Award-winning specialists in legal & compliance recruitment

Looking to hire?

Through extensive training and experience, we ensure that every consultant at Rutherford is a market expert; a receptive ear and a trusted voice in their industry.

If you are looking for truly specialised legal and regulatory compliance recruiters, get in touch with our headhunters today. Our firm covers recruiting for compliance, in-house legal, private practice legal and financial crime, all within the financial, professional and legal services sectors.

Submit a Role

Our Services

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Trusted Governance, Legal and Compliance Headhunters in London and around the globe

Our boutique firm has some of the best compliance and legal recruitment consultants in the United Kingdom and the United States, who have built highly curated networks over the years.

If you are looking for your next career move, you may wish to speak to our legal and compliance recruitment agency consultants for a confidential conversation. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss the regulatory compliance jobs we can help your firm with, call us or send the compliance role your are recruiting for through our Submit Role form and an expert compliance recruitment consultant will get back to you within a few hours. Our firm also offers in-house legal recruitment services, as well as private practice recruitment for the legal sector.

Rutherford in Numbers

94%

of permanent placements made in the last two years are still in position

is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Candidates

is our Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Clients

57%

of our placements so far in 2023 are from a diverse background

closeup of light grey building with windows

Search to Succeed

Rutherford is a highly specialist legal and regulatory compliance risk recruitment agency based in both London and New York, founded in 2011. Ever since its inception, the agency's focus has been legal and compliance within the financial, professional and legal services sectors. Our success lies in dedicated work recruiting legal and compliance professionals within the space. Our team of top compliance and legal headhunters in NYC and London has worked tirelessly in the past decade to build a vast network of strong talent within our dedicated markets.

A Cut Above The Rest

Over the years, we have identified both the rising stars and the best-experienced talent in our field, accompanying them along their professional journey. Our compliance and legal headhunters have developed carefully curated relationships to ensure we always guarantee a perfect cultural fit for our clients, some of the most renowned financial services firms across the globe.

A More Diverse Offering to Better Respond to Your Needs

In recent years, we have added some new specialisms in order to meet our client's needs, providing now an even more comprehensive pool of regulatory, legal and governance talent.

Our London-based compliance staffing agency has therefore widened its offering, with the introduction of in-house legal, financial crime and private practice recruitment services within financial, legal and professional services.

Services Tailored to Your Needs

Rutherford provides different types of services to its clients, with the goal to always find a solution that is best suited to their recruitment needs.

As a legal and compliance executive search firm, we offer retained search services for niche, highly specialised roles in the field. We will adopt a tailored and rigorous approach to secure premier compliance candidates.

For a quicker delivery, you can opt for our contingent recruitment services which have been built to meet your short-term hiring needs. Our legal and compliance headhunters will tap into their sizeable network and database to bring you top talent in the sector.

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About Rutherford

About Us

Every day we are building relationships with the future legal and governance leaders and identifying the problem solvers, strategic thinkers and innovators.

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Our Values

We value honesty and integrity as well as long-lasting partnerships with our clients and candidates.

Our Team

We are a dynamic bunch, with expert consultants and a back-office team dedicated to the highest levels of service delivery.

Why Rutherford as Your Legal & Compliance Executive Search Partner?

Reputation

We have a reputation for quality, reliability and market knowledge and professionalism. Don't let us go on about it though; see what clients and candidates have to say about us instead.

Selection Process

We do the hard work for you. We have a rigorous screening process and will only send you a select few of the most qualified resumes to peruse.

Retention & Cost

A good recruitment agency should be able to place employee that will last in their position. We are confident in our retention rate: 94% of our permanent placements made in the last two years are still in position today.

Award-winning specialists in legal & compliance recruitment

Trusted Governance, Legal and Compliance Headhunters in London and around the globe

Search to Succeed

A Cut Above The Rest

A More Diverse Offering to Better Respond to Your Needs

Services Tailored to Your Needs

About Us

Our Values

Our Team

Reputation

Selection Process

Retention & Cost

Private Funds Counsel - Elite Law Firm (Cravath Scale)

4-6 PQE Corporate Technology Associate

Associate/Senior Associate (Lawyer) - Corporate

Senior Associate/Lawyer - Corporate

Senior Associate M&A – Elite US Law Firm (London)

Private Equity Associate (Elite US law firm/NY Rates) NQ-2 PQE

Senior Associate (Lawyer) - Investment Funds

Financial Regulation Lawyer (Associate) - Silver Circle, 1-3 PQE

1-4 PQE Investment Funds Associate

Director of Compliance

Funds Associate (Irish Lawyers of particular interest) - Cravath Scale Law Firm

Corporate Insurance - Senior Associate 3-6 PQE

Real Estate Associate

5-7 PQE Leveraged Finance Associate

Capital Markets & Derivatives Associate

Finance Senior Associate

Associate - Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure

2-6 PQE Leveraged Finance Associate

Restructuring Associate/Lawyer

Corporate Tax Associate - Elite US Law Firm

Fund Finance Senior Associate

1-5 PQE Competition Associate

Fund Finance Associate

Fund Finance Associate

4-6 PQE Restructuring Associate

Funds Associate

Private Funds Associate

3+ PQE Private Equity Associate

Corporate M&A Associate

Private Funds Associate

Corporate Associate

Mid-level Tax Associate

Corporate Senior Associate

Tax Associate (1-5 PQE)

Compliance Officer (Surveillance)

Funds Regulatory Associate 1-4 PQE

1-4 PQE Antitrust Associate

Private Funds Associate 1+ PQE

Compliance Director

Real Estate Associate (1-3 PQE)

Private Funds Associate/Senior Associate

Banking & Finance Senior Associate

Corporate Insurance - Senior Associate (5+PQE)

Elite US Law - Corporate Finance Associate

Associate - Private Equity, Elite US Law Firm (4-7PQE), London

Funds Associate - Elite US Law Firm (Cravath Scale), London

Associate - Funds (5PQE+) Elite US Law Firm, London

Elite US - Equity Capital Markets Associate 3-6 PQE

Associate - Leveraged Finance (1-3PQE), Elite US Law Firm - London

Associate - Leveraged Finance (3-6PQE), Elite US Law Firm - London

Associate - Leveraged Finance (4-5PQE), US Law Firm (Cravath Scale) - London

Associate - Funds, Elite US Law (2-6PQE) London

Funds Counsel

Senior Vice President, Legal & Compliance

Corporate Associate - Private M&A

Senior Counsel

Real Estate Associate (1-3 PQE)

MLRO

Investment Compliance Analyst

Funds Regulatory Associate 1-4 PQE

M&A Associate - Prestigious US Law Firm (London)

Fund Finance Associate, London – Elite US law firm (NQ-3 PQE)

Leveraged Finance Associate, Elite US law firm - London (1-3 PQE)

Banking Partner/Legal Director, Regional Law Firm

Banking Partner/Legal Director, Regional Law Firm – Brighton

Banking Partner/Legal Director, Regional Law Firm – Bristol

Banking Partner/Legal Director, Regional Law Firm – Exeter

Banking Partner/Legal Director, Regional Law Firm – Leeds

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