Legal Recruiters | Legal Executive Search

Your legal recruitment agency

Contracts, Compliance, Trade

Lock Search Group is a premier recruiter of legal talent, with an established history of placement success in opportunities across the sector. Our law firm recruitment services cover a broad segment of the legal employment market, including areas such as corporate/commercial law, tax law, intellectual property law, civil litigation, international law, general practice, labour rights, employment law, and environmental law.

Our in-depth recruiting approach is our main value for our clients. We take the time to understand the company culture and mission, as well as the critical skills for the position, with each search we undertake. We are just as committed to building relationships with candidates, learning their career goals and workplace preferences to ensure they find an opportunity that’s an ideal fit. Whatever your legal recruitment needs, contact us today to discuss how we can support them.

How Our Legal Recruiting Team Delivers Staffing Solutions

With over 35,000 law firms in Canada, competition for top legal talent is at an all-time high, driven by a surge in corporate, commercial, and private transactions. This growing business activity, coupled with increasing international trade, is expected to further escalate demand. As a result, law firms are increasingly seeking the expertise of recruiters to secure the lawyers and other legal talent they need to fill critical positions.

The legal sector, like many others, is undergoing significant digital transformation. Progressive law firms are leveraging AI to research cases and process documents with unprecedented speed and accuracy. ICT and online meetings are reshaping client engagement and raising the bar for digital literacy among candidates. At Lock Search Group, we embrace these technological advancements, utilizing AI and CRM in our assessment and onboarding processes. This ability to go beyond the resume and interview makes us a valuable partner for any legal talent search.

We work with a diverse set of legal companies

Corporate law professionals are in high demand, especially those with specialized expertise in areas like intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, securities law, and regulatory compliance. The talent pool is further limited since these roles often call for legal experience that makes them inaccessible to entry-level candidates. Lock Search Group has a broad network of both active and passive job seekers to help our clients find the corporate counsel, contract attorneys, and other key players in the corporate law sector.

Not only is employment law a highly-specialized area of the legal industry, but these laws are subject to frequent changes and often vary between geographic areas. This makes it critical that employment law professionals are up-to-date with the latest developments, both for the industry at large and the specific locations they work in. The legal recruiters at Lock Search Group can help clients navigate these complexities to hire the best legal consultants, labor relations attorneys, arbitrators, and other key employment law talent for their team.

Environmental laws and regulations can be complex and are frequently evolving in response to new scientific, political, and social developments. To ensure your business or construction project is in compliance requires professionals with highly-specialized and up-to-date knowledge. The many sub-disciplines within this field can make hiring the right people even more of a challenge, and one that partnering with an experienced legal recruitment firm can help you overcome.

Navigating intellectual property laws has become even more complex as these regulations adapt to the rise of generative AI and the impact of other emerging technologies. This adds to the technical proficiency companies look for in the IP litigators, paralegals, and patent and trademark attorneys that companies and firms need. The legal recruitment experts at Lock Search Group help our clients find experienced IP attorneys with the right skills and expertise to protect their brands.

Businesses across industries rely on tax law professionals to minimize their tax liability while staying in compliance with these complex and ever-evolving regulations. Failing to do so can be costly, resulting in unnecessary overpayment or expensive fines and penalties. Hiring an experienced tax attorney can help organizations stay in that Goldilocks zone, but these professionals are also in high demand, and just finding people with the right expertise can be a challenge. This is where Lock Search Group can be a valuable partner, connecting our clients with this critical legal talent.

We fill a variety of legal roles

Compliance Manager
Corporate Governance Officer
Director Legal Service
Director Mergers & Acquisitions
Director of Legal Affairs
Employment Counsel
General Counsel

Head of Legal Services
Legal Assistant
Legal Associate
Legal Operations Manager
Legal Reception
Mergers & Acquisitions Counsel

Patent Agent
Regulatory Counsel
Risk Management Advisor
Securities Counsel
VP Government Affairs
Vice President, Legal

Why choose Lock Search Group

Track record of success

Since day one, our formula for success has been simple: care deeply, and deliver. We know that your next hire could be the one who changes everything for your team, and we pride ourselves on helping you close the deal with the talent who can take you to the next level.

Our founder’s entrepreneurial grit reaches from coast to coast, and you can expect the same delivery-driven, passionately-proven partnership in any one of the Lock team’s 12 offices. With consultants who boast average tenures of a decade or more, we’re not messing around –– we’re here to make the match that measures up.

Leaders and listeners

What is your story, and what’s the story behind it? Our client-centric focus puts you and your specific goals firmly at the heart of our search process. We’re here to listen.

You’ll receive an individual action plan when you work with Lock, and we’ll be right on the same page every step of the way: what we will do, how you’ll see it happen, and when to expect results will all be clearly defined from the very beginning.

Industry-savvy insiders

We’ve been building incredible teams at Lock since 1983. In that time, we’ve crafted a strong network of business leaders, decision makers, and influencers.

But that’s only half of the story. Our recruiters make genuine connections because they’ve lived their industries, and they understand the field’s unique nuances, needs, and subtleties from the inside out. No matter your business, the cutting edge is where you’ll find us.

Lock offers a range of services to meet your business needs

Lock Search Group’s distinctive “contained” executive search model combines the thoroughness of traditional retained search with performance-based accountability to deliver exceptional C-suite and senior leadership talent. Our proven three-phase methodology, led by experienced Senior Consultants and backed by dedicated industry-specific recruitment teams, ensures comprehensive coverage of the executive talent market. We leverage our national network and extensive research capabilities to track industry movements, mergers, acquisitions, and leadership changes, providing clients with real-time market intelligence. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles ensures we source the absolute best available talent without bias, maintaining a fair and equitable search process. Our track record speaks for itself, with successful placements including Board Members, CEOs, CFOs, Presidents, and numerous Vice Presidents across multiple functions and industries.

Our Retained Search service establishes an exclusive partnership with organizations seeking to fill critical senior and mid-level positions through a comprehensive, priority-based approach. By dedicating our full resources and attention to your search, we conduct extensive market mapping and develop robust talent pipelines that ensure access to the highest caliber candidates. Our team provides regular progress updates and detailed market intelligence reports, keeping you informed throughout the entire search process. We manage everything from initial candidate assessment through final offer negotiation, ensuring a smooth and professional experience for both clients and candidates. This service includes post-placement integration support to ensure successful onboarding and long-term success of placed candidates.

Our Contingency Search service offers a flexible, success-based recruiting solution designed to efficiently fill professional and technical positions with qualified talent. Organizations benefit from immediate access to our extensive candidate database and network, with payment required only upon successful placement. Our streamlined recruitment process focuses on quick response times and efficient candidate presentation, making it ideal for time-sensitive placements and organizations with variable hiring needs. We handle all aspects of the recruitment process, from initial screening through offer negotiation, while maintaining the flexibility to work alongside other agencies if desired. This results-driven approach ensures we remain highly motivated to identify and secure the right talent for your organization while minimizing your upfront investment.