Paralegal Search Success Story: Staffing a Corporate and M&A Practice Group Expansion With Six Senior Paralegals for an Am Law 100 Firm
How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role paralegal search that equipped an Am Law 100 firm’s expanding corporate and private equity practice with six senior transactional paralegals across two new offices within sixty days, supporting a lateral partner group’s deal volume from day one and protecting client service during a high-stakes integration.
Engagement Snapshot
| Client | Confidential — Am Law 100 law firm expanding its corporate and private equity practice through a lateral group of nine partners in two new Southeast offices (name withheld at client’s request) |
| Industry | Corporate M&A & Private Equity Paralegal Recruiting — Law Firm — encompassing M&A and private equity transaction support, corporate governance and entity work, lateral group integration, and office build-out |
| Geography | North America — wide-scale candidate mapping across Am Law 200 corporate practice groups, regional law firms, and corporate legal departments, with focus on the firm’s new Southeast markets |
| Engagement | Confidential retained search — multi-role paralegal staffing under a lateral practice group integration timeline |
| Roles Searched | Senior M&A Paralegal (3), Senior Private Equity & Fund Transactions Paralegal (2), Corporate Governance & Entity Paralegal |
| Talent Assessed | 240+ corporate, M&A, and private equity paralegals evaluated across the market |
| Timeline | First three paralegals placed within 35 days; all six seated within sixty days of the lateral group’s start date |
The Challenge
An Am Law 100 firm had recruited a nine-partner corporate and private equity group that brought 40 active transactions and a roster of sponsor clients, but the group’s paralegals had not followed and the firm’s new Southeast offices had no corporate paralegal bench. Partners were drafting closing checklists themselves, associates were performing paralegal work at the expense of billable legal work, clients had noticed slower turnaround, and the firm’s professional staff recruiters had no corporate paralegal network in the new markets. The practice group leader set a sixty-day deadline. Firm leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the integration:
- Forty active transactions with no paralegal support in two new offices
- Partners and associates absorbing paralegal work, reducing billable leverage and realization
- Sponsor clients noticing slower closing coordination during the transition
- No corporate paralegal network in the new Southeast markets
- Firm standards requiring senior paralegals with large-firm transactional experience
- A sixty-day deadline set by the practice group leader
Recognizing that the integration’s success depended on seating a senior paralegal bench quickly, the practice group leader and Chief Talent Officer engaged JRG Partners to recruit three Senior M&A Paralegals, two Senior Private Equity & Fund Transactions Paralegals, and a Corporate Governance & Entity Paralegal. The firm required a recruiting partner with deep corporate paralegal expertise and an established network in the Southeast.
Why They Chose JRG Partners
Corporate M&A & Private Equity Paralegal Focus
JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice recruiting corporate, M&A, and private equity paralegals for law firms, private equity firms, and corporate legal departments, with a clear understanding of large-firm transactional standards, closing mechanics, and the paralegal profiles that perform under deal pressure.
Southeast Market Depth
Our firm is headquartered in South Florida with an established network of senior corporate paralegals across Florida and the Southeast, which the firm’s internal recruiters lacked.
Speed and Volume Execution
Our team specializes in running multiple paralegal searches in parallel against firm deadlines, with a practical assessment process that allows partners to make decisions quickly.
Our Paralegal Search Strategy
Phase 1 — Practice Group Alignment
Our consultants partnered directly with the practice group leader, Chief Talent Officer, and office managing partners to review the transaction pipeline, client expectations, role structure, compensation, and office logistics, defining six paralegal profiles and a sequenced placement plan against the sixty-day deadline.
Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping
Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting senior M&A, private equity, and corporate governance paralegals at Am Law 200 practice groups, regional firms, and corporate legal departments in the firm’s new markets and relocatable candidates. Over 240 paralegals were systematically assessed.
Phase 3 — Confidential Candidate Engagement
Priority during outreach was given to paralegals with a documented history of supporting private equity and M&A transactions at large firms, managing closings independently, handling fund-related transaction documents, and maintaining corporate records for sponsor-backed entities. Outreach was conducted confidentially given competitor sensitivity. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.
Phase 4 — Selection Process
Finalists completed practical closing and document assessments, interviewed with partners in compressed panels, and underwent reference verification focused on quality, independence, and reliability on live transactions.
Results Delivered
JRG Partners successfully completed the multi-role mandate, seating all six senior paralegals within sixty days of the lateral group’s start date.
- First Three Placed in 35 Days: Three senior M&A paralegals from Am Law 100 and 200 corporate practices joined within 35 days and assumed closing coordination on all active transactions.
- Private Equity Bench Built: Two senior private equity and fund transactions paralegals joined within 50 days, supporting sponsor clients’ platform, add-on, and co-investment documentation.
- Governance Covered: A corporate governance and entity paralegal established minute books, entity records, and compliance calendars for sponsor-backed clients within sixty days.
- Leverage Restored: Partner and associate time on paralegal work was eliminated, restoring billable leverage and improving realization on the group’s matters.
- Clients Retained: Every sponsor client that transitioned with the group remained, with turnaround returned to pre-move standards within the first quarter.
- Retention Achieved: All six paralegals remained with the firm after two years, and the firm engaged JRG Partners for its next two office build-outs.
Key Outcomes
- 240+ corporate, M&A, and private equity paralegal profiles mapped across the Southeast and North America.
- Successfully placed six senior transactional paralegals across two new offices within sixty days.
- Assumed closing coordination on 40 active transactions within 35 days.
- Restored billable leverage and realization on the practice group’s matters.
- Retained every transitioning sponsor client.
- Achieved 100% two-year retention of placed paralegals.
Planning a Confidential Paralegal Search for a Corporate or Private Equity Practice Group?
JRG Partners recruits M&A, private equity, fund, and corporate governance paralegals for law firms, private equity firms, and corporate legal departments across Florida, the Southeast, and North America — discreetly, with speed, and with deep expertise.
Connect with our corporate M&A & private equity paralegal recruiters today to discuss your mandate.
Connect With Our Corporate M&A & Private Equity Paralegal Recruiters