Bryson Malcolm
Founder & CEO
Bryson is a JD graduate of Columbia Law School whose legal practice experience spans top firms like Skadden and Fried Frank, where he honed his expertise in real estate law. His multifaceted heritage, Jamaican, Russian, and Jewish, helps to shape his unwavering commitment to advancing inclusion within the legal profession.
Combining a deep understanding of law firm politics and a passion for collaboration, Bryson offers attorneys personalized career guidance and ensures they land opportunities that foster growth, respect, and success.
While at Columbia Law School, Bryson served as the President of the Columbia Law School Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) and was an active Member and Mentor within the Columbia Law School Black Law Student Association (BLSA).
Thought Leadership | Quoted In
The Wall Street Journal
Big Law Firms Struck a Truce With Trump—and Set Off a Clash With Recruits
"[I've] heard from Columbia students who have committed to work at Willkie, Skadden and other firms that have since made concessions. Some want to know if it is possible to find another position at this stage."
"His advice: If you want to stay in big law, wait out the next several months and see what plays out. Meanwhile, network."
"[Bryson Malcolm] posted that he combed through data to find that, in a recent round of layoffs, overall associate headcount was reduced by about 15%, white male headcount was reduced by 6.5% and person of color headcount was reduced by 21%."
Politico
Article 1
"Paul, Weiss used to be the gold standard for litigation. I think that reputation is waning."
"Students are plugged in in a way that they've never been before and they're tracking all this. I don't really see a situation where a student would choose Paul, Weiss over any of its peers that didn't have a similar fallout."
Article 2
"Standing up for the legal profession and the rule of law has given certain firms a big boost in visibility with students."
"Students aren't really locked into every single law firm. The firms who have lawyers who are actually proud to be there right now... I just think that's going to come out when you're talking to them and students might end up going for that."
Bloomberg Law
Article 1
"Firms that have walked back diversity efforts are not likely to rev those efforts back up in the short term. They face a challenge, according to Bryson Malcolm, a New York legal recruiter."
"How do you communicate to talent that you care that they're there without sharing with the Trump administration or the public that you still care?" he said.
"It seems like they care but they don't want anyone else to know," said Malcolm. "It's a scary time and everyone is relying on subtext."
"There's a very delicate balance between being careful outwardly but then sending the wrong signal to talent," he said.
Article 2
"Applications from associates who require visas and are looking to move to another law firm may be dead on arrival, particularly in the last six months, said Bryson Malcolm, founder of recruiting firm Mosaic Search Partners. He supports those candidates, but typically does not officially take those applicants as candidates because 'I've seen how little traction they get when working with a recruiter,' he said."
Article 3
"Goodwin Procter ended its contract with Bryson Malcolm's Mosaic Search Partners one day after Malcolm posted on LinkedIn that the firm's response to the EEOC probe was 'shameful.' Malcolm said the termination was 'in response to my voicing my displeasure with the firm last week when they turned their backs on the entire diverse community of big law.'"
Article 4
"But as the Trump administration continues its anti-DEI efforts, it's becoming harder for clients and attorneys to avoid getting stuck in the crossfire."
"Even if they aren't on the list, there is a chaos element here, they could be on the next list in a couple of weeks."
Article 5
"Students should lean on informal networks like affinity groups at their law schools to remain competitive... These student organizations act as a proxy for insider expertise legacy law students have coming into school."
Article 6
"Choosing pass/fail is a risky gamble for students... Opting in may be construed by firms to indicate a political position, but it could be a game-changer for students worried about a low grade point average."
Article 7
"Diverse attorneys are often the first to go when firms go through layoffs due to Big Law's implicit biases."
"Malcolm acknowledged in interviews that he had emailed some of the firm's attorneys about Goodwin Procter's withdrawal from diversity programs but said his agreement with the firm allowed him to do so. 'I was making the attorneys aware of what had happened, and there is no language in there that suggests anything else,' he said."
"Bryson Malcolm, founder of legal recruiting firm Mosaic Search Partners, told Politico that 'Paul, Weiss used to be the gold standard for litigation. I think that reputation is waning.' He added: 'Students are plugged in in a way that they've never been before and they're tracking all this. I don't really see a situation where a student would choose Paul, Weiss over any of its peers that didn't have a similar fallout.'"
Law360 Pulse
Article 1
"Like other political issues and movements in the country right now, it's become more of a collective action thing and not an institutional thing."
"I don't think anyone really trusts any major institution right now, but I think people do trust people."
"I don't want people to think that the sky is falling."
Article 2
"I'd probably say half the candidates I've worked with over the past year have explicitly told me that they have no interest in applying to firms that made deals with the Trump administration this past year. That's a hard line for some people."
"For firms like WilmerHale who sued the administration directly, that's been a big boost as well for both candidates and law students, honestly. That's something that continues to pop up, and I don't think it's going to really go away."
Article 3
"From what I'm hearing, most [law students] plan on applying everywhere they can and if they have a choice between a law firm that made a deal and one that has not, they will choose the firm that has not made a deal."
"I think the DEI issue is more important than it's being given credit for... For Gen Z, they're particularly sensitive to inauthenticity."
ABA Journal
Goodwin Procter ends agreement with recruiter who called its diversity decisions 'shameful'
"'This is shameful,' said Bryson Malcolm, a recruiter and founder of Mosaic Search Partners, in a LinkedIn post. Malcolm's critical post cited a report by Bloomberg Law that Goodwin Procter reportedly ended or suspended its relationships with several diversity programs, including a legal fellowship pipeline program by Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and Diversity Lab's 'Mansfield Certification.'"
"Malcolm said the firm's explanation for terminating his contract was 'an excuse and a bad one.' He said the termination was 'in response to my voicing my displeasure with the firm last week when they turned their backs on the entire diverse community of big law.'"
Celine Yamaguchi-Coyle
Demographic Data Consultant
Celine is a 2018 graduate of The University of British Columbia where she graduated with a double major in Neurobiology and Neuroscience. She successfully built the groundwork and founding data for our AAPI attorney database and actively monitors both positive and negative trends within that attorney demographic group.
Ivana Xie
Legal Communications Intern
Ivana Xie is a class of 2028 JD candidate who previously worked as a paralegal within the Capital Markets Group at Sidley Austin. Prior to her legal career, she worked as a journalist, where she developed extensive research, writing, and investigative skills. She currently serves as a 1L Representative on the Executive Board of APALSA and is an active member of the Corporate Society.