Bespoke
Recruiting

Lawyers aren't
one-size-fits-all.1


As a boutique search firm, we focus on
what we know: placing the best startup,
venture capital, fintech, regulatory,
IP, life sciences, & media attorneys.

In fact, we place more attorneys at top tech practices than any other 
recruiting shop in the country. We wholeheartedly believe that those 
practice areas are the future of law, and we've devoted our careers to
proving it.

Success to us means understanding your needs as well as any market
expert, and understanding your company's values as well as your
internal recruiting team does.2 

Great recruiting works in both directions, so even when we're not 
pitching jobs, we’re proactively fostering relationships with top tech
attorneys and learning about where they see themselves.

Which means that if you're in the tech or  
startup space, we probably already know
your next hire.3

contact@whistlerpartners.com

Happy clients' testimonials:

I've had the privilege of working with Whistler and Kathleen Mon from both sides of the table. During my tenure as Chief of Staff to the General Counsel at Gopuff Kathleen helped me find dynamic tech and regulatory lawyers that were great additions to our team. Kathleen listened (rare in a recruiter these days), helped us build on-point candidate profiles, and then brought amazing candidates to the table. Most importantly, she understood that finding the right culture fit was equally, if not more, important than finding a candidate with the right set of skills. It made the search process easy and effective.
Most recently, I worked with Kathleen as a candidate. In a world of mega recruiting agencies, working with Kathleen on the candidate side was a breath of fresh air. She communicated honestly, was super responsive, and gave me great feedback and advice during the entire process - from resume prep through the interview stages. Kathleen landed me a role I am absolutely thrilled about and it would not have been possible without her. I can't thank her enough and I highly recommend Kathleen to anyone looking to take that next step in their career!

 

NAT FLANDREAU Nat Flandreau

VP of Legal at Hubble Contacts
I’ve met a lot of recruiters over the years, but very few measure up to Kathleen.  She’s a straight shooter, and it doesn’t hurt that her team has some of the best connections in the industry.  

 

KENT S.Kent S

General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Fynn
Kathleen and Virginia have been wonderful to work with, both on the search and ramping us quickly into the legal discipline, market and archetypes. We saw a full panel and got our top choice. They’ve been an outstanding partner.

 

IAN TIENIan Tien

CEO at Mattermost
I've never worked with a talent partner like Kathleen. She has great insights into each candidate with whom she works and represents them incredibly well. We were not sure if we were going to find the right fit for our position but then we met Kathleen. Every candidate she showed us was qualified and the process felt collaborative, not transactional. It was really a pleasure to work with Kathleen and we have recommended her services to portfolio companies and colleagues at other funds and will continue to do so.

 

DAVID BERGDavid Berg

CFO at Rainfall Ventures
Sean and the Whistler team deeply understand the in-house and law firm markets and how they work together. As we've grown, I've relied on them to help us think through new openings, understand the market and find top talent.

 


JOSH BESERJosh Beser b&w circle

Former General Counsel of Away, Emerging Companies Partner at Wilson Sonsini
I liked working with them so much, I joined the company!


Whistler team circle

DAN MUMMERY, Former Partner and Co-Chair, Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Transactions Group. Hiring Partner, Palo Alto office at Gibson Dunn

EMILY WITT, Former Senior Recruiting & Legal Personnel Coordinator at Wachtell

NADEEN SHATARA, Former Recruiter at Gunderson Dettmer and Fenwick

KATHLEEN MON, Former Senior Manager - NY Administrative and Professional Resources at Torys

LEE IACOCCA, had he worked in legal recruiting, we're sure
Whistler Partners is an outstanding firm, and they've become the gold standard for tech recruiting both on the law firm side and in-house. They have a deep bench, and they have all  of the same resources (if not more than) the big shops do, but their differentiators are unparalleled relationships and how they make the overall experience to be highly personalized.

 


SACHIN BANSALSachin Bansal

General Counsel at SecurityScorecard
I spent over 6 months trying to hire the right in-house GC, using different agencies and interviewing dozens of candidates. Then came Kathleen.
She spent a considerable amount of time with me to understand the role, and more importantly to understand our company's culture.
Her very first intro blew the competition out of the water, and I'm happy to say she's starting next week. These guys are snipers!

 

OMRI DOROmri Dror

Co-Founder & COO of Obligo
Emily brings a strong network and deep understanding of our priorities. She takes the time to understand the combination of creativity, raw intellect, experience, and niceness we prioritize. She is iterative, efficient, and genuinely invested in building our team. Emily is an absolute pleasure to work with and works hard to achieve our goals.

 

RACHEL RUBINRachel Rubin

VP, Programs at Roivant Social Ventures
I'd like to thank you so much for your assistance throughout the recruiting process, and for helping us find a great candidate. We're so appreciative of Whistler's support!

 

LEIGH CHECCHIOLeigh Checchio

General Counsel at The Trevor Project
Working with the Whistler team was an absolute pleasure. I can’t think of another firm that could have put so many well-qualified candidates together for a single opening. 

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxgertrude stein 15

General Counsel of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Contingent
In-House
Legal Searches


The Can't Fail
Insurance Policy


Think of Legal Recruiting like
Technical Recruiting.

It takes a recruiter with in-depth knowledge of the legal industry
to find the right talent. We of course wouldn't expect most tech
companies to have specialized members of their in-house talent
acquisition team with deep expertise in legal. So when you are in the
market to build and grow your legal team, we’re here to help. 

What roles are contingent searches
best suited for?

Roles that tend to be more straightforward (e.g. Commercial Counsel,
Litigation Counsel, Corporate Counsel).

How does it work?

If you’re new to hiring attorneys (or if you just aren't receiving the best
resumes through your own efforts), we’re here to help!

We’ll evaluate your needs, bring your role into our marketing efforts,
talk to our people, and introduce you to interested candidates, many
of whom come from our already extensive network.

Through placing more attorneys at top tech and startup practices
than other legal recruiting shop, we've created an ecosystem of
forward-thinking legal talent. And when they're thinking of going
in-house, we're their first call.

Why choose contingent?

With a contingent search, you have nothing to lose! You might find
someone on your own, in which case you owe us nothing. Or we might
find you your dream candidate, which is worth paying for.

Retained
In-House
Legal Searches


Next Level Recruiting

What roles are retained searches
best suited for?

General Counsel and other leadership roles, and those that require
a harder-to-find skill set or where the pool of qualified candidates
is small and highly competitive (e.g. Privacy Officer, Product and
Regulatory Counsel, Head of Corporate).

How does it work?

We’re there with you from the beginning, helping by providing high touch
support: crafting the role, dreaming up the ideal candidate, ironing job
specs, etc. We then spend up to 4 months researching, turning over rocks,
waking sleeping giants, and otherwise identifying and screening
candidates (many of whom aren’t in the market but for that once-in-a-
lifetime call).

We also provide regular update calls & meetings, interview process
support, reference checks and more.

Why choose retained?
Time.time

Because contingency searches rely on applicants and our existing network,
they leave a lot up to chance and external variables. 

A retained search, however, allows us to dedicate more resources to your
search, which means faster results than if the same search were run on a
contingent basis. 

You could wait for your competitor's GC to apply for your job,
or you could have us call them.

A retained search is virtually
a guaranteed hire.

We don't take the decision to take on a retained search lightly. Before
accepting any retained search, we evaluate how the market is currently
aligning with your hiring needs and expectations. If we can't confidently
say that we can fill the job, we don't take it on.

& inclusivity.

We all want our organizations to be more inclusive. But simply posting
a job and hoping that qualified candidates from underrepresented
groups apply isn't enough to attract the best talent.

With a retained search, we can focus on outreach to bring more diverse
candidates to the table.  And as an added bonus, your organization
 will benefit from the feedback that comes from this stringent process.

Law Firm
Associate Hiring

It’s an Arms Race
to the Top

What do you tell an associate when
every law firm pays the same and
seemingly does the same work?

Associates come to Whistler because they’re looking for
something different. Maybe you are too.

Our team includes former recruiting managers and hiring partners 
of AmLaw 100 firms. We speak your language, and we know that 
there's more to your firm’s identity than average partner profits. 
By highlighting what makes your firm unique, we help candidates
understand how your firm specifically fits into achieving their
career goals.

Doesn’t it feel good to know that when you
get a resume from us, the associate is
genuinely excited about working at your firm?

 

 

     Associate hiring testimonials:

Sean called me his first day on the job nearly 20 years ago. He moved me from litigation in a failing patent boutique to IP/Corporate at a top five PPP firm. It was exactly what I asked for and completely the wrong move for me.
Then, he helped me move, without getting paid for it, to a mid-sized advertising boutique where I worked happily for several years.
Lastly, as I was on the verge of true happiness, I had picked out office space and was moving to Austin Texas to start my own boutique with great weather and no state taxes, he asked me to “have breakfast and shake a hand” with this great firm he knows. Almost a decade later, it was a perfect fit.
Now we use Whistler to find other great attorneys fed up with Big Law that want interesting work and better lives.

 


S. GREGORY BOYDgreg boyd

Partner & Co-Chair of Interactive Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit
Unlike other recruiters, Sean and Whistler listened to what I wanted in a job and actively pursued those types of positions. At the time I was attempting to move from one practice area to another and most recruiters pitched me for the same practice area over and over. Whistler also had access to firms that were not on the typical recruiter “list.” I highly recommend them!

 


LINDSAY RODMANLindsay Rodman

Senior Director, Business & Legal Affairs at Atlantic Records (former Davis & Gilbert)
I liked working with them so much, I joined the company!


Whistler team circle

DAN MUMMERY, Former Partner and Co-Chair, Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Transactions Group. Hiring Partner, Palo Alto office at Gibson Dunn

EMILY WITT, Former Senior Recruiting & Legal Personnel Coordinator at Wachtell

NADEEN SHATARA, Former Recruiter at Gunderson Dettmer and Fenwick

KATHLEEN MON, Former Senior Manager - NY Administrative and Professional Resources at Torys

LEE IACOCCA, had he worked in legal recruiting, we're sure
Sean and team are THE go-to recruiters – he didn’t even place me, but gave me great advice in me getting to my place. And now I go to them every time when anyone I know is thinking through a career move and when I need another hand on deck.

 


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxgertrude stein 8

Emerging Companies Partner at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sean and his experienced team at Whistler consistently identify exactly the right candidate when I have an open position. They understand the market and they listen to me — but, more importantly, it’s clear that they listen to their candidates. And they’re terrific to work with.

 


JAHAN SHARIFIJahan Sharifi

Partner & Co-Chair of Investment Funds and Asset Management at Barnes & Thornburg
Whistler has been an invaluable partner to our firm as we have grown over the years. Sean Burke and his team really took the time to get to know what is unique and special about our firm – which translated into Whistler being able to consistently bring us candidates who are a great fit.

 


JEFFREY GREENBAUMJeffrey Greenbaum

Managing Partner at Frankfurt Kurnit

Law Firm
Partner Hiring

The Major Leagues

When we believe in the architects
of a firm, we want to be the engineers
who help them achieve their vision.

At the partner level, we work with a select group of law firms
interested in building the tech, startup and media practices of
the future. These deep relationships mean that when we pitch
your firm to a partner, we know how to make it stand out.
And when we pitch a partner to your firm, we know that they'll
be a game changer.

We're not going to tell you that we can find your next Head of
Structured Finance (and we’d really rather not), but we can find
your next Head of FinTech (or Emerging Companies or Life Sciences…). 4

Tell us what matters most to you, and
we'll find it. 

 

 

     Partner hiring testimonials:

Sean called me his first day on the job nearly 20 years ago. He moved me from litigation in a failing patent boutique to IP/Corporate at a top five PPP firm. It was exactly what I asked for and completely the wrong move for me.
Then, he helped me move, without getting paid for it, to a mid-sized advertising boutique where I worked happily for several years.
Lastly, as I was on the verge of true happiness, I had picked out office space and was moving to Austin Texas to start my own boutique with great weather and no state taxes, he asked me to “have breakfast and shake a hand” with this great firm he knows. Almost a decade later, it was a perfect fit.
Now we use Whistler to find other great attorneys fed up with Big Law that want interesting work and better lives.

 


S. GREGORY BOYDgreg boyd

Partner & Co-Chair of Interactive Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit
I liked working with them so much, I joined the company!


Whistler team circle

DAN MUMMERY, Former Partner and Co-Chair, Strategic Sourcing & Commercial Transactions Group. Hiring Partner, Palo Alto office at Gibson Dunn

EMILY WITT, Former Senior Recruiting & Legal Personnel Coordinator at Wachtell

NADEEN SHATARA, Former Recruiter at Gunderson Dettmer and Fenwick

KATHLEEN MON, Former Senior Manager - NY Administrative and Professional Resources at Torys

LEE IACOCCA, had he worked in legal recruiting, we're sure
The Whistler team has deep relationships with EGVC, private equity and corporate attorneys and have tremendous domain expertise in these areas. I always pay close attention to the candidates they work with. On top of that, the Whistler team is also a pleasure to work with.

 


JEFFREY LEHRERjeffrey lehrer

Chair, Emerging Growth and Venture Capital and Member, US Executive Committee at DLA Piper
Sean - wanted to tell you how much I appreciate what you and you team are doing for us, and for the fact that you “get” our vision etc.
You were right when you first called me – xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx are a perfect fit in terms of how we see the world. I’m excited for xxxxxxxx to grow with Whistler and to build something very cool and ready for the future. I’m looking forward to doing some great deals with you.
Just wanted to drop a line – don’t share this – it’ll ruin my image…😊

 

xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx gertrude stein 3

CEO and Managing Partner of  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

1) We start by asking: “What are you looking for?”
In-house head of hiring: “We’ve already met with 50 M&A attorneys, all from top firms, but we really want someone who’s already been in-house for 2 years. They just have a certain je ne sais quoi about them, don’t you think?”
Law firm hiring manager: “As long as they went to a top 25 law school, don’t have a C on their transcript, and they have a pulse, we want to meet them.”
Us: “Maybe this criteria isn’t serving you, can we try something else?”
In-house head of hiring: “Hiring someone who hasn’t already been in-house? Sounds risky.”
Law firm hiring manager: “Not meeting with everyone with good credentials? Sounds risky.”
Us: “What if that person who hasn’t yet worked in-house actually had a career before law school as a consultant for 5 years? Isn’t that the soft skills you’re looking for? Or, what if the person you’re on the fence about meeting
actually has a shared client with you that would pick up the phone and tell you that you’re their dream hire?

2) If you’ve ever read Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories, you’ll know how we “solve the murder.” She’s literally met every type of person before and has an encyclopedic knowledge of human behavior, so she can spot the killer from a mile away. Our encyclopedic knowledge is really more about attorneys and their desires. But it works similarly.

3) True story: Arguably one of the most important placements of Whistler’s history started with a phone call from a FinTech client asking for help finding a GC. Sean’s first call was not to the cookie cutter candidate they described, but to a candidate he instinctively knew was the perfect fit (even though on paper she wasn’t on point). We screened dozens of candidates, the startup interviewed a few, but the winner ended up being Sean’s first call. Recruiting is as simple as: a) recognizing talent and b) keeping in touch.

4) If you’re still not sure if we’re the right recruiting shop for your partner search, take our simple quiz: 1. Is the client you’re trying to acquire Netflix or Blockbuster?   2. Will the partner you’re hiring need more support from privacy or project finance?   3. Do your clients love or fear apps? If you answered the former to all 3, let’s talk! contact@whistlerpartners.com