Legal careers guided by lived experience.

Legal Career Intelligence

New York

California

20% of lawyers under 40 have said they were thinking about leaving the profession entirely. *

Boutique firms, mid-size firms, large international firms and in-house wondered if I was in the wrong practice area.

This is something I know connects with a lot of Legal Professionals.

This is the reason I do this work the way I do. I know what a bad career decision costs, because I made a few.

Is Legal Recruitment Broken?

Two things seem pretty off in legal recruitment, and both are fixable.

Recruitment works when someone genuinely understands both sides and tells the truth to each of them.
That is not complicated.
It is just rare at the moment.

The Problems We’ve All Seen

The message written by a machine

You have had them. We've all had them

The message that knows your name and nothing else. The one that mentions no actual role, because there is no actual role. Sent to fifty people, and you are number fifty.

"Every message from Finely Legal is written by me. I read your profile before I write."

If I contact you, there is a reason, and I will tell you what it is in the first line. If you want to know whether a human sent it, reply and find out.

The role that was never really on offer

This one is a little subtler.

A recruiter opens with the dream job. Top firm, top money. You get interested. It quietly does not work out, and then, as if by coincidence, two other roles appear. Those were the roles all along.

"I will tell you where you actually stand."

If a firm has a threshold you do not meet, you will hear that from me before you spend a month hoping. Then we will talk about what does work, and how to get you closer to what you want.

Have an honest conversation

What you get

Career-first, not vacancy-first

Most recruiters start with a job they need to fill. I start with the person, or the team, and work outward from there.

For Lawyers

Honest feedback on where you stand and what the market is actually paying at your level.

Roles that suit your skills, not roles I happen to have. Someone who has sat in your chair advising you through the decision.

Straight market insight, including real rate ranges
An honest read on your profile and prospects
CV refinement and interview preparation
Roles brought to you with a reason, not at random
Complete discretion. Nothing moves without your say-so
Support before, during and after, including the offer

View open roles

For law firms and in-house teams

I sit with you properly before I search.

I take detailed notes on your team, your standards and the candidates you will not consider, and I actually apply them.

You will not get a flood of CVs you did not ask for.

Detailed briefing before any search begins
Headhunting into the market, not just a database
Screening and vetting done by me, not by software
Feedback is recorded and reflected in the next shortlist
Documents ready, so first-stage consideration moves quickly
All communication handled, from interview to offer

Brief me on a role

Oh, so you’re an Agency?

Great. This is how it usually works.

We talk... properly

Not a form.
Not a template.

A real conversation where I ask the questions that surface what you did not think to mention.

I do the leg work

Every time.

I manage the process to the end and I reply within twenty four hours.

I stay in it

I search, headhunt, screen and vet.
Personally.

You do not see anyone I have not already checked, and you do not get sent anything I would not send myself.

Book a conversation

Where the name Finley comes from

Every business has a story. Finley is routed in the kindness of a town and the goodness of people.

In 1990 my family moved from South Africa to a small town in southern New South Wales, Australia called Finley.

We arrived with almost nothing.

My father was the only one who spoke English, and not well. That town gave us a start.

That town gave us a start.

Everything that came afterwards, including a legal career and this business, came out of an opportunity that a small place was willing to extend to people who had not earned it yet.

That is what I am trying to do here. Give someone an opening, and then be useful once they have it.

Straight answers

The questions I get every week

A few things worth knowing before we talk. If your question isn't covered here, ask it directly.

What is the market like right now?

It depends on your practice area, your level and your city, and anyone who gives you one answer for all three is guessing. Tell me your specifics and I will tell you what I am actually seeing.

Where do you operate?

New York and California right now. Canada, Australia and South Africa are planned. I would rather tell you plainly that I cannot help you in a market yet than take the call and waste your time.

What is the market rate for my experience level?

A real range, not a flattering one. That includes telling you when your expectation is above what the market will currently pay.

How long does the interview process take?

It varies by firm. I keep notes on each one, so I can usually tell you what to expect before you commit your time.

Did a person write this, or did AI?

A person. Me. I read your profile before I write to you, and I will not contact you without a specific reason. AI does not vet candidates here and it does not write my messages.

I have been burned by recruiters who ignore my brief. How is this different?

When you tell me your GPA threshold, your target law schools or the profiles you will not consider, I write it down and I apply it. You get a shortlist built to your actual criteria, not a stack of hopeful CVs. Your feedback changes the next round.

Will you name my firm to candidates before I am ready?

No. I do not identify a client firm until a candidate is a genuine fit and you have agreed to the introduction. Your search stays confidential, including from other candidates and other firms.

Do you actually screen candidates, or just forward applications?

I screen and vet every candidate myself, with a real conversation and documents on file before you see them. No software sits between us. By the time a name reaches you, first-stage consideration has already been done.