NY Times Magazine Feature: "How the Foster Group Builds Solid Relationships with Top Law Firms Around the Globe"
/How the Foster Group Builds Solid Relationships with Top Law Firms Around the Globe
When Michelle Foster launched The Foster Group, she was already an expert at connecting lawyers with law firms. For more than a decade, she had been a preeminent recruiter at the world’s largest legal search firm, earning accolades as a top performer.
However, Michelle was seeking something more for her clients - she wanted to go beyond simply getting them their next job. Her vision was to build a firm that could provide attorneys with the insights they needed to make the best decisions for their careers.
To support this “career counseling” approach to legal recruiting, Michelle knew she would need a deep knowledge of firms, their cultures, and their search processes. So, she and her team of legal recruitment specialists set out to build solid relationships with top law firms around the globe.
“Over the last several decades, our team at The Foster Group has employed a strategy focused on building and maintaining solid relationships with top law firms and corporations,” Michelle shares. “We view every introduction, meeting, and search as an opportunity to build long-term relationships through which we can provide both attorneys and firms with strategic guidance in the marketplace.”
Keeping relationships a top priority
Michelle’s vision has flourished thanks to a number of day-to-day practices that keep relationships a top priority. For example, she feels that developing market insights and expertise is essential to providing career-focused guidance. It’s why she and her team utilize a variety of specialized tools and databased, read as much as they can on the legal market, and - in keeping with tradition - speak with dozens of attorneys nationwide every week to stay updated on the market and pick up tidbits of information on group and firm dynamics.
Michelle also sees responsiveness as a key to maintaining strong relationships.
“We make a genuine effort to respond promptly to firms that take the time to discuss with us the nuances of who they are looking for,” Michelle says. “Once we have the discussion, we revert promptly with potential candidates who might meet their needs. We appreciate it when firms take the time to discuss their strategic and top priority searches with us, and we communicate our appreciation by responding in a timely way with qualified candidates, which they appreciate.”
The Foster Group leverages its ever-growing network of firms and attorneys to provide results even when the search is complicated.
“Since we have connections with such a broad cross-section of talented lawyers and an equally wide range of stellar law firms, our odds of being able to provide a good fit are higher than the average firm,” explains Drew Foster, Managing Director at The Foster Group. “We can jump right into new searches with confidence regardless of the difficulties or complexities involved.”
In cases where the right fit is not evident, candidates are reassured that they will not fall off of The Foster Group’s radar. Because they constantly cultivate relationships with firms, opportunities can arise at any time.
“Sometimes, we talk with candidates who we can’t assist immediately,” says Drew, “but we always take the time to understand what is important to them in their search and keep the relationships top of mind. As we continue to engage in the market, more often than not, we can circle back to those candidates with tailored opportunities. It’s an approach that serves both attorneys and firms who are looking for a skill set that aligns with their practice area.”
Bringing clients unique benefits
Because The Foster Group has access to key decision makers at firms - managing partners, hiring partners, and heads of recruitment - its candidates have access to information the average job seeker does not have.
“The relationships we have built with firms give us access to more exclusive opportunities and retained searches that are not shared publicly or available to a broad pool of candidates,’ Drew shares. “These roles usually offer substantial career benefits, such as an accelerated path, a leadership role, robust compensation, and succession opportunities.”
The Foster Group’s enhanced access also means candidates have a higher likelihood of getting thoughtful consideration from firms seeking attorneys.
“Key decision makers trust our insight on candidates because of the successful work we have done for them in the past,” Michelle explains. “As a result, the candidates we submit get a real ‘look’ from the firm, which means they are more likely to get an interview. We are also better able to prepare our candidates for their interview because we have a lot more information to share, so our candidates are better prepared for their interview and therefore more likely to receive a strong offer.”
In today’s highly competitive legal job market, candidates seeking to advance their legal careers not only need salient information about opportunities but also insights that give them a competitive edge. Because of the solid relationships it has built with firms around the globe, The Foster Group is able to offer those insights and foster the connections that lead to long-term career success.