Global law firm, USA based

A successful partnership: Building the client value team of a US law firm

For many years now, we have worked with law firms across the USA on positions that can broadly be termed Legal Business Services. The evolution of these roles is well-documented, and we have witnessed their expansion in terms of quantity, remit and importance through the years. Indeed, the client value function is now at the forefront of strategic business decision making and the drive for commercial focus and profitability.

Our history and longevity in this niche area has put us in a unique position to advise and support US law firms on talent issues across the spectrum of non-legal roles.
One such example of this is our work with a US based global law firm over a period of five years. Since we began working with them, the size of their client value team has more than doubled, with further expansion planned.

This case study documents the project, and why we continue to be their exclusive supplier, as they continue to build for the future.

Background: A new partnership with a US law firm

Our client is a USA headquartered law firm with a global presence, including offices across the USA, in Europe and Asia. They operate across multiple practices spanning the corporate, government, international, private and political spheres ranging from litigation to regulatory, investments to tax. They have a staff of several hundred lawyers and non-billing professionals globally.

An accelerated expansion strategy employed in recent years has seen them grow organically and by acquisition. As a result, there was a need to grow the client value team in order to meet the needs of the newly expanded firm.
Boston Hale reached out to the Chief Value Officer (CVO) with a strong proposition, introducing our specialist legal business services team, and were invited to pitch for the work, the recruitment of a Data Analyst and Pricing Manager. We were engaged on an exclusive, sole-partner basis in 2022 and have worked with the CVO and wider leadership team since to build out the client value team further.

Why was Boston Hale chosen as Client Value recruitment partner?

Client Value as a function covers a very specific roster of roles that includes Pricing, Legal Project Management (LPM), Practice Management, Innovation, Data, Technology, Operations and Reporting. Not all recruitment firms understand these positions, their role within a law firm or what’s required to succeed in them.

Boston Hale was selected for the following reasons:

1) Our longevity in the market
We’ve been working in the Legal Business Services space for over 15 years when roles such a Pricing and LPM became more common and have witnessed the rise in importance and evolution of these roles.

2) Our global network
We’ve grown our community over that time, have worked with people across many regions, and are specialists in the US market. We’ve had the privilege of supporting candidates on their career journeys, some rising to C-suite positions who are shaping the future of their firm.

3) Our market knowledge
We’re embedded in the client value and broader legal business services market. Every day, we speak with multiple law firms and thought leaders across the USA and beyond. This keeps us ahead of emerging trends, salary benchmarks, hiring challenges, evolving issues, and future opportunities.

4) Our commitment
We work across multiple time zones, travel regularly to meet our networks, and attend industry events. We’re fully committed to finding the right people – not just those who can do the job today, but those with the potential to grow, lead, challenge, inspire and make a lasting impact.

5) Our flexibility
With the capability to deliver a range of services, we match our methods to the brief. For senior key hires, we will execute a discreet executive search. For other positions, we will use our exclusive supplier status to go deeper and add real strategic value. We advise, challenge conventional thinking, and bring creativity to recruitment.

6) Our people
Our legal team is headed up by Simon Taylor, an executive-level recruiter with gravitas and a natural ability to build strong relationships with ease. His honest, straightforward approach and easy-going nature make him highly trusted by clients and candidates. With a strong focus on outcomes, he has the drive and commitment to deliver results.

Our approach to hiring for Client Value positions

For client value roles, each firm has its own internal requirements to ensure new hires align with their culture, working style, and specific organisational structure. This often depends on the size of the law firm, and the maturity of its Client Value function. We tailor our recruitment strategy and sourcing approach according to each mandate.

Because of this, we spend a lot of time at the beginning of the process when taking an initial brief. It’s imperative that we have a detailed understanding of the existing skills, deliverables expected of the new hire, personalities in the current team, structure of the department and wider firm and practices the firm operates in, among other things.

With this particular law firm client, requirements for all roles were extremely focused, combining best-in-market skills and experience with practice specific expertise and general skills, such as leadership, influencing, financial acumen, budgeting. Working to this detailed specification created a tight talent pool, meaning we needed to leverage our networks to produce a good shortlist and perform exhaustive market mapping to inform headhunting activity. One area where we had some flexibility was location. Many of the roles didn’t prescribe office-based work; the firm embraces fully-remote working, particularly when talent pools are tight, enabling us to present candidates from several states.

Our proven recruitment process

All roles hired for this client follow our well-honed, inclusive recruitment process.

• Brief and discussion about the position to be filled
• Further questions and sign-off of the requirement
• Recruitment and sourcing strategy
• Candidate evaluation, including initial telephone interviews
• Produce longlist, share with client if desired
• Evaluation of longlist, development of candidate profiles
• Produce shortlist, share with client
• Agree candidates to go forward to client interview
• Management of the interview process and feedback
• Management of the offer process
• If necessary, handling of counter-offers
• Support with transition and onboarding
• Post-placement discussion, feedback and learnings

For this particular client, handling counteroffers was necessary in two cases. We were able to deliver a successful conclusion in both cases.

The results: a long and successful partnership

When we first started working with our US law firm client, their goal was to develop a commercial strategy; building a strong client value team of specialists was essential. The first two placements were key additions to a team which was, at that time, in its early stages.

Over the following years, we worked in close collaboration with the Chief Value Officer, supporting the firm with strategic hires to help achieve ambitious commercial goals.

As the firm expanded—organically and through acquisition—we advised on team structure, uncovered capability gaps, and placed key talent to meet evolving needs. Every role we’ve filled has been newly created, increasing the client value team by 50% and directly mirroring the firm’s broader growth. As an exclusive partner, we’ve taken a proactive approach—introducing standout candidates and offering strategic guidance at every stage.

To date, our work for the client has included the successful recruitment of:

• Data Analyst
• Senior Pricing Manager
• Pricing Manager
• Senior Legal Project Manager
• Legal Project Manager

Throughout our partnership, the most rewarding outcome has been the depth of trust, collaboration, and rapport we’ve built with the CVO and wider team. We continue to advise regularly and, at the time of writing, are engaged on two further mandates. It is this relationship, built on mutual respect and a nuanced understanding of the talent needed, that underpins our success and ultimately enables us to support the firm’s continued evolution.

To find out more about Boston Hale's capability in hiring for Legal Business Services roles, contact Simon Taylor.

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