From a former BigLaw litigator. I've sat in your chair.
I place executive compensation and benefits attorneys at AmLaw 100 firms and top boutiques in Chicago. Quietly, and only when the move genuinely makes sense for you.
15 minutes. Completely confidential. Firms pay my fee, never you.
Executive Compensation & Benefits ยท Chicago
Chicago has carried a serious benefits bar for generations, built on the manufacturers, insurers, and plan sponsors headquartered across the region. What has changed is the mix. The city's private equity and M&A growth keeps pulling comp lawyers into deal support, while the traditional plan counseling, fiduciary work, and multiemployer practice remains a genuine core rather than a legacy.
I track which Chicago groups lean deal side versus plan side, which serve the region's corporate headquarters directly, and who is adding at your level. Before you move, I'll tell you plainly which practices are growing and which are maintaining.
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.
Time inside BigLaw means I can tell real comp and benefits responsibility from plan administration support, and I know how to frame your experience for the side of the practice you want more of.
No blasting your resume across the market. I learn your practice first, then take you to the handful of Chicago groups that genuinely match where you're headed.
What we discuss stays between us. Nothing about you reaches a firm until you tell me yes, for that specific opportunity, in writing.
Three steps, no pressure, and an honest read from someone who has been on your side of the desk.
Fifteen minutes to understand where you are, where you want to go, and the things you won't compromise on.
A tight set of Chicago executive compensation roles matched to your practice and your life, each one with a clear reason it's on the list.
I take your story straight to the hiring partner, run point on interviews, prep you for every round, and negotiate the offer.
It's structure, not effort
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.
Hear how attorneys made their next move.
"I didn't think this kind of role was possible for me. It was."
"Steven understood where I was trying to go and built a path to it I couldn't have found on my own."
"It felt discreet, thoughtful, and personal. I never once felt sold."
"His read on how to position my experience, prep for interviews, and negotiate the offer was excellent."
Moving isn't disloyalty
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.
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.
Chicago is a good market for that turn, because many groups here run both sides and staff across them. The technical foundation transfers, and deal pace is the adjustment. I'll point you to the groups that actually let benefits lawyers cross over rather than promising it.
Firms pay my fee, not you. There's no cost to you at any point in the process.
No. Most attorneys I work with are exploring, not decided. A conversation costs you nothing and tells you a lot.
Both. Chicago has a strong bench of specialist executive compensation 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.
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.
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."
15 minutes. Completely confidential. Firms pay my fee, never you.
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