Mlegal, a national legal search firm, announced todaythat four industry professionals with partner recruitment experience have joined in the San Francisco Bay Area: Natasha Innocenti, Carter W. Brown, Suzanne Kane, and Karina Robles.
“My new colleagues are consummate professionals who know law firms inside and out and work at the highest level of professionalism and integrity,” said CEO Joe Macrae. “They are a fantastic fit for a legal recruiting firm known as a trailblazer because they’ve all exhibited that same quality throughout their careers. We expect that adding such significant talent to Mlegal will have an immediate and significant impact on the firm and our ability to dramatically expand our services to clients in the Bay Area and beyond.”
Founded by Macrae in 2001, Mlegal began by focusing on law firms based outside of San Francisco and Silicon Valley that were seeking to grow in the region. In 2015, the company embarked on an expansion plan at the urging of clients who wanted the firm’s unique expertise on a broader scale. Mlegal added the East Coast team led by partner recruiter Brad Bruner, whose practice emphasized New York as well as other key markets on the East Coast and in Texas. Bruner, a former technology and corporate attorney at Orrick and Fenwick & West and senior in-house counsel at well-known technology companies, serves as Mlegal’s Managing Partner, East Region.
In a release, the company said:
In addition to California and New York, the firm now has offices in Houston and Atlanta, and plans to launch in Washington and London.
Seth Zachary, Chairman of Paul Hastings, commented, “We have been very pleased with the deep market knowledge and insights Mlegal brings to the table. Mlegal’s ability to articulate our message and to deliver the superb quality of candidate that we are seeking has been a valuable catalyst to our progress.”
The new members of the Mlegal team include:
Natasha Innocenti, a legal search veteran and founder of Innocenti Partners, joins as Partner in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Innocenti is widely recognized as one of the top partner recruiters in the San Francisco Bay Area, having led the Northern California partner practice at Major, Lindsey and Africa for eight years before launching her own firm. She has placed or assisted in placing more than 200 law firm partners in her 20-plus years in the business.
Carter W. Brown, a tested legal search executive with more than 30 years of experience, joins as Chief Business Officer. His experience includes 11 years as CEO of Major, Lindsey & Africa, as well as tenures at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass, Law Finance Group, and Richardson.
Suzanne Kane, an internal law firm recruitment leader for more than 20 years, joins as Managing Director. She has helped vet, hire, and integrate more than 100 law firm partners. Kane served for 16 years as a Manager of Attorney Recruitment & Development at Latham & Watkins. Most recently, Suzanne was U.S. Legal Recruitment Director at Dentons, where she led the hiring of partners and others in the U.S. and other regions worldwide.
Karina Robles joins as Human Resources Administrator and San Francisco Office Manager. Her prior experience includes serving as Senior Administrator to the Northern California partner practice group at Major, Lindsey & Africa, as well as office management roles at several other prominent Bay Area organizations.
The new hires join veteran Mlegal Bay Area recruiters Martha Angell and Bridget McCarthy.
“I couldn’t be more proud to join the masterful team Joe has assembled,” commented Innocenti. “I’ve competed against Mlegal for years and am now excited to work alongside Joe and his amazing team on our common mission to redefine what excellence is in the legal search profession.” Innocenti brings to Mlegal a special skill set in representing women partners, who comprise about 40% of her practice, as well as expertise in representing government lawyers.
Mlegal’s enhanced presence in San Francisco continues the momentum created through other recent notable hires, including:
Catherine Raine Wilde, a former Baker Botts attorney and in-house attorney at GE Capital who went on to become a respected presence on the Houston legal recruiting scene for many years, helped found the Houston office as Managing Director.
Patty Morrissy, whose distinguished legal recruiting career includes high-level internal management positions at Paul Weiss and Sullivan & Cromwell, and serving as an Associate Dean at Cardozo School of Law, joined the New York office as Managing Director.
Andrea SoRelle, a successful partner recruiter who previously worked with Houston-based Johnson Downie and Heidrick & Struggles, among others, joined the Houston office as Managing Director.
