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General Counsel
Head of Legal
Senior Legal Counsel
Counsel
Legal Counsel
Paralegal

Why Are In-house Legal Teams Needed in The Financial Services Sector?

The highly-regulated environment of financial services means that the modern in house legal counsel is able to provide accurate and time-sensitive advice to the organisation that can be relied upon. 

In house legal roles sit within leading private credit firms, hedge funds, asset managers, and many more financial services businesses in the alternative space.

Law firms for example fall under private practice. When working within a law firm you will find you work for and with a number of different clients, unlike in house legal counsels where your employer is your sole client.

Private practice lawyers typically have a few areas of expertise whereas an in-house counsel is more generalist, as they need to be prepared to assist their employer with all legal matters, whereas private practice firms have a number of teams to cover different areas.

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What Does a Legal Search Firm do?

There is a reason why Rutherford is known as one of the best legal recruitment firms in London. Our top legal search firm recruiters work with some of the best performing asset managers, hedge funds, and private equity firms globally, and are committed to ensuring our top talent is placed within the best in-house legal jobs. 

Every day, our consultants source the best legal professionals on the market to ensure their background, aspirations, and overall personality represent a cultural fit for the clients they service.

Our highly specialist in-house counsel headhunters have extensive knowledge in the in-house legal market, making Rutherford a top choice if you are seeking a legal search firm in London or pursuing the best in-house legal jobs as talent. 

Before committing to a career change or a new hire within the in house counsel function, it’s useful to have an overview of the sector, interveiw processes, hiring trends, and its current salaries, read Rutherford’s In-house legal salary survey for a comprehensive breakdown of the sector. 

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The Best In-House Legal Roles in London

Are you currently looking for your next move in the legal space? From Paralegal to legal Counsel, Rutherford's London legal recruitment firm covers a wide range of positions and in house legal jobs in the industry, with a focus on the financial services sector. 

Because of the network we have built and nurtured over the past decade, Rutherford provides the best legal search services in London, coupled with some of the best legal professionals, in-house legal jobs and head of legal roles. 

Today, we offer the best legal counsel jobs in London, United Kingdom

Use The Best In-house Legal Recruitment Firm for In House Positons in London

If you are thinking of making a career change and are now seeking an in-house legal headhunter agency in London, trust Rutherford. Head over to our vacancies in order to find Rutherford's latest selection of in-house roles.

If you can't find what you are looking for, get in touch with our legal recruitment firm, where our legal recruiters are available for a confidential conversation - our in-house legal headhunters will take the time to assess your needs to then tailor their approach accordingly, they will support you throughout your process and advice on relevant advice for your in-house legal interviews.

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What are Rutherford's In house Legal Recruitment Services?

Rutherford offers different types of in house legal recruitment services to always meet its clients' hiring needs. 

Our Retained Search Services are an ideal solution for businesses seeking niche, highly specialised in-house legal professionals. Our legal recruitment agency, in London, will adopt a tailored and rigorous approach to ensure our clients secure the finest talent on the recruitment market. 

Rutherford's Contingent Recruitment Services is a great option for companies on a tight timeframe, who have short-term hiring needs. Our in-house legal recruitment specialists will tap into their large network of candidates and bring la crème de la crème to its clients.

Need some more convincing? If you are thinking about finding a top legal recruitment agency in London to support you with your current search, or want to know more about the recruitment procedure, have a look at Rutherford's testimonials.

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How do In-house Legal Recruitment Agencies Work?

In-house legal recruitment agencies have a core purpose: to source high caliber candidates for specific types of clients to help the latter achieve their business goals. Working alongside companies within their niche, in-house legal recruitment firms will bring the best in-house legal jobs to the market. 

Some legal recruitment agencies will adopt a headhunting approach, meaning they will discreetly reach out to potential candidates for the legal in-house jobs they have on hand. 

Other in-house legal recruitment firms in London - and across the UK - will broadly advertise their array of in-house legal jobs on what we commonly call job boards.

These websites will aggregate hundreds, if not thousands, of in-house legal counsel jobs in London, proving it is much easier for candidates to identify and engage with in-house legal recruitment agencies

94%

of permanent placements made in the last two years are still in position

89

is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Candidates

91

is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Clients

57%

of our placements so far in 2023 are from a diverse background

In-house Legal consultants

Testimonials

Rutherford was unreal. Recruitment does not have a great rep in my opinion with a number of folks within the sector making everyone look bad for many reasons.

Rutherford was different they worked as if it was their last placement ever. Produced more than any other agency I have ever worked with. Credit to them.

Head of Information Security, Software Company

​Rutherford sends strong candidates, they have a good conversion rate, represent us well, follows instruction and are generally really pleasant to deal with.

Experienced Hire Recruitment, Quantitative Trading Firm

Rutherford was v easy to work with, adapted to my schedule and messaging preferences and helped to prep me for the interview.

Technology, Quantative Trading Firm

I have worked with Rutherford on a number of compliance and legal searches over the years.


They have consistently helped recruit top quality individuals into the firms I have worked for. Their knowledge of the market is fantastic and, importantly, they spend time getting to know the vacancy and the firm to ensure that they put forward the right candidates.


Highly recommend their compliance recruitment firm.

COO, TT International

​There aren't enough words to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to Rutherford for their assistance in helping me land an amazing role at a phenomenal private equity firm.


Rutherford's Compliance recruitment consultants were friendly, proactive, encouraging, and extremely helpful in guiding me through the recruitment process. I never once chased them and was consistently on the receiving end of calls, getting regular updates on the progress made. They kept an open and honest line of communication and spent a considerable amount of time prepping me at each stage of the process.


Their technical knowledge coupled with their down-to-earth personality makes Rutherford undoubtedly an amazing choice of a compliance recruitment firm if you're considering a career move in the legal or compliance sectors.

Compliance Associate, Leading European Private Equity Firm

​During the time I have known Rutherford, their compliance recruitment team have shown a combination of efficiency, consistency and a frankness which is rarely found amongst their competitors. I have been consistently impressed by my compliance headhunter's attitude whenever we have interacted. He was very encouraging and patient, just a genuinely nice person too. Would highly recommend him and Rutherford, and will be eternally grateful to them for helping me secure a role at my dream firm.

Compliance Director, Generation Investment Management

Rutherford's compliance recruitment team knows the market extremely well. They know all the players in the space and can speak to each's professional history and personality. They are very open and honest when communicating roles as well as any feedback a firm has after reviewing your resume or an interview. They always make a case for their clients and are extremely thoughtful in the roles they put you up for. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to move to London! I would recommend them to any colleague or friends in the Compliance space.

Vice President - Compliance, SoftBank Investment Advisers

​Working with Rutherford was an absolute pleasure, helping me secure my new position. They were very responsive and gave a lot of support throughout each stage of the recruitment process.


I would definitely recommend their compliance recruiters to those seeking a professional move!

Compliance Professional, Lansdowne Partners

I approached Rutherford in September 2020 looking for a new role and they couldn't have been more attentive. They kept me updated, ensured clear communication through the process - from introduction to offer - and ensured I moved to the best opportunity. The team is highly attentive and hard working.

Control Room Analyst, Citadel

​We have worked with Rutherford Search on a number of occasions to find candidates for regulatory/compliance positions and I’ve always found their London compliance recruitment team to be professional and helpful. They’ve done a great job of helping us find the best possible candidates and we have always been very pleased with the service offered.


Their compliance recruiters is proactive and reliable, invested in understanding and meeting our needs as a client and, most importantly, they are able to find and suggest great candidates which meet our specific briefs. The quality of service and candidates that we have received has always been high and this is indicative of Rutherford’s well-deserved reputation in the market.

Global Head of Compliance & Regulatory, FTSE 250 Asset Manager

​Rutherford recently placed me into my future role. At all stages of the recruitment process, they has been extremely positive, has provided excellent guidance with regards to interview preparation, and ensured I was kept up to date with news from the company throughout the selection process, providing timely feedback after the end of each stage. They have been an absolute joy to work with, and if you are looking for a new Compliance role, I can’t recommend them enough!

Financial Crime Manager

Having worked in the interim MLRO/Financial Crime market for more than 10 years, I have worked with a number of recruiters and sourcing agencies. However, amongst them I found Rutherford to be more professional than most I have encountered.

I have no hesitation in recommending associates to contact them if they are looking to recruit, as I am at times when in an interim role, or if they are looking for AML or other financial crime roles in the financial services sector.

Interim MLRO, DNB

​Having made two excellent Compliance hires for our firm in London, Rutherford will be my go-to recruitment partner in the future. They fully understood our briefs and the culture they were recruiting for, which made the process efficient and transparent. My candidates were also happy with their interactions with the team, which were professional yet friendly. It was a pleasure working with them, and they would be the first firm I would recommend to others embarking on a recruitment process.

Chief Legal Officer, Eton Park International LLP

​Rutherford was instrumental in assisting Liquidnet Europe Limited in our search for a Head of Regulatory Compliance and Legal Affairs. They presented a selection of candidates with a range of experience. Each CV was a match to our requirements and to our cultural fit. This was no small feat considering the hybrid legal and compliance profile we were seeking. In the end, each area of our spec was met and the incumbent in the role is settling in nicely.

Subsequent to this search, Rutherford has also placed a contract surveillance person - again, superb match of skills to spec. The Rutherford team is personable, responsive and I highly recommend their services.

Head of HR - Global Talent Engagement, Liquidnet Europe Limited

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