Austin is Texas tech, and Texas tech needs company counsel. Let's find the group at the center of it.
From a former BigLaw litigator. I've sat in your chair.
I place emerging companies and venture capital attorneys at AmLaw 100 firms and top boutiques in Austin. Quietly, and only when the move genuinely makes sense for you.
15 minutes. Completely confidential. Firms pay my fee, never you.
Emerging Companies & Venture Capital ยท Austin
Austin's startup bar is younger than its startup scene, which is the opportunity.
Austin built a genuine tech economy, homegrown startups, relocated companies, and the investors who followed them, faster than it built the legal bench to serve it. The national startup firms have planted flags here and the strong local groups keep growing, but experienced emerging companies lawyers remain scarcer than the client demand. Founders here also skew practical, hardware, energy tech, and enterprise software alongside consumer, which rewards lawyers with range.
I track which Austin groups hold real formation and financing share, which are adding at your level, and what coastal startup lawyers can expect when they relocate into this market. Before you move, I'll tell you plainly where you fit.
Most recruiters have never done your job. I have.
Before I recruited attorneys, I was one, a litigator at Weil Gotshal and Finnegan Henderson. I know what a 2,200 hour year feels like, how partners really size up a lateral, and what it's like to be the one making this call. That's the difference between someone who forwards your resume and someone who fights for your career.
I know how partners read a lateral
Time inside BigLaw means I can tell a lawyer who ran company counsel relationships from one who processed financings, and I know how to present coastal startup experience as the anchor hire an Austin group needs.
I won't send you where you don't fit
No blasting your resume across the market. I learn your practice first, then take you to the handful of Austin groups that genuinely match where you're headed.
Discreet from the first call
What we discuss stays between us. Nothing about you reaches a firm until you tell me yes, for that specific opportunity, in writing.
A simple, confidential process that respects your time.
Three steps, no pressure, and an honest read from someone who has been on your side of the desk.
A quiet first call
Fifteen minutes to understand where you are, where you want to go, and the things you won't compromise on.
A shortlist that fits
A tight set of Austin emerging companies roles matched to your practice and your life, each one with a clear reason it's on the list.
I go to bat for you
I take your story straight to the hiring partner, run point on interviews, prep you for every round, and negotiate the offer.
The Austin emerging companies work I place for.
- Company side counsel for Austin startups from formation through financings
- Venture financing work across enterprise software, hardware, and energy tech
- Counsel for companies relocating operations or headquarters to Texas
- Fund side work for the investors building Austin presences
- The relocation from a coastal startup practice into the Texas tech market
It's structure, not effort
Sometimes the bottleneck isn't you. It's deal flow.
If your firm isn't winning the matters in your practice area, there's no work to hand down, no matter how proactive you are. Months of quiet start to read like underperformance when the real problem is structural. A busier platform fixes in weeks what staying can never fix at all. The answer isn't grinding harder. It's the right firm.
Real stories, real career moves.
Hear how attorneys made their next move.
"I didn't think this kind of role was possible for me. It was."
Associate, Appellate (AmLaw Firm)
"Steven understood where I was trying to go and built a path to it I couldn't have found on my own."
Counsel, M&A (AmLaw Firm)
"It felt discreet, thoughtful, and personal. I never once felt sold."
Partner, Elite Litigation (Boutique)
"His read on how to position my experience, prep for interviews, and negotiate the offer was excellent."
AmLaw Firm
Moving isn't disloyalty
Most associates think lateraling is risky. Staying still is riskier.
Firms expect laterals. They don't take it personally. The attorneys who advance fastest aren't the ones who never leave. They're the ones who move when their firm can't support what comes next. Your career isn't built on loyalty. It's built by being deliberate about where you spend your 2,000 billable hours.
Questions you're probably already asking.
Is this actually confidential?
Completely. What we discuss stays between us, and if we move forward your resume doesn't reach anyone until you give me a yes for that specific opportunity, in writing.
Is Austin's startup market deep enough to sustain a dedicated emerging companies practice?
Yes, and it is one of the few places where the lawyer supply has not caught up to the demand. The strong groups here run real formation through exit practices, and lateral candidates with genuine startup experience have leverage. I'll tell you which platforms are committed.
How do you get paid?
Firms pay my fee, not you. There's no cost to you at any point in the process.
Do I need to be actively looking to reach out?
No. Most attorneys I work with are exploring, not decided. A conversation costs you nothing and tells you a lot.
Do you only work with Big Law, or boutiques too?
Both. Austin has a strong bench of specialist emerging companies boutiques alongside the big flagship practices. The right answer depends on the work and the life you want, and I'll help you compare them honestly.
Why work with you instead of another recruiter?
I practiced in BigLaw for six years before I switched to recruiting. I don't just know the market, I know what it's like to sit in your chair. I won't waste your time with roles that don't make sense, and I'll be straight with you about what's realistic.
About Steven
Before I recruited attorneys, I was one. Six years in BigLaw gave me a perspective most recruiters don't have. I know how partners weigh a lateral, how firms think about fit, and what it actually feels like to be the one making this decision.
Nine years and hundreds of placements later, I do one thing: help attorneys who've outgrown where they are find the right next role. Associates, counsel, and partners at AmLaw 100 firms and top boutiques. You set the pace, I keep everything quiet, and I stay focused on what's right for you.
"He introduced me directly to people who were relevant to my experience. I ended up with options that made sense for where I'm going."
The next move starts with one conversation.
15 minutes. Completely confidential. Firms pay my fee, never you.
Book a Confidential Call