How we screen legal candidates Six checks before a CV leaves our desk.
Anyone can forward a CV. The value is in what we check first and what we do not send. This is the standard, written down, so you can hold us to it.
In shortBefore a CV reaches a firm, every candidate has a screening call of 20 to 30 minutes for each role and is checked on track record, practising status and fit for the role, and the firm and role are pitched to them. Nothing is sent without the candidate's consent.
- 1
A conversation first.
Every candidate has a screening call of 20 to 30 minutes for each role. We ask why they are moving, what they will not accept, and what the last firm got wrong. The reasons for leaving tell us more than the CV does. Where a firm wants specific information, we also use a short form built around exactly what it asks for, so nobody has to guess or chase.
- 2
Track record.
What files they have run, at what volume, on which systems, under whose supervision. Dates and PQE are checked against what they told us.
- 3
Practising status.
Practising status checked against the public regulator's register for the role. Anything unusual is raised with the candidate first.
- 4
Fit for this role.
Pay, hours, location, supervision and ambitions are matched to the actual role. Every shortlisted name gets a written note that says why.
- 5
Your role, pitched.
The role and your firm are properly sold to the candidate, so by the time you meet them they are already interested and you only have to seal the deal.
- 6
Consent.
The candidate says yes to this firm and this role before we put their name forward.
The candidate journey
Most agencies send a CV and wait. We stay with the candidate.
A small firm can give every candidate real time. This is what that looks like, from the first call to the first day.
A proper first conversation.
A call of 20 to 30 minutes for each role we put forward, about the person and the role.
We explain the role and the firm.
Pay, working pattern, who supervises, how the team works. The candidate hears it before anyone sees their CV.
The candidate decides each step.
Nothing goes to a firm without their yes, and they see the firm before it sees them.
Follow-up emails at every stage.
Each stage ends with an email setting out the reasons to join the firm, so what we said stays fresh until the interview.
Preparation and honest feedback.
We prepare them for each interview and bring back what the firm said, good or bad.
Offer, notice period and counter-offer.
We help with the negotiation, talk through any counter-offer before they accept one, and stay in touch until the first day.
What we do not do.
We do not send a CV the candidate has not approved. We do not submit someone to a role we do not think suits them, however long the role has been open.
What this means for your shortlist.
Fewer names. Each one has been spoken to, checked and matched to your role, with a note you can read before the interview.
What this means for you.
You are never a name on a list. You hear about a role before the firm hears about you.
Hold us to it.
Pick a time that suits you. A 30-minute discovery meeting for firms, a 20-minute confidential call for lawyers.