Recruiters


A. About Us


B. Our Hiring Plans


C. Recruiter Sought


D. Advantages of Working With Us


E. Location


F. Personal Computers


G. Long-Term Approach


H. Full-Time Preferred


I. Please Read


J. Search Firms


K. Our Experience with Search Firms


L. If You Are Interested — Search Firms


M. When You Apply


N. If You Are Interested — In-house Recruiter


A. About Us

The Counsel Connect Network (“CCN”) publishes legal Web sites, sites that discuss particular legal topics. We also partner with other legal Web sites that place our calls to action on their site. Our sites and these affiliated sites produce leads from prospective clients, which we then screen to determine if they have a viable case. If they do, we refer the prospective client to a suitable attorney in their area, in exchange for an introduction fee from that attorney.


B. Our Hiring Plans

In the next 24 months, we expect to be adding over 50 partners:

In addition, we are always looking to meet law firm strategic partners.


C. Recruiter Sought

We are looking to bring on a full-time recruiter (what some would call a “contract recruiter”). This person could be an experienced recruiter or alternatively a highly intelligent, organized, detail-oriented person who wants to learn the recruiting business, whom we would train. Because we have developed several proprietary techniques for identifying talented professionals who are not currently looking, it is not essential that an in-house recruiter have professional experience as a recruiter, but if they do, that’s obviously an advantage.


D. Advantages of Working With Us

  • We have developed several proprietary techniques for identifying talented professionals who are not currently looking.
  • For the right individual, we are willing to train.
  • We are hiring many different types of Web professionals.
  • In many of our categories, we are somewhat more flexible in our hiring standards (they can be part-time, they can work elsewhere, etc.).


E. Location

We would prefer to find someone in the Boston area, since for the first few months, we envision extensive hands-on training. We will consider recruiters who are not based in Boston, however. For our in-house recruiter as well as outside search firms, we will only consider individuals and companies located in the United States and Canada. In the past when we have worked with recruiters outside the U.S. and Canada, we have found that the communication, time zone and cultural barriers were simply too high.


F. Personal Computers

We are exceptionally advanced users of computers. Our Chief Technology Officer, Keith MacKay, is a graduate of MIT and has managed over 1000 software development projects, including more than a dozen for Microsoft and more than 90 for Harvard Business School. Our CEO, James Mitchell, was a senior software engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation, had a research fellowship in information systems at Harvard Business School, and has managed more than twenty complex software projects. Our software developers are among the best in the world. For our Web sites, we typically use WordPress running on the LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP) software stack. For our internal information systems, we use Microsoft development tools: Windows Server, SQL Server, .Net, Visual Basic, Access.

We have developed some of the most sophisticated software systems in the world. We do not expect or require all of our professionals to be software developers, but we do expect them to have a strong aptitude for computers, have a high level of intellectual curiosity about them, and to be keenly interested in enhancing their computer skills.

Applicants who are not computer proficient regularly assure us, “I can learn.” Our experience has been otherwise; realistically you will not be able to meet our expectations for computer proficiency within a reasonable time frame. The few times we have gone down the “I am not good at computers now but I can become good quickly” path it has not been a pleasant experience for us or for them.

If on the other hand you are really good at using computers and you want to become an expert, CCN would be a fantastic company for you! You will be working with some of the top software minds in the world, and we will show you things you have never imagined.

In the “If You Are Interested” section below, we ask numerous questions about your use of computers. Please do not let these questions intimidate you. As we mention below, there is probably no one on the planet who can provide a favorable response to all (or even most) of them. The comprehensive set of questions we ask does allow us (and you) to get an overall sense of how good you are at using computers.


G. Long-Term Approach

In building Web sites, we seek to generate properties that will be valuable for a long-time, ideally forever. We are looking to build high quality Web sites. First, we have a strong sense of professional pride and responsibility. We want to launch sites that will be the best sites on that particular subject. Second, in the long run, quality wins. Although there are short-term SEO gimmicks which one can employ, in the long run, high quality sites will have a large number of inbound links and such links ensure a high search engine rating, generating lots of traffic.


H. Full-Time Preferred

Our strong preference is to find a full-time recruiter.


I. Please Read

If you are interested in this position, please read:


J. Search Firms

Under the right circumstances, we are willing to work with search firms. We are not looking for search firms to provide us with applicants for “vanilla” positions, such as:

  • WordPress Web designers
  • WordPress/PHP developers
  • VB.Net developers (please note we are not interested in developers who only know C# and who do not know VB.Net well. We do not use C# are we are totally committed to VB.Net.)
  • Writers and editors
  • SEO professionals
  • Lawyers to handle cases on a contingent fee basis

The reason is that with our current recruiting system and our bringing on a full-time recruiter, we expect to be able to find more than enough people for such “vanilla” positions.

We are interested in search firms introducing us to people who can fill non-vanilla positions, such as:

  • Positions listed above where the person is a true superstar, literally among the best in the world
  • Truly outstanding search engine optimization (“SEO”) professionals are always of interest
  • A project manager/technical lead who can run a VB.Net development team of 4 to 10 software professionals (developers and testers). Someone who has it all — technical brilliance and leadership, excellent communications skills, leadership skills, the will to manage. Our project managers also serve as the technical lead of a project so such a person needs to be able to do both. (As the major software firms such as Microsoft have learned, it is very difficult to separate project management from technical leadership and when you do, it is almost always a disaster.)
  • Web entrepreneurs who are interested in legal lead generation — they either have their own current sites or they are interested in this market segment and they bring a lot to the table
  • Anyone who is running a network of legal Web sites
  • Extremely high level attorneys who are active in mass torts and/or class actions — trial lawyers at the senior partner level with a national reputation who have handled major cases, the kind of lawyers who attend (and perhaps speak at) the major tort conferences
  • An individual or law firm interested in screening cases. We have no problem finding excellent lawyers to handle contingent fee cases but we have always found it difficult to find good lawyers or law firms to screen cases and due to our growth, we need another one.

In short, we are interested in professionals who are at the top of food chain, who are really really good at what they do. If you know such a person and want to make an introduction, we are interested.


K. Our Experience with Search Firms

Our experience with outside recruiting firms has not been favorable. Sometimes it is because they simply do not have the level of professionalism we expect, in other cases it is because our entrepreneurial approach does not mesh well with their business model. Some of things we have experienced:

  • Some recruiters have called us before carefully reading all of our Web site. In some cases, they had not even read the job description we had posted on our site.
  • In most cases, the people we partner with need to have excellent technical skills. If they are a VB.Net developer, ideally they should know VB.Net, ASP.Net, Visual Studio, Microsoft Access and SQL Server well. If they are a Web designer, they should know Adobe Photoshop, CSS 2.0 (the box model) and WordPress well. If they are an SEO, they should know SEO well. Although we do not most recruiters to know as much about, say, computer programming as a developer, we have been shocked about the total lack of technical understanding displayed by so many recruiters. Most of them at best can recognize acronyms and then simply check off the boxes — he has VB.Net, he has SQL Server, he has SharePoint, etc.  — without a good evaluation of how good the applicant is technically.
  • Some applicants are comfortable with our entrepreneurial approach, some are not. Many recruiters do not adequately qualify applicants on this issue. It is really important to do so, otherwise we all are wasting our time.
  • Obviously the recruiter and his firm need to be comfortable with our entrepreneurial approach.

We do not mean to be negative, obviously there are some good recruiters out there, but we are frankly surprised at how few good outside recruiters there are.


L. If You Are Interested — Search Firms

If you are a search firm and you believe there is a good fit, please write to jmitchell@kensingtonllc.com. Please state “I’ve read your entire Web site and I am comfortable with your approach.” Include your name and telephone number and we will contact you.


M. When You Apply

When you apply:

  • Please include the questions along with the answers; otherwise, we have no way of knowing which question you are answering. If you do not, we will simply write back and ask you to resend.
  • Please format your responses. Make it easy for us to read your answers. The best is to copy and paste the answers and responses into Microsoft Word, and then send us the Word file.
  • Please include the headings in your responses.
  • Please send us a resume.
  • If you have a writing samples, please send them.
  • In the subject line of the your e-mail, please include the position you are applying for.
  • Please send your response to jmitchell@kensingonllc.com, and also send it (including any attachments) to recruiting@kensingtonllc.com.


N. If You Are Interested — In-house Recruiter

If you are interested, please answer the questions below. Many of these questions are computer questions. CCN is an exceptionally advanced user of computers, and it’s important that every professional who joins our firm is highly competent in using them and is keenly interested in becoming more proficient. We have included an extremely comprehensive set of questions. There is probably no person alive who could truthfully provide a favorable response to all of them, not even our Chief Technology Officer. Please do not let these questions scare you, we do not expect favorable responses from you to most of these questions. We have included all of them in order to get a comprehensive view of your skills. At the same time, after reading these questions, you might say to yourself, “Realistically, I am not very good at computers.” In that case, it makes no sense to apply, as we are the wrong firm for you.

If “(1-10)” is listed after the question, that means please provide an answer in English and also answer the question on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 = no experience or knowledge and 10 = world class guru.

If for any section you do not use that software package, just say that in your answer to the first question and then feel free to ignore the remaining questions in that section.

In your e-mail, please tell us:

    Name and Contact Information

  1. What is your full name?
  2. What is your e-mail address?
  3. Do you have any other e-mail addresses? If so, what are they?
  4. Please list all of your telephone numbers.
  5. Which telephone number is best to call you on? As noted below, please state this in your local time and in Boston time.
  6. Do you have Skype?
  7. If so, what is your Skype ID? (If you live outside the United States, please install Skype (www.skype.com) now (ideally before you fill out this form), so that when we want to call you after receiving your e-mail, we can do so.
  8. Where do you live (city, state, country)?
  9. What is your mailing address?
  10. James Mitchell lives in Boston, and Boston is the same time zone as New York City, namely the East Coast time zone. When it is 9 a.m. in Boston, what time is it in your time zone? In other words, how many hours ahead or behind Boston are you?

    11. Professional Experience and Skills

  11. How much experience as an recruiter do you have? (1-10)

    12. Education and Professional Training

  12. Briefly describe your education. If you have sent us a resume, then you can just refer us to your that.
  13. Which professional organizations, if any, are you a member of?
  14. Which Web sites and blogs topics do you read for professional purposes?
  15. What other forms of professional development do you engage in, if any?

    16. David Allen

  16. Have your read James’ essay on David Allen?
  17. How interested are you in learning and implementing David Allen’s system? (1-10)

    18. Personal Responsibility

  18. We are looking for professionals with an exceptionally high level of personal responsibility. Please tell us your thoughts about how this applies to you.
  19. We are looking for professionals who are self-managing. How does this apply to you?

    20. Responsiveness

  20. How easy is it to reach you on the telephone? In other words, if 100 people call you in X days, what percentage of them are able to reach you when they call, as opposed to your calling them back?
  21. How quickly do you return telephone calls?
  22. How quickly do you respond to e-mails?
  23. We will most likely need to talk with you at least once a day. What are your thoughts about that?
  24. Have you read our CEO’s essay on what is the most appropriate form of communication? How do you feel about his statement that in many cases, it makes more sense to have a telephone call rather than sending e-mails back and forth?
  25. We are looking for professionals with an exceptionally low total cost of interaction. How does this apply to you?

    26. Personal Computers

  26. Do you have your own PC (as opposed to using one at work or at a library, for example)?
  27. When did you purchase it?
  28. How much RAM do you have?
  29. How many monitors do you have connected to your PC?
  30. Tell us about your computer skills. (1-10)
  31. How often, if ever, do friends of yours ask you for computer advice? (1-10)
  32. CCN is an exceptionally advanced user of information and computer technology. Whatever your level of computer skills, we will want you to become more adept at them than you currently are. How interested are you in enhancing your computer skills? How capable are you of learning new software packages?
  33. If you have a Macintosh and you do not have a PC, are you able to run Windows on your Mac? Do you have to boot your computer to switch operating systems or are you able to run both operating systems simultaneously? Which program are you running to run both OS X and Windows?
  34. If you have a Mac, have you read our page for Macintosh users?

    35. Microsoft Office

  35. Which version of Microsoft Office are you using (e.g., 2003, 2007, 2010)?
  36. Are you running Office on a PC or a Mac?
  37. When did you start using Office?
  38. If you are not currently using Office on a regular basis, when did you stop doing so?
  39. Have you read our page on Microsoft Office?
  40. Does your version of Office include Microsoft Outlook?
  41. Does your version of Office include Microsoft Access?
  42. Have you recorded Visual Basic for Applications (“VBA”) modules in Office? (1-10)
  43. Have you written VBA modules in Office? (1-10)

    44. Commitment You Can Make to The Counsel Connect Network

  44. Are you currently employed?
  45. How many hours per week are you currently working in your current job?
  46. If so, are you planning on continuing with your current position, or would you quit your job to work with us?
  47. If you will be quitting your position, how much notice do you need to give?
  48. How soon would you be able to start?
  49. Once you start, for the first 90 days, how many hours a week are you able to devote to this opportunity?
  50. After those 90 days, how many hours a week will you be able to provide?
  51. We want to get a sense of when you would be able to work, stated in both your time and in Boston time. Monday through Friday, when would you be able to work and for how many hours each day? Again, please state both your local time and Boston time.
  52. On Saturdays and Sundays, when will be you able to work and for how many hours each day? Please state in your local time as well as Boston time.
  53. Are you looking for a short-term, medium-term or long-term relationship with JI? How long can you commit to working with us?
  54. Please tell us about family commitments. If you have kids, who takes care of them? Are there other relatives (e.g., parents) that you take care of?
  55. What else is going on in your life? Hobbies? Board memberships? What other commitments do you have?

    56. Salary History and Earnings Expectations

  56. Please provide your salary history for the past five years, broken down into base salary, bonus, commission, and any other categories you think are relevant.
  57. How much a month do you need to live on?
  58. How much would you realistically like to make 12 months from now?
  59. 24 months from now?
  60. 36 months from now?

    61. Miscellaneous

  61. Is there anything else we should know about you?
  62. Any comments you have on our idea?
  63. Which topics for new legal Web sites do you think would be particularly worthwhile?
  64. Are there any areas of the law, particularly in the area of mass torts, that you think we should be paying particular attention to?
  65. Do you have a blog or Web site? “You” means yourself or a company that you control. If so, what is the URL?
  66. What questions should we have asked but did not?
  67. If we or one of our associates sent you an e-mail through LinkedIn, there was a nine digit number towards the end of the e-mail, immediate after their name. It would be in the format of 100-029-987, or something like that. Please list that number if you can find it in the e-mail we sent to you. If you cannot find it, do not worry about it.

    68. Have You Sent Us

  68. Have you sent us a chronological resume?
  69. Have you sent us writing samples?

Please include the questions and answers in your e-mail. In the subject line, please state “Applying for Recruiter position.”

We will respond to every inquiry with 48 hours. Our founders have an impressive track record in starting, managing and selling businesses successfully. We are kick ass, get things done type of people and within 24 months, we expect to have more than 1000 affiliated Web sites. For the right person, this is an extraordinary opportunity.

We look forward to hearing from you!

James Mitchell
(310) 862-2355
jmitchell@counselconnectnetwork.com