Legal Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel Recruitment
Does your company need a Legal Counsel or Senior Legal Counsel? Selin Legal helps companies recruit lawyers for their in-house legal function – from the first Legal Counsel hire to experienced senior specialists. We have specialised in headhunting lawyers since 2014 and know the Swedish legal market in detail.
When your company needs a Legal Counsel
Many companies reach a point where legal matters have become too extensive to handle through external law firms alone. It may concern contract negotiations, corporate matters, regulatory requirements or a growing need for legal advice close to the business. A Legal Counsel gives you legal expertise in day-to-day operations – and is often the first building block of an in-house legal function.
The best candidates are rarely actively looking. They are established at law firms or in other companies and need to be identified and approached directly. That is where a structured search process makes the difference.
Legal Counsel, Senior Legal Counsel or General Counsel – which role do you need?
The roles differ in responsibility and seniority:
- Legal Counsel handles the day-to-day legal work: contracts, corporate matters, disputes and support to the business.
- Senior Legal Counsel takes greater individual responsibility for complex matters and practice areas, often with many years of experience from law firms or in-house roles.
- General Counsel leads the legal function and typically reports to the CEO or the board.
We help you define the right role based on your company's organisation, needs and ambitions – so you recruit the right competence at the right level. If you are looking for a General Counsel, read more on our General Counsel recruitment page.
Our search process
We work with a structured search process adapted to each assignment:
- 1.Needs analysis – We review the company's situation, the role's responsibilities and the requirement profile together with you.
- 2.Search and mapping – We map the market and identify relevant candidates, including lawyers who are not actively looking for a new position.
- 3.Selection – We approach candidates discreetly and conduct initial telephone interviews.
- 4.In-depth assessment – We conduct in-depth interviews and, in line with the agreed process, reference checks.
- 5.Presentation – We present a limited number of carefully selected candidates with a structured candidate presentation and our assessment.
- 6.Client interviews and final candidates – We keep the process together, support the candidates and assist you in the evaluation.
- 7.Agreement and follow-up – We assist until an agreement is reached and follow up after the candidate has started.
Permanent recruitment or interim solution
Sometimes the need is urgent but the permanent solution is not yet in place. We can then provide an interim lawyer who can step in at short notice, in parallel with the permanent recruitment. Read more on our Legal Interim page.
Frequently asked questions about Legal Counsel recruitment
We start with a needs analysis where we define the role and requirement profile together. We then map the market, approach relevant candidates discreetly, conduct interviews and present a selection to you. You make the decision – we make sure you have the right basis for it.
When legal matters have become a recurring part of the business – for example with extensive contract flows, regulatory requirements, expansion or when costs for external legal advice are growing. A Legal Counsel gives you legal expertise directly in the organisation.
A Legal Counsel is responsible for the day-to-day legal work. A Senior Legal Counsel takes responsibility for more complex matters and practice areas, often with longer experience. A General Counsel leads the entire legal function and is often part of, or reports to, company management.
It depends on your business. Common profiles are lawyers with experience in contract law, corporate law, M&A, employment law or regulatory matters – from law firms or in-house roles. We help you prioritise correctly in the requirement profile.
We can normally present relevant candidates within 3–4 weeks from the start of the assignment. The time to a signed employment agreement then depends on the scope of the interviews, the decision-making process and the candidate’s availability. Any notice period is additional.
For clients
Do you need to recruit a Legal Counsel?
Contact us for a confidential and no-obligation conversation about your needs.