Before I was a recruiter, I was the associate getting those calls. Someone had five jobs and wanted to send my resume. Nobody offered to explain what the groups were like, how the partners staffed their teams, or what I should ask for when an offer came. I built Mosaic around the help I wanted then. Here's how we work.
The six steps
These six parts describe our advising work. The pace depends on your timeline and the market, and some parts overlap. Our lateral process guide walks through the candidate steps in order.
Market Mapping
We research opportunities that fit your experience in the markets you're willing to consider. Some are never posted: a partner or recruiting director has mentioned a need in conversation.
We explain what we find, including options that haven't reached your inbox. Sometimes a group you haven't considered turns out to be the strongest fit.
Intelligence
Once we have that list, I find out what each group is like. Who runs it? How do they staff matters? Who's joined laterally over the past few years, and who's left? I also look at the current deal flow or docket and the group's place in the firm's finances.
Very little of that is on a website. I learn it from people inside the firms, lateral moves I've tracked, and attorneys who've worked with those partners. That helps us understand what the firm name would mean for your day-to-day work.
Strategy
Then we sort the list around your goals for the next five to ten years. We talk through which opportunities to pursue and which to pass on.
Sometimes my advice is to pass on a role that looks excellent on paper. If the group has been a revolving door for three years, the partner you'd work under is winding down, or the practice won't build the skills you want for partnership, I'll say so. You can disagree, and I'll still work hard to pursue it. I just want you to have that information first.
Interview Preparation
Before every round, we prepare for the firm, group, and people you're meeting. We research their backgrounds, matters, schools, and how they tend to interview.
Then we talk through which matters to lead with, how to describe your role, and how to answer questions about why you're leaving. We also work on what you want to ask them. It's easier to have a useful conversation when you know who's across the table.
Negotiation
When an offer comes, we work through the details: class year credit, base pay, signing bonus, guarantees, any bonus you'd be leaving behind, and your start date. We also coordinate competing processes so you can compare your options with as much negotiating room as possible.
We handle the uncomfortable conversations so you never have to be the one pressing on money with people who are about to be your colleagues. Class year credit in particular tends to get overlooked, and it follows you for years in both compensation and partnership timing.
Long-Term Career Support
You can keep coming to us for career support after a move. Some candidates want a check-in after the first few months, while the firm still feels unfamiliar. Others prefer to settle in and get in touch later.
Years later, if you're weighing partnership, an in-house move, or another lateral, we're glad to talk it through. There's no expectation that the conversation has to lead to another placement.
What to expect from anyone you work with
You'll meet several recruiters over your career, and plenty are good at this. Knowing what the work involves helps you judge what you're getting. Here's what I'd look for, including when you speak with us.
A transactional search
- You hear about the openings that recruiter happens to be working on.
- The pitch is the firm's website in slightly different words.
- Prep is a phone call the night before, if it happens.
- The offer arrives and you are told it is standard.
- Contact ends on your first day.
An advisory search
- You get a researched view of relevant opportunities, including unposted needs we identify through conversations.
- You get specifics on the group, the partners, and the lateral history behind each option.
- You get written preparation for every round, built around the people you will meet.
- Someone negotiates the terms with you and explains what each one is worth.
- Long-term career support stays available if and when you want it.
Ask what a recruiter knows about the group, what they'll send before an interview, and what happens after you accept. Specific answers will tell you a lot. You're welcome to ask us the same questions.
What interview preparation looks like
Before each round, we write a prep memo for that interview and send it with time to talk it through together. Candidates are often surprised by the detail. Here's what it covers.
- The group. What the practice actually does day to day, the kind of work moving through it right now, its clients, how it is structured, and where it fits within the firm.
- The people. Everyone on your schedule. Backgrounds, practice focus, where they trained, what they have written or spoken about, and anything you genuinely have in common.
- Likely questions. What that group tends to ask and how they ask it, including the ones about your deal or case experience and the ones about why you are looking.
- Positioning. Which of your matters to lead with, how to frame your level of responsibility, how to answer the hard questions honestly, and what you should be asking them.
We rewrite the memo for callbacks because you're meeting different people, often with different questions. You don't need to memorize it. The preparation should help you talk about your work and understand the people you're meeting.
See what a prep packet looks like ›
Where to start
Start by telling us about your work: what you like, what you don't, and where you'd like your career to go over the next decade. We'll share what we're seeing in your market and talk through your options, including staying put.
Sometimes our advice is that this isn't the right time to move. That's a fine outcome. You'll know where to find us if things change.
Start with a conversation
The conversation is confidential, with no obligation to start a search. Tell us where you are, and we'll share what we're seeing in your market.
Talk with us