New Jersey is where big pharma signs its deals. Let's find the seat closest to the signature.

From a former BigLaw litigator. I've sat in your chair.

I place life sciences and pharmaceutical transactional attorneys at AmLaw 100 firms and top boutiques in New Jersey. Quietly, and only when the move genuinely makes sense for you.

Book a Confidential Call

15 minutes. Completely confidential. Firms pay my fee, never you.

Steven Rushing, legal recruiter for pharmaceutical and life sciences attorneys in New Jersey
9+ yrs
Placing attorneys
100s
Successful placements
AmLaw 100
& top boutiques
$0
Cost to you, ever

Life Sciences Transactions ยท New Jersey

New Jersey life sciences work happens on the buy side of the industry.

Where Boston and San Diego lawyer for the sellers and licensors of new science, New Jersey lawyers for the buyers, the global pharmaceutical companies headquartered along this corridor. The work is business development at scale, in licensing and acquisitions that refill pipelines, co promotion and manufacturing agreements, divestitures of mature products, and the constant restructuring of global product portfolios. In house departments here are enormous, and the firms that serve them work as extensions of them.

I track which New Jersey groups hold the pharma relationships, what the in house departments are hiring for, and how lawyers move between the two, which here they genuinely do. Before you move, I'll tell you plainly where your experience fits this corridor.

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 real deal responsibility from support work, and I know how to frame your experience for a market where the client is the biggest company at the table.

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 New Jersey 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.

STEP 01

A quiet first call

Fifteen minutes to understand where you are, where you want to go, and the things you won't compromise on.

STEP 02

A shortlist that fits

A tight set of New Jersey life sciences roles matched to your practice and your life, each one with a clear reason it's on the list.

STEP 03

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.

Book a Confidential Call Ready to see what's out there? It starts with one call.

The New Jersey life sciences work I place for.

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."

Neal M.
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."

Casey L.
Counsel, M&A (AmLaw Firm)

"It felt discreet, thoughtful, and personal. I never once felt sold."

Riley C.
Partner, Elite Litigation (Boutique)

"His read on how to position my experience, prep for interviews, and negotiate the offer was excellent."

Partner, Cyber
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.

Most of the legal jobs here look in house. Is firm practice in New Jersey life sciences real?

Both are real, and the border between them is unusually open. The in house departments are among the largest anywhere and hire constantly, and the firms serving them need lawyers who understand how pharma decides. Moving between the two is a feature of this market, not a risk. I'll help you time it.

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. New Jersey has a strong bench of specialist life sciences 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.

Steven Rushing, legal recruiter specializing in confidential attorney placement

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