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If I found out that you used information given to you confidentially by a recruiter and then tried to go around them to benefit yourself at the expense of the recruiter it would difficult to convince me that you could make the ethically sound judgements that are the cornerstone of my practice.
Lots of areas are conducive to give a break on the border but with questions of ethics it is best to stay down the middle.
I will note that I’m older and conservative about things like this.
If you don’t like or trust the recruiter, use another one. This was likely not a confidential/exclusive search. Most searches are unposted, it does not mean it is exclusive, so any recruiter can submit. For example, Weil, Proskauer, Fried Frank (and a dozen other firms) dont publicly post their searches, they circulate them to the recruiters that have signed fee agreements. So these are technically unposted, but basically every recruiter knows about them.
Go with the recruiter, who can add immense value, over the personal contact who can add zero.
My pleasure!
I’ve always been told to never get between a recruiter and their fee, as it could get ugly. I haven’t been in your situation, but for the interviews with firms I got through personal connections (vs. a recruiter), the recruiter sniffed these out almost immediately. It was fine because I was open about it and it was clear cut, but I was thankful I kept everything above board.
Remember the commitment is btw the firm and this recruiter. The recruiter might argue (prob unsuccessfully) that they deserve their fee bc you wouldn't know about the position w/o them, and they would have clearly earned it if you hadn't gone behind their back. I think you've seen one equity partner already opine: it looks bad.
Some of these recruiters are close to partners bc they send them candidates all the time (and sometimes they're neighbors). Hell they might have moved the partner to that firm. You might burn a bridge and end up lighting something you didn't intend to.
IMO an internal referral means more than an external recruiter’s referral.
I also never said either/or like you state. We both made the same points, just vouching for a different side. You know what ‘means more’ means- you also made a comparator rec. it’s not a genuine question. I’d be happy to answer OP if asked.
Internal referral > external referral. Always. If your contact is in the same group and knows the folks who are involved in your hiring decisions, that goes way farther.
I do not think danger is likely but it may not be advantageous to you or your career. Depending on how a recruiter you are in contact works they may not be aware of the Market availability of other similar positions at other firms that may pay better, have different billable requirements or have better training and partner-track opportunities.
Going the soft intro route can work well but it is a very narrow focus on your career path and a single approach may not be in your best interest long-term. Your also need to make all the running for negotiating compensation packages and making all the arrangements.
Law firms invariably have their own recruiting teams, but they will be batting for the law firm and not you.
Both options have their merits but you do run a risk of not giving yourself the best career opportunities if you take this closed route
Good luck with how you choose to proceed
Cant you just do both? Recruiter gets their fee and in addition you still take the personal introduction?