Wallman’s arrival further strengthens Mlegal’s transatlantic capability, reinforces its emergence as a top-tier player in London.
Mlegal Group, a premier legal search company, announced today that Melinda Wallman, one of London’s top legal recruiters, has joined as a partner. She was previously a longtime partner at Major, Lindsey & Africa, where she founded its London and Hong Kong offices. She will be based in Mlegal’s London office.
Wallman will work closely with office Managing Partner Andy Russell to build Mlegal’s local business, focusing on partner recruitment into top U.S. and international law firms in London and Western Europe. She will continue to assist corporations and investment funds with general counsel and other senior lawyer searches.
Addressing the need for law firms to improve their recruitment and integration of partners across borders, Mlegal is building one close-knit team of highly experienced recruiters to serve transatlantic clients. Mlegal will be announcing the arrival of additional experienced recruiters in the coming months.
“I’ve been impressed with Mlegal’s momentum and success focusing on partner and team searches in the U.S. and Europe, and the way Mlegal recruiters work as one transatlantic team. That’s what top-tier law firms are looking for, particularly in the alternative asset management space where cross-border alignment is crucial. It is just as important for business development and deal execution as it is for lateral partner hiring and integration,” said Wallman. “I am grateful for the opportunities and friendships MLA has given me over the last 20 years, and am now ready to build something a bit different and be a part of the Mlegal team.”
“We are putting together a top team of recruiters as well as research and support staff here in London, and Melinda’s arrival is hugely significant,” said Russell. “I am really looking forward to working together to expand our London footprint and to strengthen further our international recruiting capability.”
"Having had the pleasure of knowing Melinda for over 15 years, I am thrilled that she has chosen Mlegal for the next phase of her career, and we could not be more excited about the possibilities her arrival creates for the company, and our clients in the UK and globally,” said CEO Joe Macrae. “Melinda immediately and substantially strengthens our legal recruiting footprint in London and EMEA.”
Wallman has placed partners and teams at numerous global firms, and has placed general counsel and other senior corporate counsel with Fortune and FTSE 100 companies, alternative asset management funds and other financial institutions. She has opened offices for law firms in London, Cologne, Hong Kong, Munich, Shanghai and Singapore.
Wallman has been a strong advocate for gender diversity in the legal profession, and earlier this year she founded XX Advantage Ltd to advance female lawyers’ careers. Her main project to date is a recently launched returnship programme, the Reignite Academy. She is also Co-Vice-Chair, International, for the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF), launching its London chapter in 2015.
“It was important to me to join a firm where diversity is a core value and where every search is treated as a diversity search,” Wallman stated.
About Mlegal Group
Founded in 2001, Mlegal has grown from its San Francisco Bay Area origins to become an internationally recognized elite legal search practice representing many of the most successful and innovative law firms in the United States and Europe. Mlegal also regularly conducts select general counsel and other executive-level in-house legal searches for major corporations. The company has offices in New York, London, Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Houston. To learn more about Mlegal, visit www.mlegalgroup.com.