In-House

Senior management rely on their in-house counsel to identify and assess both legal and commercial risk and the appointment of the right individual is critical. The individual must be committed to learning the business of the company as well as having excellent legal expertise. Furthermore, they must have the ability to interact with staff and management of the company and perhaps, most importantly, they must possess a willingness to be part of the decision making process. In-house counsel occupy a pivotal role within any organization and as such, have the following advantages over external legal advisors:

a working knowledge of the company and its business relationships;
access to the sum parts of the company;
the ability to directly influence decisions made by management within the company.

This holistic approach of in-house counsel provides a legal service that supports the company’s business by being able to swiftly construct more practical, comprehensive and commercial advice than that which an external counsel could offer.

Our Team

Our core team consists of the individuals, who between them have almost thirty years of recruitment. experience. Our unique skill set is the result of us having practiced law as attorneys as well as placing lawyers at private and public companies throughout Canada.

Caroline Carnerie is highly regarded in the in-house legal market having worked with and placed a number of Canada's premier General and Associate Counsels into their posts. She formerly practiced as a General Counsel in Toronto prior to becoming a legal recruiter. She is a trusted advisor who approaches the recruitment process with a deep regard for people, confidentiality and due diligence with a view to creating lasting matches that really fit the needs of clients and candidates alike. She is a member of the Ontario Bar.

Carolyn Berger has over 17 years of experience within the Canadian legal recruitment industry. She is well connected, highly trusted and fully informed in all aspects of the legal recruitment process and has worked with many of Canada's best law firms and corporations. Carolyn's focus at the Marsden Group is on the recruitment of partners and associates at all levels. Her extensive and in-depth knowledge of market practice and process across Canada makes her well placed to work with partners and associates looking to expand their practice or make a lateral move.

How We Work With You

Some lawyers are quick to disparage an in-house career, viewing it as a “soft option” compared with private practice. In reality, in-house lawyers often have to supplement their legal skill set with management and business skills in order to meet the demands of their commercial environment, where their advice and guidance may not only affect the bottom line of the company but moreover shape its future. Our team has unparalleled experience having worked in both private practice and in-house positions. This has enabled us to identify and resolve many of the issues that companies and individual lawyers need to address when finding the best person for the job. The core values of our business are to:

understand and uphold our candidates’ and clients’ respective interests;
maintain honesty and integrity throughout the entire recruitment process;
provide unbiased and comprehensive advice to both clients and candidates. at all times.

Initial Consultation with the Company

A company’s recruitment procedures will often require the input of several individuals. For example, the company’s General Counsel will often engage the assistance of the company’s HR team and depending on the seniority of the position being filled, the decision to employ an individual or indeed, decide on the precise nature and role of the position itself, may require the input of the CEO and/or the CFO. In order to understand your business and its needs, we will arrange to meet with every decision maker involved in the process and help you by working on the job specification itself, giving you commercial guidance on remuneration trends and benefits based on current market conditions.

Action Plan

Following our consultation, we will prepare a shortlist of candidates for you to interview and will meet with you again to review the potential applicants. In drawing up a short-list, we will typically use all three of the following methods of recruitment:

database - we have an extensive database and work with lawyers of all levels. We may already know of certain individuals who are suited to the position;
advertising - we regularly use advertising to attract candidates for in-house positions and have found this to be an effective way to inform the legal market of the role;
headhunting - unlike some of our competitors, we are able to use headhunting as a means to target candidates with the specific skill set required.

Follow up/Feedback and Recruiting the Best Candidate

Throughout the process we will act as the intermediary, ensuring that there are no miscommunications or misunderstandings between the parties and that the whole process runs smoothly. We will help you to arrange interviews and any subsequent meetings that may be required. We will also advise you on the substance and form of the offer to be made to the selected candidate and how best to present it. Finally, we make it a point to keep other short-listed candidates warm and involved in the process.