Regardless of how technology manifests and grows, the cornerstone of any company and its ability to succeed depends on its strong leadership and culture. The people in the company are the most important. Finding key people to fill those opportunities is important, and technology assessment tools can help with that process.”

Sharon Mahn is an executive search and consulting professional focused on lawyers. As Global Head of Law Firm Strategy at ZRG Partners, this New Jersey native utilizes advanced technology in a distinctive datadriven approach to enhance the person-job organization fit for legal and compliance executives and leaders.

Her expertise brings extensive, hands-on experience in legal and corporate compliance placements in combination with an impressive track record of placements executed by experts in specific industries. This means clients get both vertical and horizontal specialists with significant depth in industry and function.

With a vast background practicing as a trial lawyer for several top New York City law firms before transitioning into legal consulting, advisory and executive search, Sharon also serves as a guest professor at the New York University Graduate School of Business and sits on several corporate and philanthropic boards in the New York City area. She is also an award winning entrepreneur, author, media commentator, business consultant, and philanthropist.

Law Dragon named her as one of the top legal consultants in the world, and SmartCEO named her as one of the country’s best female Chief Executive Officers. Sharon has been frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, American Lawyer, and other leading media periodicals and featured on Fox News and CNN regarding political issues pertaining to female professionals.

PIVOTING PEOPLE PARTNERSHIPS

“Coming out of law school, I never even knew that the legal recruiting industry existed,” Sharon shares. “I quickly learned that I enjoyed helping my clients solve their problems, but unfortunately, the practice of law was very different from the academics of law that one learns in law school, and I wanted a career change. I realized that I wanted to help people, but do it in a different way while still utilizing my law degree.

It was only after a legal recruiter reached out to me when I was a law firm associate that I learned about the existence of the field as a career opportunity. Working with that legal recruiter made me realize that helping others achieve their law firm career aspirations, something I felt would capitalize on every strength I had, was also something I could find great joy doing. I ended up getting recruited by that very same headhunter into her legal search firm, and that was how I landed my first job in this profession. I was hooked! To this day, I keep in touch with my former law firm colleagues and managers. They remain current clients and, more importantly, long-time friends.”

TRUST IN TECH

Her primary area of expertise is law firm merger and acquisitions deals. She also works with individual lawyers who have developed a large client base and/or exceptional expertise in their industry sector. In her industry, she’s developed the tech tools to advance executive search and restructuring law firm models to enable lawyers to perform better and service their clients’ needs.

Sharon strongly believes that technology tools can significantly assist in assessing a law firm or company culture – the glue that keeps human capital intact.

She explains: Technology also plays a large part in allowing companies to research their employees better with the advent of the internet, making resume deception less likely in the hiring process. At the same time, technology allows employers more of a reach and helps companies to connect with a larger employee candidate pool. Technology assists in transparency, much of which was not available even two decades ago.”

What Sharon finds most compelling is how the industry continues to evolve. She shared an anecdote with us: “Years ago, critics were somewhat quick to dismiss the virtual firm as a viable business model for law firms, but again, the law firm industry is always slow to change! Most recently, I worked with Conrad Everhard, a former partner at several prominent law firms and founding member of the Flatiron Law Group. For years, Conrad has been growing his law firm with innovative and creative cloud-based tools and strategic top law talent acquisitions. I find this new breed of law firm’s managing partners to be thought leaders and certainly the law professionals to watch moving forward.”

In the future, Sharon sees technology creating opportunities never before thought possible for her industry – and the legal profession. She foresees positions expanding in her industry that cater to the needs of employees, such as Chief Mental Health Officers, Chief Social Impact Officers, and other areas that consider the well-being and social responsibility that companies are now undertaking.

She concludes: “I love my work as a recruiter and consultant, and I don’t feel as if I ever work a day in my life. It is rewarding, and I feel like I make a significant positive impact on people’s work lives, which make them happier as well in their personal life.