Ann Israel & Associates, Inc.

Personal Life

Ann Israel is president of Ann Israel & Associates, Inc., based in New York, NY. For over thirty years she has been devoted to serving the search and consulting needs of the legal community. Ann works with attorneys in all the standard practice areas including corporate, entertainment, litigation, T&E and tax along with working on mergers of law firms and general consulting. Although she focuses on placing candidates in Manhattan, NY, she is also active in placing individuals throughout the United States as well as internationally. Ann started in the recruiting industry in 1979 in Los Angeles, California before moving to New York in 1989. Prior to working in the search business, she taught English and Journalism to 11th and 12th graders at Oakland High School, which is the oldest high school in Oakland, California. For the past 18 years Ann has been writing a weekly column called “Advice for the Lawlorn”, syndicated by American Lawyer Media. Ann selects one submitted question to her and replies by writing her advice in the column.

Ann was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and she grew up with her mother, father and older brother. Her father was a doctor who enjoyed his profession and was very dedicated in taking care of his patients and her mother was involved in many charitable organizations. She stated that her parents were the greatest inspiration in her life and she gave credit to them for how she conducts her business and her life today. Ann has fond memories of her childhood and explained that at that time Detroit had vibrant schools, libraries, museums, and theaters and was a wonderful place to grow up.

When the legal recruiter isn’t working, she enjoys charity work, reading, movies, cooking, opera, music and playing Mah Jongg. Ann explained that Mah Jongg is an ancient Chinese game modified for Americans in the 1920’s. Four to five players play the game with beautiful carved tiles. There are over three hundred forty million players in the world and close to one million registered players in the United States. Mah Jongg is a popular game in New York. Ann also enjoys Italian and contemporary operas and listens to a variety of music, ranging from classical music to Coolio. She is an avid reader who is currently reading Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy, Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth, and The Richard Burton Diaries.

Ann roots for both the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees. She is also a huge tennis fan and cheers for Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal. She enjoys eating at the Tartinery restaurant, located in Nolita as well as many other interesting restaurants in New York.

Ann’s Successful Career Path and Tips for Legal Recruiters

Ann was asked what it takes to become a successful legal recruiter. She emphasized that the first quality a legal recruiter must acquire is being tenacious. Ann acknowledged that there is always rejection in a recruiter’s career, but stated that they must be tenacious and believe in what they are doing to be able to get used to the rejection that causes so many novice recruiters to leave the business. Ann also says that a recruiter must be a good listener, always available to clients and candidates and above all, must be an honorable business person. The businesswoman said, “A professional must be available at all times for his or her clients.” She pointed out as an example that it isn’t unheard of for her clients to call her at night to discuss their next career move; all of her clients and candidates are given her cell phone number so that she can be available 24/7.

Did Ann transition into working as a recruiter or was she always involved in the field? The legal recruiter explained that she was teaching at Oakland High School before she moved to southern California. While shopping one day on Rodeo Drive, she met a woman at a shop who introduced her to an executive of an executive search firm. The executive quickly hired Ann and she began working as an executive recruiter. Not long after she was asked to start an attorney search division. She decided to move to New York in the late 80’s and started a legal search business there.

What motivated Ann to work as a legal recruiter? Ann noted that she retired from teaching and began looking for a new career. Although she wanted to be an agent for The William Morris Agency, the company offered her an entry-level position in the mailroom, where she would only make one hundred dollars a week. After being interviewed by an executive of a search firm, Ann realized legal recruiting had everything she wanted in a career including working with candidates and clients immediately. She said the business was similar in many ways to being a talent agent such as those at The William Morris Agency.

Ann talked about what she is known for professionally. “My ethics in the business, it’s what is the most important thing to me.”

Ann also talked about her strengths and weakness as a recruiter. She pointed out that her strengths included honesty, tenacity, being ethical and never giving up. As for her weakness, the legal recruiter said it’s hard telling a candidate she can’t work with them. Ann added, “It’s emotionally draining to tell someone that you can’t help them.”

When asked if she had a mentor and how did this relationship assist you in your career, Ann said the person who hired her into the business back in 1979 was her mentor. He demonstrated ethical behavior and tenacity and instructed her to always be available for her clients. Ann remains in contact with her mentor to this day.

So what is Ann’s advice to new recruiters? She claimed new recruiters need to be prepared for a big learning curve. Ann continued to say that legal recruiters should understand they will not make a lot of placements during their first six months of employment as this is the time they are learning the business. She advised recruiters not to try to reinvent the wheel at the beginning of their career. Instead, legal recruiters should focus on following the instructions of their trainer and understand that it may take a while to make that first placement.

Considering her thirty-plus years of experience in the legal recruiting industry, many readers may want to know where Ann sees the legal field in the next five years. The legal recruiter stated, “That’s a tough question to answer because I never envisioned what’s going on today in the legal profession. The law firm model has changed and with it so has the recruiting business. There are fewer and fewer search firms today than there were just a few years ago because of the change in the way law firms are hiring; many of the legal recruiting firms are merging or they simply went out of business.”

What does Ann look for to find the right fit? What makes a great candidate? Ann asserted, “The entity that pays my fee defines what makes a great candidate although generally I need to convince my client why a specific candidate is exactly what they are looking for.” She believes that everyone is employable, but not necessarily through a recruiter where a fee is involved. The candid legal recruiter explained it is a difficult business on many levels, but especially so when she must turn away individuals because she knows that they will not be hired with a fee attached to their candidacy. Although she admitted it is difficult to turn away candidates, Ann was honest when she said she works for her clients and her clients are not going to work with her if she wastes their time. In regards to what makes a great candidate, Ann believes that a great candidate comes within the parameters of what her client needs. Ann mentioned that in her opinion a great candidate is an individual who wants to develop a relationship with her and trusts and believes in her.

How does Ann process fear? The recruiter answered by referencing Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind, “When I am dealing with something that causes me to be fearful I simply say, I will think about it tomorrow and then move on.” Actually, Ann believes she doesn’t have a lot of fear to process because she faces her obstacles head on. The businesswoman did admit, however, that she fears spiders!

Has Ann earned something of value from her mistakes? “Absolutely. Mistakes are important when you really learn from them. Mistakes are inevitable in business. They are not always bad things if you do learn from them and are determined never to make the same mistake again.”

Where does Ann derive her confidence? The straightforward recruiter said she is not shy and is not afraid to talk to people she doesn’t know. She thinks about the words from the song “Whistle a Happy Tune” and the advice from that song that you should “make believe you’re brave.” Ann continued to say, “If you believe in what you are doing and you are honest and ethical, then it is easy to be confident.”

Professional Associations, Non-Profit Organizations and a Rewarding Position

The legal recruiter’s firm holds a membership with the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC). Ann was the president of NALSC for four years and served on the NALSC Board of Directors for twelve years.

Ann is currently vice president of a hospital’s foundation board. For the past twelve years, she has proudly raised money for this hospital. For the past sixteen years, Ann has been a board member of a chamber music series located in Columbia County, which hosts world-class musicians in a beautiful old Shaker building. She is a past trustee of Olana as well as a past board officer and trustee of a children’s cancer fund and also a charity that supports abused and abandoned children.

Does Ann find her job rewarding? She stated, “Extremely so. I love what I do. I am proud to be a legal recruiter. This is my career. I love talking about it as it is a wonderful career.” Ann’s matchmaking personality has been a natural to allow her to be so fulfilled when making a successful placement. “It’s a great feeling to see my clients and candidates so happy with the end result. It’s very rewarding to hear how thrilled candidates are with offers from the firm or corporation where they wanted so much to work. And it is equally rewarding when a client receives an acceptance of an offer from a candidate that they have been pursuing.”

Being Grateful for Friends, Greatest Achievement and Favorite Quote

When asked about her number one priority outside work, Ann replied, “My friends. I am so lucky, I have the greatest friends. I am very fortunate.”

What is Ann’s greatest achievement? She said every placement is a great achievement. Her matchmaker personality is what motivates her everyday. “I love finding the right opportunity to place candidates with clients. It’s not about the money - that is the secondary benefit. What motivates me is matching people up with the right opportunity.”

Ann’s favorite quote is by Albert Einstein: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” Ann admires the quote because she believes that’s what a successful life is all about. She said life isn’t about money, but being a person of value. “Honesty, ethics and being true to yourself is what life is all about.”