Chase Legal Professionals, Inc.

Personal Life

Thomas M. Chase (Tom) owns and runs Chase Legal professionals, Inc., based in Sacramento, CA. CLP specializes in lawyers from all areas of practice and places candidates throughout the greater Sacramento region as well as the Western States. Prior to founding his company, Tom served as an executive director to four law firms (one in Chicago, two in Seattle and Downey Brand, the largest firm in Sacramento) from 1975 to 1996. From 1989 until 2004, he was an adjunct professor at McGeorge School of Law, a private school located in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, CA. Tom taught a law office management and economics course, which became the most popular elective in the school. Tom explained that after he entered the legal recruiting industry and established his company in 1997, he attracted a lot of former students who have become candidates and clients.


Tom was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska and Indianapolis, Indiana. Tom loves his family immensely, and believes God has blessed him with his wonderful wife Diane, and his four wonderful kids and seven grandchildren. He graduated with a B.S. from Indiana University in 1964 and earned his M.B.A while attending night school at Loyola University Chicago in 1972. While studying at Indiana University, Tom received the Sigma Delta Chi Award, a journalist award presented to the top ten seniors and he was the recipient of the Indiana Daily Student Distinguished Graduating Senior Award.

When the businessman isn't working, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, photography, crafts, cartooning and he loves theater. Tom has acted in many community theater plays. Tom said his two favorite roles were Mr. Bumble in Oliver and Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof, where he received an Elly nomination for that role. The Indiana University alumnus claimed, "I enjoyed being on stage. The adrenaline flows when I am on stage." Tom has been chairman of the Rotary Theater Night for the past seven presidents and he enjoys coordinating dinner shows for the club. The legal recruiter also explained that he enjoyed being the school's cartoonist for his high school newspaper. He created Percy the Panther, the school's mascot, for the school's newspaper. In 2009, Tom also had a great thrill when he was asked to MC at his high school's 50th reunion in Indianapolis. What else does Tom do outside of work? He and his wife have traveled to Maui, Hawaii annually for seven years. He described the trips as "peaceful" and relaxing in God's country.

Tom roots for the Chicago Cubs and is an avid San Francisco 49ers and Giants fan. He recalled that his fraternity brother Randy Biesler was drafted by the 49ers back in 1963. When Tom lived in Chicago, he took his kids to see the Cubs' games at Wrigley Field. The family cheered for Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo. The recruiter is a frequent visitor to Frank Fat's, a Chinese restaurant located in downtown Sacramento, CA. Tom said, "It's the best Chinese food in America and the best people work there."

Tom's Successful Career Path and Tips for Legal Recruiters

Does Tom have a top memory from school? The recruiter shared two favorite memories from his undergraduate years. During Tom's junior year he served as an I.U. cheerleader and he attended a football game in Evansville, IL. He explained that his alma mater faced coach Ara Parseghian and the Northwestern Wildcats football team. Northwestern was ranked 14^th in the nation and Indiana was a 38 point underdog. Tom carried a walkie talkie and he noticed that he picked up Northwestern's play calls from the coaches in the tower. He then notified Coach Dickens who had him sit between two tackles while he passed the play calls to two coaches.  Northwestern won a close game 17-3. Tom said it was a moral victory. He vividly recollects smiling after he read the headline on the sports page in the newspaper, which stated, "Indiana Gave Northwestern a Big Scare."

Tom's second top memory from school occurred when he attended an Indiana/Purdue football game. He said Purdue had a wonderful band that was led by a Golden Girl baton twirler. When Indiana University's band was on the field, Tom took a plunger and ran on the field dressed as the Golden Girl. He would toss the plunger high in the air and then dive to the ground with his head and plunger simultaneously, which caused the crowd of 65,000 to erupt in awe. Tom received a standing ovation from the crowd and he noted that he pulled off his stunt without any alcohol in his system.

Tom was asked what it takes to become a successful legal recruiter. He replied:

"Being a successful recruiter is not an easy job. You are dealing with smart and well educated people. Recruiters do not come straight out of school. It takes a mature person with some life experiences in business, sales or management or experience as an attorney. You need to be articulate and a good communicator and good listener. You need a lot of endurance and ability to be flexible with [the] ups and downs of the industry. You need to be able to deal with a lot of rejection. It is important that you are passionate about work. You really need to enjoy and love your work. Successful recruiters have [a] good work ethic, are self motivated and work hard. They have a good understanding of the law firm environment. They need to do careful research of every client and candidate to make sure that their placements are in the best interest of both parties. Recruiters should always be respectful of both clients and candidates. And lastly, they need to learn how to do effective reference checks to verify the background of the candidates.

Did Tom transition into working as a recruiter or was he always involved in the field? He said he transitioned into recruiting after twenty-two years as an executive director of four major law firms. Tom was going through some burn out and after he talked to his administrator friends, they suggested it would be natural for him to become a legal recruiter. At that time there were no attorney recruiting firms in Sacramento. He decided it was time to do something different and he opened a Sacramento office of Special Counsel. After nine months with the company, the legal recruiter saw a lot of internal changes and he decided to open his own recruiting company in 1997.

Tom talked about what he is known for professionally. He pointed out that he is a strong people person. " My clients will tell you I'm a man of integrity. I'm loyal, honest and trustworthy. I tell my candidates and clients what they need to know and not what they want to hear." The recruiter emphasized that he always looks out for the best interests of his candidates and clients.

Tom also talked about his strengths and weakness as a recruiter. He said his greatest strength is his 22 years of experience overseeing the operation of four major law firms. "I understand attorneys and I know how they think and operate. I know most of the law firms in town very well. All of my major clients have been good friends of mine for many years. This special experience gives me an advantage to recruit attorneys in this legal community. I don't have to do much cold calling because of my reputation and because of my years as an adjunct professor. A lot of clients and candidates come to me." As for his weakness, Tom said, "I really want to help everyone who calls me. I give too much time to people I can't place. It takes my time away from other things, but I try to help people even when I can't place them."

Does Tom have a mentor?  He said his father was his mentor for many years. He says he would have periodic talks with his dad about business related issues. "My dad was a great person to bounce off ideas regarding my profession." So what is Tom's advice to new recruiters? "Stay grounded. Find a good mentor and learn everything you can about the legal environment. Be patient and understand that it will take some time to be a successful recruiter. Make sure you have a passion for your work and if you don't, get out and do something different."

Considering his thirteen years of experience in the legal recruiting industry, many readers may want to know where Tom sees the legal field in the next five years. The legal recruiter asserted.

"We went through a recession and we are now slowly coming out of it. The recession has had a big impact on recruiting in the legal environment. The successful and the strong recruiting firms have survived and many of the marginal recruiting firms have dropped out of the profession. Due to the economic times, law firms have been very cautious about the attorneys they hire. Most of my placements during the recession have been lateral partners with books of business. I am starting to see more job orders for associate attorneys. As more firms get comfortable with the increase in client business, they will hire additional attorneys. I don't think we will see the same level of attorney placements we saw before the recession.

What does Tom look for to find the right fit?  What makes a great candidate?  Tom said he listens very carefully to what his clients need and then he searches for the right candidate who fits those needs.  In regards to what makes a great candidate, the recruiter stated, "A great candidate is smart and articulate, has a very good work ethic, did well in law school, is experienced in the practice area(s) the clients are looking for and is a team player with a great attitude."

How does Tom tackle obstacles? "In a spiritual sense I do a lot of praying. Each living day, God is walking with me."

Has Tom learned something of value from his mistakes? "Oh, yes. Absolutely. We all learn valuable things from our mistakes and it makes us a better recruiter and manager."

The legal recruiter discussed where he derives his confidence. He said it comes "From faith, my success in business and my leadership roles in school. It started at a fairly young age at grade school. My dad always told me to accept any opportunity to speak in front of a group of people.  I never turned down any invitation to talk to a group of people." Tom said he was elected to president of the student council in junior high and was elected to student body president in high school. The recruiter was also acting President for the Indiana Association of Student Councils while he was enrolled at North Central High School. At Indiana University, Tom had many leadership roles. He was President of the Student Athletic Board, chairman of freshman campus, an I.U. cheerleader, and he was elected treasurer of the freshman class, just to name a few. All of these activities grew Tom's confidence at an early age, and it has stayed with him ever since.

Professional Associations, Number One Priority Outside of Work, Facing Obstacles and Favorite Quotes

For the past fifteen years Tom has served the Rotary Club of Sacramento, a worldwide club made up of business leaders and professionals.

When asked what his number one priority outside of work was, Tom replied, "Being a good Christian and pleasing God. Being a good husband, father and a friend to many."

Has Tom faced any obstacles in his life? "In 2009, my biggest obstacle was when I was diagnosed with stage four advanced prostate cancer. My faith is important in dealing with this obstacle and I prayed a lot for healing. I have stayed positive and grounded and have relied on God's strength to get me through it. I plan to beat this disease for a long time."

Tom has two favorite quotes: "With God all things are possible" and "Do what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life."

Tom's Passions and a Rewarding Position

Tom discussed what he is passionate about. His real passion is working for his church where he is involved with different ministries. The recruiter is passionate about working with the homeless. Tom explained that his church provides the homeless with a meal and a place to stay overnight. He is currently trying to work with an organization from his church to stamp out the very evil sex trade with young girls. Tom also served as President of the Board of Trustees for his church for ten years. He also does an occasional drama skit for the congregation.

Does Tom find his job rewarding? "It's very rewarding.  I enjoy helping people find career jobs and it's rewarding to see them move up the ladder to partnership and sometimes managing partnership."