Insights & Resources

30 years ago, I struck out on my own and opened the doors of Carpenter Legal Search. Although I had been working as a legal recruiter for another firm for numerous years, I decided to chart my own course doing what I love – assisting companies and law firms to recruit lawyers who also excel at doing what they love, and helping them to build the legal teams who support and navigate an organization’s path into the future. 

As my thoughts and memories continue to arise and eddy on this anniversary, I remember my very first year under my own banner when legal search was a relatively new industry. Among other searches, I assisted in building the Ernst & Young (n/k/a EY Consulting) human resources consulting team with a core group of employee benefits lawyers in Texas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Illinois. I also partnered with Klett Lieber Rooney & Schorling (n/k/a Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney) to open a Philadelphia office, which helped to spark interest from Philadelphia law firms in the Pittsburgh market. 

Since that first year, Carpenter Legal Search has continued to recruit lawyers in a wide variety of practice areas to positions in companies and law firms nationwide. I recall what the first General Counsel at Ocwen said to me early in my career as a legal recruiter, “If you could recruit for me when I was at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, you can recruit for me for Ocwen in West Palm Beach.” After recruiting 17 lawyers to Ocwen, I have had that expansive recruiting philosophy as a mantra for Carpenter Legal Search ever since.

After three decades in legal search, I am still motivated by having the opportunity to play an integral role in building an organization’s legal team and to make a difference in someone’s professional career. It has been a profound and rewarding ride, and I look forward to where the next search will lead.

To learn more about our expertise or to partner with us on your next legal search, visit the Client Experience section of our website. We look forward to hearing about where your organization is going next!