Let me tell you about one of our longest relationships – a Fortune 100 tech company that’s been working exclusively with Found Legal since 2017. Their EMEA General Counsel once told me “You are my lifeline,” which honestly made my day, but it also perfectly captures how this partnership evolved.
It Started with a Crisis
Back in 2017, this legal team was facing a challenging situation. They had a commercial lawyer role in France that had been open for 18 months. Eighteen months! France is a huge market for them, so this wasn’t just inconvenient – it was costing them business.
They’d tried working with another agency – a big generalist legal recruiter who took their retainer and basically disappeared. Never delivered a single decent candidate. The company lost money on recruitment fees, had to keep paying contractors to fill the gap, and worst of all, the whole situation led to the hiring manager’s reputation suffering internally. You can imagine the frustration.
That’s when they decided to look for a specialist.
Why Everything Changed
Found Legal doesn’t just recruit lawyers – we specialise in helping tech companies hire in-house legal talent. For the last decade, I’ve been building relationships specifically with lawyers who work at tech companies across Europe. These aren’t people posting their CVs online; they’re passive candidates who trust use because we understand their world.
When this Fortune 100 company briefed me on their France role, I knew what would be the best approach and who to get in touch with. Within weeks, the EMEA GC had two our candidates as their finalists – commercial lawyers who understood SaaS agreements, revenue recognition, and the whole tech legal landscape. Plus they were bilingual, which was essential for supporting regional sales teams.
Here’s what happened: both candidates were so well-suited that the company restructured their legal team and made offers to both of them.
Instead of filling one role in France, they decided they needed both lawyers and found budget for two positions. That’s when I knew this was going to be special.
Fast Forward to Today: 16 Team Members Hired (and Counting..)
Since then, 16 lawyers have been recruited by us across EMEA. From the UK to North Europe – each market has its own challenges. Germany, France and Switzerland can be particularly challenging because finding commercial tech lawyers who speak these languages is not easy. But we have even managed to find French and German speakers in other countries (like the UK and the Netherlands) when that specific language combination was needed.
The retention has been solid – everyone placed has stayed for more than a year, and 92% are still there after three years. In a market where people can move around quite a bit, that has worked out well for everyone.
How We Actually Work Together
The relationship has evolved way beyond normal recruitment.
Now, hiring managers call me directly when they’re thinking about hiring, even before they brief their own talent acquisition team. They’ll say “We will need someone in Germany soon, can you start talking to your network?”
That early engagement is crucial because the best tech lawyers aren’t sitting around waiting for jobs.
They need to be approached thoughtfully, educated about the opportunity, and often convinced that a move makes sense for their career. I spend a lot of time managing expectations on both sides – making sure the salary discussions are realistic, that the candidate understands the company culture, that the role really fits what they want to do next and that they would be a great addition to the team.
What Makes This Work
I think there are a few reasons this partnership has been so successful:
The obvious one is specialisation. I only work with tech companies, so I understand their specific legal challenges. When someone mentions revenue recognition issues or tech outsourcing contract negotiations, I know what kind of candidate profiles would be suitable. Generalist legal recruiters don’t get an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of one sector or build a specialised network.
Having lived and worked in three different European countries and speaking European languages also helps. It means I can connect authentically with candidates across different markets and understand the cultural nuances that matter when placing someone in a new country or role.
The multilingual piece is big too. Every lawyer I’ve placed at this company speaks at least two languages fluently, many speak three or four. One of them speaks five languages, which has been really useful for the team. For a company that operates across all these different European markets, having lawyers who can work directly with local sales teams in their own language is a massive advantage.
But the biggest factor is probably that I genuinely care about making this work for everyone. I’m not just trying to fill roles and move on to the next commission. I want the lawyers I place to love their jobs and stay for years. I enjoy my clients working with me as an extension of their team, not just another supplier.
Why This Matters
There are many legal recruiters out there. Big firms with fancy offices and massive teams. But when you’re hiring for specialised roles in a fast-moving industry like tech, you need someone who really understands your world.
This Fortune 100 company could work with anyone they want. The fact that they’ve continued working with us for years, making Found Legal their go-to for all EMEA legal hires, suggests the approach has been effective.
Every lawyer I place isn’t just filling a role; they’re becoming part of my client’s team for years to come. And that makes all the difference.
If you’re a tech company looking to hire legal talent in the UK or Europe, I’d love to hear about your challenges. After a decade in this space, I’ve probably filled a similar role before.