure to work with during the transition that led to my lateral move to Winston & Strawn LLP. From our first conversation, it was evident that she possessed a deep understanding of the legal market. She took a highly strategic and personalized approach to help me evaluate multiple opportunities. Her insights into firm culture, practice group dynamics, and market trends were instrumental in preparing me effectively for each stage of the process. Beyond her expertise, Kally was exceptionally responsive, supportive, proactive, and a trusted advisor. She assisted me with resume and interview prep, offer negotiation, and took the time to understand my goals. Throughout the process, she ensured that I felt confident and informed. I am incredibly grateful for her guidance and would highly recommend her to any attorney exploring their next move.

Jack was a fantastic recruiter. He is well-connected, has great market intelligence to share and skillfully guided me through my recent lateral move. Jack was transparent and friendly, sourced roles that aligned with my goals, helped me strategize each step and kept an open channel throughout the entire process. I would strongly recommend his services.

If you are a legal professional looking to make a move, I HIGHLY recommend engaging Bryson to assist! From our initial conversation to our final offer negotiation, Bryson displayed an incredible amount of understanding, guidance and judgment that made my entire lateral process seamless. Bryson is incredibly responsive and custom-tailors an approach to the lateral process that perfectly aligns with your goals and will enable you to secure a position that is the perfect “fit” for you. As a diverse attorney candidate, I cannot express how helpful it was to have someone who could relate to me, listen and understand my professional goals, and help guide me to a place where I believe I can successfully continue my legal career. Bryson’s deep understanding of market conditions and his relentless advocacy helped me secure an offer on terms that were above and beyond what I believed to be “market”. I absolutely, without reservation, endorse Bryson’s services.

I would highly recommend Steven to any attorney looking to make a lateral move. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable about the markets in which he places attorneys, he was also very knowledgeable about my area of practice (business immigration), which is a quality I’ve not seen in other recruiters I’ve communicated with previously. He has incredibly valuable insights into the entire recruitment process - from finessing a resume, to preparing for different rounds of interviews, to accepting an offer, to giving notice to your current employer. I felt so supported throughout the entire process, and Steven was always available for a call or to quickly answer a text or email when I had any questions or concerns. Steven also took the time to really get to know me as a person and professional, ensuring that I didn’t just find a new role, but a role, practice group, and firm that were a great fit for me and my professional goals. The lateral process can be intimidating and a bit unnerving, but Steven’s encouragement and guidance made the process much easier to navigate. I am so grateful for his support throughout the process, and his continued support as I transition into my new role. Thank you so much, Steven!

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Ren while making a lateral switch to my new law firm. He was always responsive and attentive to my questions/needs, and had incredibly helpful advice throughout the process. I would highly recommend Ren to anyone looking to make a move.

I had an excellent time working with Amanda, who recently helped place me at an international law firm. She was extremely professional and responsive. Amanda really took an interest getting to know me as a candidate, and was genuinely interested in hearing and understanding my goals and feedback. I felt Amanda was a strong advocate for me in the process when she could tell that I would be a good fit at a firm, and was always providing encouragement in the process when I needed it. She always offered a lot of very useful information about the roles I was interviewing for. She was very proactive in providing updates about the market which she shared even without me having to ask. I would easily recommend Amanda.

It was a pleasure to work with George. He was diligent, communicative, and helped me be well-prepared. He took my concerns and goals seriously throughout the process.

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.

Rhea is a consummate professional. She masterfully guided me through the lateral process with her exceptional responsiveness and targeted strategy based on our conversations. Her effectiveness, thoroughness, and thoughtfulness were on clear display as she helped me secure my new role. I can't recommend Rhea enough if you're considering a lateral move.

If you are looking to make a lateral move, or even just thinking about it, you need to speak with Susan. When you work with Susan, you don’t simply get a recruiter—you get a consultant, a mentor, a counselor, and a friend. Susan’s knowledge of the legal market knows no limits, and she has expertise that can only be acquired from years of being at the top of her field. Moreover, Susan is an absolute delight to work with, and her positivity and enthusiasm make the process enjoyable! From my first phone call with Susan, it was clear that she is in a class all her own. Susan took the time to discuss my background, listen to my priorities and career goals, and get to know me as a person. I am a regulatory health attorney, and my practice area is very specific. Susan never pushed me toward a role for the sake of it—instead, Susan sought my input to make sure that we focused on my exact area of health law. Susan is 100% invested in her candidates, and it shows. She coached me through each step, from perfecting my resume to rigorously preparing me for every single interview. Susan's dedication to her candidates goes above and beyond professional guidance and mentorship—she always made time for me, no matter how seemingly minor my question might have been, and she remained engaged and accessible throughout the process. Thanks to Susan, I am in the perfect role. I am grateful that Susan was my recruiter and legal placement consultant, and I am even more fortunate to call her my mentor and friend. I cannot recommend Susan highly enough!

Brandon handled everything from start to finish efficiently and professionally. I could not have asked for a better guide.

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.

Alice was extremely helpful in my job search and helped me land an amazing opportunity. She was responsive and guided me through the entire process. I couldn’t be more thankful for all her hard work.

Max was hugely helpful in my search, proactively running opportunities by me, but also creating them from thin air. He's a talented recruiter and also a very kind, fun person to chat with. That personality goes far in terms of sourcing opportunities for his clients. Lastly, his level of care and diligence sets him far apart from the scores of recruiters that reach out to us daily.

I worked with Bally on my move from London to New York. Bally was excellent to work with - responsive, attentive to what I was asking for and very personable. I was able to run through what kind of role I was looking for and she helped me narrow down a great list of opportunities and carved out an unposted role for me. I felt comfortable and supported on every step of my journey and cannot recommend Bally highly enough!

Priya was wonderful to work with and helped me throughout the entire process. Always responsive, highly skilled, and very personable!