The New Zealand legal profession is relationship-driven, reputation-sensitive, and relatively small. When you decide to explore your next career move, it can feel logical to speak with several recruiters at once, after all, more conversations should mean more opportunities. In reality, the opposite is often true. In a market where firms value clarity, discretion, and professionalism, using multiple recruitment agents can create unnecessary risk and ultimately slow your progress. This article explores the key issues lawyers most commonly worry about - including double representation, non-solicitation, and professional reputation - and how to approach your search with confidence.
It’s completely understandable. Many lawyers assume that engaging several recruiters will increase exposure to opportunities, speed up the process and provide broader market insight. If you haven't used a legal recruitment agent before, this is a fair thing to assume.
However, New Zealand’s legal talent pool is relatively small and interconnected, meaning vacancies are often circulated among a limited group of agencies. This increases the likelihood of overlap and confusion rather than improved outcomes. Additionally, when various legal recruitment agencies do not have much work on, they will often replicate a law firm's advertisement, throw it up in the job boards advertising for exactly the same thing, then try and source and sell candidates back to the original law firm that is looking.
Double representation occurs when two or more legal recruitment agents submit your CV to the same firm, be it with your permission, or more scarily - without. While it may sound like a minor administrative issue, it happens way too often and can have real consequences. Unfortunately at the end of the day, that reflects on you (the lawyer) because it is your name. This is not an article to try and gain exclusivity for your search, but if you choose to use mulitple Agents, here are some common risks you need to consider:
Across recruitment markets, overlapping submissions are widely recognised as a key drawback of engaging multiple agencies, creating confusion and wasted time for all parties. The Recruitment industry is well known for it and our Regulating Body - the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association (RCSA) - regularly addresses this issue.
Another concern lawyers frequently raise is whether engaging several recruiters could affect how firms perceive them, particularly where agencies may have established non-solicitation arrangements with clients.
Because legal recruitment relies heavily on long-standing relationships, recruiters often have agreed boundaries about which firms they can or cannot approach. If an Agency does a lot of client-side recruitment, the chance are they have a PSA in place (a Preferred Supplier Agreement) where law firms can layer in protection for their firm based on the volume of work they give the Agency. This means:
Working with one trusted adviser who acts strictly as a neutral "middle-man" ensures a clear, consistent strategy, avoids mixed messaging to the market and does not deter any decision-making based on conflicts of interest.
Legal careers are built on trust and sound advice. Sharing your intentions widely can increase the risk of information travelling further than intended. When multiple agencies are involved (and multiple people inside those agencies), sensitive details about your motivations or circumstances may be repeated across conversations, increasing the likelihood of confidentiality concerns or inconsistent positioning, as specified above.
More broadly, employers value a professional and coordinated job search. Appearing in the market through multiple channels can inadvertently undermine the very discretion most lawyers are seeking.
Every recruiter has a slightly different perspective on salary positioning, role suitability, geographical nuance, timing of a move and how to present your experience in a succinct and professional manner. Receiving competing guidance can make decision-making confusing, more difficult and dilute your overall strategy. A single trusted adviser can provide coherent, tailored guidance aligned with your long-term goals.
Choosing a legal recruitment specialist with lots of experience and strong public reviews will generally steer you in the right direction. Furthermore, an agent you have been referred to by a friend or former colleague is a great sign as you would not have received their name if they had done a bad job. Once you receive advice, don't always take it at face value. Talk to your friends, talk to your family, discuss the advice with other trusted members of your circle and form your own opinion as when you make a move, you want to do it once and do it right.
The most effective job searches are built on partnership, pace and trust rather than volume or a quick win. Working closely with one legal recruitment agent allows for:
Good legal recruitment agents do far more than acquire and circulate CVs, they should position you, advise you, and represent your story in a way that resonates with hiring decision-makers.
If you’re considering your next move, look for a recruiter who understands the nuances of the New Zealand legal market, takes time to understand your motivations and goals, is transparent about their process and representation and prioritises privacy and discretion. Once you’ve found that fit, committing to a single adviser often leads to a smoother, more strategic experience that leads to a predictable outcome - a new role that feels right.
Exploring new opportunities is an important and often sensitive step in your career. While it can be tempting to maximise exposure by engaging multiple recruiters, the risks - double representation, mixed messaging, and reputational impact - frequently outweigh the perceived benefits. A considered, relationship-led approach provides clarity, protects your professional brand, and ultimately gives you the strongest platform to secure the right role.
Chisholm Clarke is a dedicated legal search firm, synonymous with expert and confidential legal career guidance in New Zealand. More than just finding and securing qualified lawyers new jobs, we provide detailed market information, sound advice and smooth private job searching services tailored to each individual.
We also produce the What a Lawyer podcast, founded the New Lawyer Fund (launching in 2027) and in collaboration with the New Zealand Law Society, provide interviewing workshops for graduates and new lawyers entering the profession. We also sponsor an annual charity golf tournament for lawyers and recently formed international partnerships to support lawyers heading overseas. These partners have been vetted to our standard of service-providing and we have regular meetings with them to ensure compliance and shared market information.
Chisholm Clarke was founded in 2022 and is led by Sam Lindsay who offers ten years worth of New Zealand legal recruitment market experience, a relaxed yet professional approach, with 50+ public reviews to back it up. If you would like to start a confidential conversation about your options or how to structure your job search, reach out to Sam today on 0275665707 or sam@chisholmclarke.co.nz.
