After over a decade working with U.S. law firms in London, I made the move to New York. I’ve always been really interested in the business side of the legal profession – the decisions behind expansion, the strategies firms use to win work, how talent drives it all – and New York is a key centre for decision-making and strategy for our clients. Being on the ground here means I can be even more immediate and informed in my support of them.
Being geographically close to our clients and the legal talent of the U.S. market is only half the opportunity, though: the other half is understanding what is going to shape their global businesses faster and more effectively. What type of clients are they looking to unlock? What business are they trying to win? Which lawyers will help them achieve these strategic aims and spur growth? That’s the part of the job that excites me the most, and it’s the reason New York, and the U.S. more broadly, is the ideal place to be.
On a personal note, New York is an incredible city to live in and experience. I’ve been many times before, but on my first visit, as a teenager on a family holiday, I vividly remember going to Ted’s Montana Grill – which is now just a street behind SSQ’s New York office. It feels like it was meant to be.
There’s no denying it: America is home to some of the most dynamic and needle-moving legal talent in the world. While we work with the best of the best in every jurisdiction, the sheer number of high-performing partners in the U.S. is remarkable.
Our clients often want to hire partners with deep, embedded private equity relationships, a significant proportion of whom are based in New York. It doesn’t take long in the this market to understand who the celebrities of the U.S. legal world are. At SSQ we’ve been lucky to work with similarly high-calibre lawyers across Europe for decades, so translating that skillset and our heritage of excellence into the U.S. market is a challenge I’m confident taking on.
Our approach is particularly distinctive in the U.S., offering a truly global perspective and entirely bespoke strategy for every client relationship. The number of ways firms can grow is finite, and expansion through existing clients in new jurisdictions is one of the most efficient. That’s exactly what we’ve helped our clients do, not just in the U.S., but across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
The ability to headhunt and network effectively across every key jurisdiction our clients care about gives us a relatively rare footprint, especially given the numbers of partners we work with at the highest level. But we don’t just place partners; we support firm strategy, office launches and major market entries.
What we bring to the table is data, insight and a network shaped by more than 500 worldwide placements each year, including key hires that regularly feature in the legal press. It’s this high-level search experience that sets us apart and continues to deliver results for our clients.
To find out more about how SSQ can support your U.S. legal search and meet your team growth goals, get in touch with Kelly at [email protected].
