February 26, 2001
THE CALIFORNIA LAW BUSINESS JOURNAL
Need a good headhunter, but don’t know how to choose from the legions that cold-call your office every day? Look no longer; we have whittled the list down for you. We contacted the state’s largest law firms and inquired which headhunters they prefer to use to staff their ranks. Being obliging types, the firms gave us their short list for partner and practice group placements, as well as the cream of the crop for associate placements. Check out the 10 recruiters, listed in alphabetical order, most often mentioned by the big firms. For you partners or aspiring partners, we have also compiled other useful information – notable placements, recruiter’s philosophy and client reviews – to further narrow your search for the perfect headhunter.
WATANABE NASON & SELTZER
Founded: 1997
Principals: Lawrence Watanabe, William Nason, Joan Seltzer Full-Time Recruiters: 6 Offices: Headquartered in San Diego. Other offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco.
Notable Placements: Last fall, moved 10 Tuttle & Taylor partners, including managing partner Doug Beck, to the local office of Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps. Last spring, beefed up Morrison & Foerster’s San Diego office with placement of Baker & McKenzie partners David Doyle, Craig Celniker and Carlos Heredia. Last month, moved Terry McMahon from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe to McDermott Will & Emery’s Menlo Park office, where he chairs the West Coast intellectual property group.
Philosophy: “We work extremely hard at understanding the law firms we represent, which enables us to keep round pegs out of square holes,” principal William Nason says. The firm’s commitment to both a “technical and cultural match,” results in a high retention rate of placements – and keeps clients coming back for more. “We’re obviously pleased with the sheer volume of prominent placements statewide, but we are most proud of the retention rate over that period of time, which is at least 90 percent,” Nason boasts. “Industry-wide it is much lower.”
Review: Both law firms and candidates rate Watanabe Nason & Seltzer tops in terms of steely, bare-bones professionalism. “They’re down to business and don’t waste a lot of time.” The recruiters get the job done “without a lot of hand-holding,” something busy attorneys value. “You’re not looking to find a friend. They give you the answers you need right away. Very helpful at cutting through the crap,” an attorney, who’s been both a client and candidate, says. The firm is also known to work harder than most in the industry. Says one recently-placed partner, “I’d call Larry [Watanabe] at 10 or 11 at night and he’d still be there to answer questions. That’s what you like to see when you’re working with someone.”
How the Survey Was Conducted
California Law Business compiled the headhunter names for this article as follows:
California Law Business polled the state’s 50 largest law firms, which were determined by the number of lawyers practicing in the firms’ in-state offices. Rankings are from firms listed in the publication’s “Top 50” issue of July 10, 2000.
The person(s) responsible for firmwide recruitment of partners and practice groups was asked to name up to two legal placement firms that the law firm preferred to use for recruiting California-based partners and practice groups. The person(s) responsible for firmwide recruitment of associates was asked to name up to two legal placement firms that the firm preferred to use for recruiting California-based associates.
Participating firms were polled by telephone and/or e-mail.