Start with the work that will be owned
A legal title alone is not a recruiting brief. For a Chicago search, define the matters, clients, authority, reporting line and work model before outreach starts. Separate required experience from experience that would be useful but trainable.
Recruiting assignments we separate on purpose
Associate attorney, in-house counsel, paralegal and legal operations searches each carry different evidence of fit. We do not treat title variations as interchangeable.
- Law firm associate and counsel hiring
- In-house and product counsel recruiting
- Paralegal and legal-support recruitment
Local market context
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 28,320 lawyers employed in the Chicago metropolitan area in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $165,660. This is labor-market context, not a salary recommendation for a specific role. Chicago is a market where the work mix, client responsibility and partnership or counsel path need to be clear early.
A permanent hire needs a decision-ready brief
BEGHR helps employers scope direct-hire searches. The employer makes the employment decision and directly employs the hire. Scope, fee, candidate ownership, timing and any replacement terms are set in the agreed engagement before a search begins.