Are you a successful Houston attorney who would love to leave the practice of law (or your current business role) to launch, lead and manage the Houston office of a globally-ranked company, and co-own its Houston-based operating company? Do you excel at building client relationships? Are you known for being highly responsive and attentive to your clients? Are you driven yet likable? Are you entrepreneurial and business-minded? Do you have an outstanding reputation in the Houston legal and civic community? Do your colleagues like and enjoy working with you? Would your clients, colleagues and friends describe you as energetic, responsive, trustworthy, helpful, efficient, dedicated, decisive, well-liked, and action-oriented? Do you have a sense of humor? If so, this unique opportunity may be for you.
Latitude, a globally ranked high-end flexible legal talent company, is seeking a Houston-area attorney with significant experience working with Am Law firms and corporate legal departments to launch and manage Latitude’s Houston office, and co-own and lead as president, Latitude’s Houston operating company. This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly successful, experienced, likable, driven, business-minded, and very well-respected Houston area attorney who wants to leave the practice of law (or another legal industry role) to lead a company as market president and an equity business partner, using our capital, proven model, established infrastructure, training, and supporting corporate team.
As background, Latitude directly employs and provides peer-level attorneys and other legal professionals to legal departments and law firms nationwide. Our specialty is providing our law firm and legal department clients practice-specific contract attorneys who have served as associates, counsel, and partners in Am Law firms and/or as in-house counsel in large corporate legal departments. We also assist many of our clients with permanent positions, including general counsel searches. Our clients range from Fortune Global 500 companies and Global 100 law firms to high-growth privately-held companies, major non-profits, government entities, and boutique law firms.
This is a demanding, entrepreneurial role. It requires further expanding and maintaining strong relationships with your professional peers in the Houston area (and nationwide), being highly responsive and attentive to law firm and legal department clients (i.e., your peers), constant creative deal-making, serving as a trusted talent advisor to clients and candidates, team building, collaborating closely with fellow market leaders, recruiters and corporate staff, having the patience to build a business, and the confidence and risk tolerance to be rewarded as an equity business partner based in large part on the financial performance of your operating company – which is driven by your (and your hand-picked team’s) ability to provide your clients with consistently top-tier talent and exceptional client service.
Opportunity:
- Launch, lead, and manage Latitude's Houston office and operating company
- Serve as Latitude's ambassador and client relations leader in Houston and with your network nationwide
- Oversee numerous high-end peer-level attorneys working on assignment with legal departments and law firms (but no involvement in their legal work)
- Build on your years of legal industry experience and established relationships in Houston
- Serve sophisticated clientele of senior in-house counsel and law firm partners
Responsibilities:
- Become the go-to trusted legal talent advisor, career connector and legal talent resource for legal department and law firm decision-makers in the Greater Houston area
- Develop and manage client relationships
- Propose on-point candidates to your clients, negotiate and close deals
- Hire, manage and retain your local supporting team
- Serve as Latitude's Houston company leader and brand ambassador
- Maintain world-class levels of client and candidate satisfaction and strong financial performance
Requirements:
- Prior experience as a successful law firm partner in a well-respected Houston-area law firm that serves legal departments, or as a senior in-house counsel in a Houston-area legal department, is highly preferred. However, we are also open to considering other attorneys who have demonstrated significant success in attracting legal department clients.
- Strong existing relationships with senior decision-makers (e.g., CLOs, GCs, DGCs, Heads of Legal Ops) in the legal departments of large companies, and partners and execs at leading law firms, in the Greater Houston area
- Sterling reputation with the Houston-area bar and community
- Proven ability to serve sophisticated corporate legal departments
- Strong business development aptitude. Prior proven success in law firm client development or experience in any sales role is highly desirable
- This is a time-intensive, full-time executive and client service position. While it offers flexibility and the ability to frequently work from a home office (WFH) if desired, you must reside in the Greater Houston area, and be able to frequently travel locally to meet with clients and prospective clients (e.g., at client offices, restaurants, at professional events, etc.). Occasional national travel is also required (e.g., legal conferences, partner meetings, etc.).
- Prior Am Law 200 Law Firm and/or large corporate legal department experience is highly preferred
Timing:
While we are ready now, we are looking for the best person and can be flexible on timing so that you are able to successfully exit your current role in a way that works well for you and your current colleagues.
Compensation:
The total compensation for the Latitude Market President role is largely dependent on the financial performance of the market since the main long-term financial benefit to the market president is equity (and the cash flow – i.e., profit distributions – that result when the market is profitable). Given the size of the Houston market, the expectation is that the total earnings for the Houston Market President would be $400,000 to $700,000+ per year as the market president successfully develops and scales the market to size; getting into this range can be expected to take 24-48 months if successful given the fly-wheel nature of building a new market.
- Equity. The market president is an equity member (co-owner) with a significant stake in the operating company. Cash flow to the market president from this equity stake is intended to far eclipse the market leader’s salary and other W2 compensation if the market leader is effective.
- Base Salary: The base salary is intended to be a minimal part of the financial value of this opportunity to the market leader; the financial upside in this role is in the equity. The starting annual base salary range for this role is $150,000 to $200,000. Base salary is based on multiple factors including but not limited to work experience, qualifications, location, and the amount of equity granted. The base salary goes down in subsequent years – the salary is merely a bridge to profit distributions.
- Bonuses & Incentive Compensation. This position also includes bonuses and incentive compensation based on financial performance. Similar to base salary, the bonuses and incentive comp go down in subsequent years – they are intended as a bridge to profit distributions.
- Benefits: A full benefits package, including group medical, dental, and vision insurance, and complimentary group life, LTD and AD&D insurance. A qualified 401k plan is also available.
Confidentiality & How to Apply
If you are interested in this role, you may apply online and/or you are welcome to directly email Latitude Partner Jeff Lilly in confidence at jlilly@latitudelegal.com.
About Latitude
Latitude is a full-service flexible legal talent company serving corporate legal departments and law firms nationwide. From Fortune Global 100 companies to start-ups and Global 50 law firms to boutiques, clients turn to us for top-tier attorneys and other legal professionals.
Latitude specializes in providing highly skilled former in-house counsel and Big Law attorneys for flexible contract engagements and permanent positions in dozens of practice areas, including commercial contracting, data privacy, M&A, employment, litigation, and more.
Founded in 2013, Latitude has been recognized by Chambers as a leading global flexible legal staffing company and the #1 Legal Recruiter by The National Law Journal.
For more information about Latitude, please visit us at https://latitudelegal.com.
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