Thank you for making 2018 the best year in the history of our firm. We were pleased to serve a variety of outstanding companies from multiple industries this year, including:
- Global chemical distribution leader – Univar
- For-profit education pioneer – Adtalem
- America’s favorite helpful place – Ace Hardware
- Food distribution giant – US Foods
- The #1 parking company in the United States – SP+
- Faster than fast growing Internet platform innovator – Ubiquiti Networks
Our engagements featured traditional direct hire placements with base salaries ranging from $185,000 to more than $300,000. Our most common engagement term was a $10,000 retainer, applied toward a contingency success-only fee equal to 25% of base salary. We find the modest retainer creates a meaningful partnership and commitment, while maintaining a healthy outcome-based model for achieving win-win results.
We enjoyed a record six “conversions” in 2018. These are adjunct counsel placements (our other service line), during or after which the client chooses to hire our lawyer directly. To be clear, most adjunct counsel assignments do not convert, as clients are often using this service to meet truly temporary needs or because direct hire is simply not an option. The conversions are a testament to two things: 1. We really do place direct-hire caliber lawyers into these roles, and 2. Our lawyers worked their butts off and earned it.
While it was a great year, I nonetheless feel compelled to address a concern some of you may have but not voice. Evers Legal is a small boutique firm with two complementary service lines. I worry that a potential corporate client will not know what to make of us sometimes. How can a specialized recruiting firm that also does temporary staffing be really great at senior level retained in-house counsel search? Or, conversely, how can a high-end boutique search firm be cost competitive on the staffing side and why would it want that work?
The answers are (lack of) volume and focus. Our order volume is actually quite low compared to our competitors. It seems like an odd thing for a business owner to brag about, but we intentionally turn away a lot of work. We are not staffed to handle large document review projects, we don’t do any law firm work, and if a client wants to multi-source a specific opening and not partner with us—we politely decline the search request. We are laser focused on the talent needs of law departments, and I view our two service lines as complementary. I believe one strengthens the other.
So, here is my special offer for 2019: For any new direct hire search order with a base salary of $200,000 or more, we will reduce the success-only portion of the placement fee by $10,000. For any new Adjunct Counsel order, we will reduce the fee for direct hire conversion by $5,000.
I have tried this in the past, and no one has ever taken us up on it. It’s always a bit of an experiment to test if the selection of a search firm is at all influenced by cost (I don’t think it is). Mainly, it’s an incentive “thank you” for existing clients, as folks who have already used Evers Legal are the ones most likely to jump on this offer if it coincides with a need.
This offer expires on the last day of February 2019. And you must mention this column and ask for the discount.
Let’s see who is reading this column… take me up on this offer!
Thanks again to our fabulous clients, and to the candidates who interviewed via Evers Legal in 2018, whether or not you were placed. It was a pleasure to work with each and every one of you. Let’s make 2019 ever better!