About Us
Macrae keeps
high performers
in motion.
Macrae is the only transatlantic legal recruiting boutique powered by collective intelligence. This means what while we work as individuals, we maintain a thriving culture of shared knowledge across the firm that keeps all of us in sync with the latest market data, trends and critical on-the-ground insight. We provide highly personalized service day in, day out to the highest performing law firms and lawyers in the legal industry - and it shows.
Our focus is on the placement of partners into top-tier law firms, including partner groups and senior government attorneys transitioning to the private sector. We operate as a partnership ourselves and appreciate just how crucial it is to strike the right balance - from experience to expertise to personality - when matching lawyers with law firms.
In a crowded recruitment market, clients and candidates say Macrae stands out for our unparalleled market expertise and because we operate with the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and discretion. We’re a high-touch team. We work closely with law firms to meet their specific needs, delivering stellar candidates and thoughtful presentations time and time again. We listen carefully to candidates and provide honest, informed advice and information to help them navigate and optimize their careers (and their ability to fulfill their roles and ambitions outside of the workplace). We strive to build long-term relationships with every client and candidate, and are pleased to say that we typically do.
Macrae was founded in 2001 by Joe Macrae in the San Francisco Bay Area. Back then we were known as Mlegal. We rebranded to Macrae in 2020, a few years after implementing a strategic expansion plan to strengthen our presence in the world’s most important legal markets. We’ve achieved this not only by bringing on the most experienced and talented management leaders and recruiters out there, but by ensuring that they share our vision of being a legal recruiting firm that does things differently. Smarter. Better. (We also like to think we enjoy our work more.)
Macrae now employs more than 40 team members across London, New York, Washington D.C., Palo Alto, and San Francisco.
Building an Inclusive Community
Macrae takes diversity and inclusion seriously. We are well aware that the work we do can have a direct impact on ensuring the equal and equitable treatment of diverse lawyers in an industry that has historically been lacking in this regard. We are committed to advising and placing diverse candidates, and our track record reflects this.
Likewise, we are committed to fostering inclusion and diversity in all senses within Macrae. We are proud that so many Macrae team members identify as belonging to demographic groups that are underrepresented within the legal industry. We are a majority women-owned company, and 80% of our recruiters and more than half of our board members are women. We are active in and support local, national and international organizations working to foster equity, inclusivity and greater diversity in the legal profession.
Some of the organizations we sponsor and support include the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF); Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia; Law Foundation of Silicon Valley; Women’s Antitrust Forum; D.C. Female Law Firm Leaders Roundtable; New York Women’s Practice Group Leaders Roundtable; and Sandpiper Partners.
Giving Back
Macrae is committed to giving back to the community. We believe it is our responsibility to invest our time, knowledge and financial support to worthy causes within the legal profession and outside of it. Each year we contribute a percentage of our profit to organizations that focus on education, child health and welfare. If you represent an organization seeking support from a like-minded partner, please reach out to lauren.gard@macrae.com.