Scaling an Early-Stage Legal Team for Rapid Growth

Key takeaways

• Collaborated with start-up's General Counsel to define a senior legal role that aligned with immediate and long-term objectives
• Positioned company to attract top talent with experience at established firms, while addressing hesitations about working in an emerging sector
• 4 weeks from client contact to placement

The challenge

A venture capital-backed blockchain company, set for rapid growth, contacted Larson Maddox with a critical hiring challenge. Having recently established its legal department, they sought a Senior Legal Counsel to act as the second-in-command. The ideal candidate would need the skills and mindset to thrive in a small but busy team while navigating the uncertainties of blockchain technology – a sector met with hesitation by some legal professionals.

Adding complexity, the company required a candidate from a larger organisation willing to take the leap into a high-risk, high-reward start-up environment.

The solution

By working closely with the General Counsel, the recruitment process became highly consultative. Understanding the company’s long-term vision and immediate needs, our team’s search strategy focused on candidates with:

• A strong corporate law background, including M&A and IPO experience
• A willingness to embrace working in an emerging sector
• The versatility to manage a broad scope of responsibilities in a start-up environment

To address candidates’ hesitations about blockchain technology, we emphasised the company’s innovative vision and demonstrated its rapid growth potential. Our team provided insights into the organisation’s stability, the expanding market opportunities within blockchain, and the career growth possible in joining a high-growth startup at a pivotal stage. 

By positioning the role as an opportunity to shape the future of the sector, we successfully captured interest from top professionals who might otherwise have been reluctant to engage with the firm.

The results

Within four weeks, a successful placement was made. Larson Maddox introduced five professionals who met the firm’s exacting requirements and advanced to interview, where one candidate emerged as the ideal choice.

The selected individual brought not only a strong corporate law background but also the flexibility to thrive in a start-up setting, ensuring they could contribute immediately to the company’s growth, IPO readiness, and M&A objectives.

Summary

Aligning high-calibre talent with a startup's bold vision in an emerging sector requires precision, strategy, and trust. By collaborating closely with the client’s existing General Counsel and leveraging deep industry knowledge, Larson Maddox successfully placed a highly qualified Senior Legal Counsel equipped to handle the challenges of a high-growth environment.