User:LegalB123/Sandbox

Lateral Link is a legal recruiting firm and networking forum of "elite" attorneys founded in December 2005 by several Harvard Law Schoolalumni. The company combines the traditional personal services of a legal recruiter with the features of an online job database. The company assists only a small subset of attorneys worldwide based on very stringent experience and academic standards. If an attorney meets the company’s admittance standards (Lateral Link generally limits access to its job postings to graduates of top-tier law schools with a minimum of two years of work experience), the attorney may register as “Member” with the company via its website to gain free access to standard benefits, such as personalized search consultant assistance, daily job updates, career counseling, guaranteed signing bonuses, Online Career Library, and market information. That makes the company’s service exclusive to Members based on their credentials instead of gaining access by paying subscription fees. However, the company receives a fee from an employer only if an attorney hires one of its Members through the personalized assistance of one of the company’s Search Consultants through traditional executive search services. Lateral Link works with both law firms and in-house legal employers in the United States, Asia, Western Europe, and Middle East. One of its major competitors is Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA).

HISTORY
Founded in 2005 by Harvard Law School graduates, Lateral Link introduced to the legal recruiting market a new concept of paying its Members $10,000 guaranteed signing bonus if placed with one of its law firm employer clients. It initially focused on the California and New York legal markets. By mid-2008, demand for Lateral Link's services enabled it to grow to include legal placement services covering most major metropolitan areas in United States, Asia, Western Europe and Middle East. Lateral Link also distinguished itself from other lateral placement companies by accepting for "Membership" only those attorneys deemed to be "top-tier" candidates. Its “Members”, who initially register for the company’s services via its online registration process, have access to a suite of online and offline tools, such personalized search consultant assistance, daily job updates, career counseling, guaranteed signing bonuses, online Career Library, and market information.

COMPANY OVERVIEW
The company’s website allows an attorney who is interested in making a career transition to become a "Member" by submitting his/her resume and job preference information. The Member may then browse the online job listings, which include associate attorney positions at all levels with both law firms and in-house employers. The identities of the employers are not initially disclosed; they are revealed to the Member once a match is determined, either automatically or after review by a Lateral Link search consultant, if necessary. The Member also has the option of bypassing the online job database and contacting a Lateral Link search consultant directly for immediate assistance in the recruiting process. When a Member contacts a Lateral Link search consultant, the Lateral Link search consultant will guide the applicant through the process of setting up interviews, meeting with potential employers, and negotiating salaries. Lateral Link offers any Member whom it places in a law firm associate position a $10,000 guaranteed signing bonus. Lateral Link also collects and analyzes market data about the legal recruiting market. Major publications including Business Week, National Law Journal, ABA Journal, and Lawyer have relied on Lateral Link for this information to support editorial content.

FOUNDING
The company was founded by Harvard Law School alumni, including its current Principal - Michael Allen – and Advisory Board member - David Dorfman. Michael Allen holds a B.A. in Political Science, summa cum laude, with a concentration in Economics, from the University of California, San Diego and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School. David Dorfman holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Cornell University, where he also completed the Program in Human Biology, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.B.A from  New York University with concentrations in Finance and Strategy.

TIMELINE
December 2005: Initial Business Plan Development and Secured Financing (Michael Allen & David Dorfman)

January – April 2006: Technological Development

April 2006: Beta Launch of Website

July 2006: Hired First Employee (Brian Sawers)

October 2006: Launch Business Operations Nationwide (Michael Allen & David Dorfman)

January 2007: Recapitalization; Company Shows Net Profit; and TJ Duane Joins Lateral Link

March 2007: Partnership with Cypress Recruiting for Asia-based Business

January 2008: Western Europe Based Business Established

June 2008: First Legal Placement Firm to Offer Free Career Counseling

July 2008: Partnership with Cornell's BR Legal

April 1-4, 2009: Michael Allen, Co-Founder and Principal of Lateral Link will be attending     the | NALP 2009 Annual Education ConferencePlenary Session on how the web influences the decision making of law students and attorneys in the legal market with one of Vault.com's Founders; David Lat, Editor of AbovetheLaw.com; and Mark Weber, Harvard Law School Dean of Career Services.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Although the company is privately held by Michael Allen and TJ Duane, the company utilizes a Board of Advisors for guidance without imposing fiduciary duties. According to their website, selection for the Board of Advisors is highly selective, by invitation only, and primarily based on prominent or outstanding career achievements. Below are the company’s Board of Advisors:

Business Development Committee

Dr. Daniel Cohen - Professor of Entrepreneurship, Cornell University

David Dorfman - Co-Founder, Lateral Link Group, LLC

Mike Ghaffary - Vice President of Business Development, Stitcher

Andre Vanier - Principal, Rondee.com

Corporate Counsel Committee

Danielle Bernthal - Assistant General Counsel, Six Flags,Inc.

Tanya Jaeger - Senior Counsel, Pfizer, Inc.

Rayan Joshi - Corporate Counsel, Plainfield Asset Management LLC

Josh Kreinberg - General Counsel, Spark Networks

Arash Mostafavipour - Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Mortgage Services, LLC Justin Newman - Counsel, Oliver Wyman Group

Wendy Perlmutter - Deputy Family Services Coordinator, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services

Renee Soto - Associate, Sard & Verbinnen & Co.

Doug Ulene - General Counsel, The Paramount Group

Charles Appiah - Counsel, Koch Entertainment

Diversity Committee

Michele Jackson - Senior Recruiter, Bank of New York Mellon

Voltaire Sterling - Actor, Attorney

Maricar Tinio - Lateral Link Group, LLC, Chief Diversity Officer

Ethics Committee

Mike Guttentag - Associate Professor of Law, William S. Boyd School of Law (UNLV)

David Yosifon - Assistant Professor of Law, Santa Clara Law School

Law Firm Associate Committee

Wade Ackerman - Litigation Associate, Kirkland & Ellis

Khalisha Banks - Corporate Associate, Shearman & Sterling

Justin Dillion - Attorney, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP

Mark Getachew - Corporate Associate, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP David Herzog - Litigation Associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Harold McDougall IV - Corporate Associate, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Tenlay Naliboff - Corporate Associate, Latham & Watkins LLP

Katherine Todd - Trademark Associate, Winston & Strawn LLP

Recruiting Committee

Michele Canny - Attorney Recruiting Manager, Winston & Strawn LLP Raquel DeMaio - Lateral Hiring & Projects Manager, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Demetria Johnson - Associate Recruitment Manager, Hogan & Hartson

Ana Lesce - Associate Director of Recruiting, King & Spalding LLP

Jamie Morikawa - Career Services, UCLA Law School

Kara Powell - Recruitment and Integration Manager, Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP

Robyn Steele - Director of Recruiting, Irell & Manella Laura Sticksel - Director of Recruiting, Jackson Lewis LLP

Technology Committee

Raj Selvadurai - Senior Executive, Vault Inc.