Inside Edge Legal, LLC (A Major, Lindsey & Africa company, a subsidiary of the Allegis Group)

Personal Life

Matthew Weaver is Managing Director at Inside Edge Legal, LLC (A Major, Lindsey & Africa company, a subsidiary of the Allegis Group). Matthew joined the firm in March 2010 and overseas the New York Regional office for Inside Edge Legal and is responsible for client delivery, office development initiatives, and management of the recruiting staff. Inside Edge Legal is the contract attorney staffing division of Major, Lindsey & Africa and specializes in making substantive contract attorney placements with law firms and corporate in-house legal departments. Here is a brief history of Matthew from his website: "Prior to joining Inside Edge Legal, Matthew worked for Major, Lindsey & Africa's parent company, the Allegis Group, as a Senior Account Executive where he was responsible for the development of Aerotek's brand in the environmental, construction and engineering segments. Matthew began his career at Aerotek as a technical recruiter where he provided placement services and career counseling to seasoned candidates in various technical fields."

Matthew was born in Glen Falls, NY and raised in Queensbury, NY. He attended Manhattan College in The Bronx, NY, where he graduated with a BS in Business Administration, Marketing. Matthew grew up in a close knit family with his parents, older sister, and younger brother. Matthew's immediate and extended family have had a huge impact on Matthew's belief in family values. The proud New Yorker noted that his parents had the most inspiring influence upon him. He acknowledged that his father is a hard working and dedicated man who puts his family first and works endless hours for PepsiCo to provide for his family. Matthew gave credit to his mom for being a stay at home mother; she was always there for her kids. The legal recruiter stated, “I can only hope to be half the parent to my children as my parents are to me.”

When Matthew isn't working, he enjoys going to different restaurants and experiencing the various food and wine menus New York City has to offer. Matthew enjoys mixing his love of food and wine with golf in taking vacations to places such as Northern California that offer the best of both worlds.

The legal recruiter stays active by working out and participating in various sporting activities. He is also a huge sports fan who roots for the Green Bay Packers. On Sunday, December 9th, Matthew traveled to Lambeau Field, were he enjoyed watching the Packers defeat the Detroit Lions in the snow. Matthew is also a New York sports fan and enjoys going to Yankees, Rangers, and Knicks games throughout the year. ‬

Matthew's Successful Career Path and Tips for Legal Recruiters

Matthew was asked what it takes to become a successful legal recruiter. He said, “Recruiting is all about building long-term relationships with your candidates and clients. I recommend aligning yourself with a mentor and learning the ins and outs of relationship building and how to respond to the many obstacles that confront a recruiter on a daily basis. One must grow to be resilient, patient, and work tirelessly to become successful in this field.”

Did Matthew transition into working as a recruiter or was he always involved in the field? Matthew explained that during his senior year in college, he talked to a friend who worked for Aerotek's pharmaceutical division. His friend persuaded him to become a recruiter at Aerotek, which is a sister company of Major, Lindsey & Africa. Two weeks after graduating from college, Matthew became a technical recruiter for Aerotek, Inc., where he served six years in the engineering and construction division.

What motivated Matthew to work as a legal recruiter? He stated, “The legal industry is experiencing a large paradigm shift in how talent is obtained and retained. When we started Inside Edge Legal in 2010, we felt our service offering (substantive contract attorney placements) was timely and unique to law firms and in-house corporate legal departments.“

The Managing Director at Inside Edge Legal talked about what he is known for professionally. The legal recruiter asserted, “Patience, resiliency and composure.” Matthew acknowledged that these 3 attributes are paramount for long-term success in recruiting.

Matthew also discussed his strengths and weaknesses as a recruiter. He admitted, “I like to approach issues and concerns with my candidates and clients from consultative and problem solving perspective. In order to do this, personal agendas and objective opinions sometimes don't allow for the best outcomes. Knowing that each question has many answers and that finding the right one for the specific person or issue is key” In regard to his weaknesses, Matthew noted “I tend to get involved in many things and spread myself thin. Focusing on what's most important and keeping the end goal in mind is always a challenge.”

When asked if he has a mentor and if he is currently mentoring individuals, Matthew said yes. The recruiter explained that he and his boss (and mentor), Greg Richter, both came over from Aerotek, Inc. to work for Major, Lindsey & Africa in starting up the division named Inside Edge Legal. Greg has been Matthew's mentor since 2004. Matthew currently mentors others within Inside Edge Legal and feels these relationships are crucial for not only the growth of the company but the personal growth of the individual.

What is Matthew's advice to new recruiters? He stated, “Take your time to learn the trade and align yourself with successful people within your organization. The recruiter elaborated by saying new recruiters should have a mentor, be patient and resilient because you can't go to school or open a book and learn to become a recruiter. Matthew also advises new recruiters to learn from their experiences. He recommends asking questions and he believes new recruiters must build great relationships with clients and candidates.

Considering his experience in the legal recruiting industry, many readers may want to know where Matthew sees the legal field in the next five years. The recruiter declared, “Creating flexible work force solutions, contingent labor, contract work force, and keeping overhead and headcount down with permanent staff. Partners and GC's, as well as CEO's across the board, will be seeking elasticity within their departments.” Matthew explained that once clients understand the benefits of contract staff, his client base prefers project based hiring versus permanent hiring. With the mass amount of layoffs within the legal industry over the past 5 years, law firms and in-house corporate legal departments will look to avoid inflated overhead.

What does Matthew look for to find the right fit? What makes a great candidate? The successful recruiter proclaimed, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” He said the quote means a legal recruiter must know the client and what they are looking for. Are they looking for a balance of competence and cultural fit or is one more important than the other? What does the client consider a great candidate?

In regards to handling fear and conquering obstacles, Matthew stated, “It's all about keeping composure and keeping things in perspective. There is an answer to every question, you just have to find the right one.”

Has Matthew learned something of value from his mistakes? The recruiter said, “Yes. People go through life making the same mistake time and time again. Taking the time to reflect on your mistakes is very important. If you don't learn from your mistakes, you'll most certainly repeat them one way or another.”

So where does the legal recruiter derive his confidence? Matthew expressed, “It's definitely instilled by my parents and mentors. I know I was raised and trained the right way. And that's not to say I know I'll succeed the first time, every time but I have the confidence to know it's possible. I've been taught to prepare, keep composed, and reflect and those aspects give me confidence in knowing I can succeed. ”

Membership with an Association, Number One Priority, and Greatest Accomplishment

The legal recruiter holds a membership with the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). Matthew is active in the local chapters and attends the national meetings. Matthew is also active in various legal industry associations throughout the Greater NY Region.

When asked, “What is your number one priority outside of work?,” Matthew replied, “Creating as much happiness in life as possible and surrounding myself with good people.”

Matthew's greatest accomplishment has been expanding Inside Edge Legal. He said, “We started the division within MLA early in 2010 and have experienced exceptional growth. Our NY office has tripled in headcount and revenue in under 3 years and we've successfully opened offices in Boston, DC, Chicago, and LA that work hand in hand with our 20+ MLA offices.“

A Rewarding Position, Favorite Quote, and Future Goals

Does Matthew find his job rewarding? He answered, “Yes, helping clients in support of their business and assisting candidates in doing what they love is extremely rewarding. We work with people; it's the toughest asset or “product” to handle. We work in teams at Inside Edge Legal and celebrating in team success is always rewarding.”

Matthew's favorite quote is by Vincent Thomas “Vince” Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers Head Coach: “Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.” Why does the quote stand out for Matthew? He said, “It tells me you can't be satisfied with where you are. You can't be good with mediocrity today because you can certainly do better tomorrow.”

Matthew's goal is to grow Inside Edge Legal to become the nations most reputable and dependable substantive contract attorney staffing firm in the industry. He stated, “In doing so, this will allow for personal and professional growth/success for me and the entire team here at Inside Edge Legal.”