Some careers cross borders. Richard Lock’s has crossed an ocean.
With over thirteen years in legal recruiting split between the UK and the United States, Richard Lock brings a genuinely rare perspective to his work as a Senior Director at Lateral Link. He started from the ground up, placing contract attorneys into public sector and law firm roles across Southern England, and built his way through permanent placement, management, and eventually a transatlantic move that required him to learn an entirely new legal market from scratch.
Since relocating to the US in 2022, Richard has focused on the Northeast and Midwest markets, placing attorneys and partners at regional and Am Law ranked firms. In Chicago specifically, he helped build what became the top-performing team across all of LHH US Legal by 2025, a milestone he counts among the proudest of his career.
What makes Richard’s approach distinctive is not just the depth of his market knowledge, but the candor he brings to every candidate conversation. He is the kind of recruiter who will tell an attorney, honestly and early, what is realistic for their profile, and then work hard to help them get there.
We sat down with Richard to hear about his path into the industry, the moments that have stayed with him, and what he thinks attorneys considering a lateral move most need to hear.
How would you describe your career path and how your practice has evolved into what it is today?
I started my career as an entry-level recruiter, focusing on placing contract attorneys into public sector and law firm roles ranging from one-week to 12+ month assignments in Southern England. After 4-5 years focusing on contract recruitment, I transferred into a permanent attorney desk, focusing on regional law and international firms in Southern England, integrated with London. I progressed into a management position for a few years, before moving to the USA in 2022. Since moving to the USA, I have focused on placing permanent attorneys and partners into regional and AM LAW ranked firms.
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had as a recruiter?
My career has spanned both the US and UK markets. In the UK, following an initial six-month integration period, I achieved my first ‘Super Star’ place on Adecco’s Global Winner’s trip based on my performance in 2014. This was my first winners’ trip and gave me the platform to continue being a top performer throughout my career.
In the US, I transferred to the US in 2022 and joined a group in transition. When I initially joined, I was the sole recruiter covering the Chicago market. I assisted the Market Director in growing the market and the group. By 2025, this group and market became the top performing team across all of LHH US Legal.
What skills do you rely on most in your day-to-day work?
I’d say the top four skills I rely on most are time management, setting daily goals, staying on top of market trends and changing my strategy quickly when results are not being met.
How has your understanding of the legal industry evolved over time?
Since I am not a qualified lawyer, I had to learn the legal terms and market from scratch when I first joined the industry in 2013. I then had to learn the US market from scratch when I transferred in 2022. The market is ever-evolving and my understanding of how to track and utilise these trends is always improving.
Can you share a moment that reminded you why you love what you do?
I enjoy helping people advance their careers and improve their lives by achieving better work-life balance and/or higher compensation. I also enjoy educating candidates and hiring partners on legal recruitment and offering real value. Additionally, the compensation I have earned over the years has given my family and me a great lifestyle and opportunities I could not achieve in other industries.
What advice would you give to an attorney who is considering making a lateral move?
Depending on their level, education, and sector, my first conversation with an attorney involves an honest assessment of their career expectations. e.g if they are working for a small firm with a J.D. outside of T25 and want to join Big Law and earn Cravath level compensation, I will advise them that this is unrealistic based on the hires I am seeing these law firms make. I will then offer them a list of more realistic firms and overall advice on the market.
What drew you to Lateral Link and how does the platform support the way you run your practice now?
I was initially very impressed with Lateral Link’s reputation in the market and the company’s people/high-level attorney recruiters. After going through the hiring process, I have also been very impressed with Lateral Link’s operational models, collaboration, and systems. The collaboration and data available have already given me extra high-level market knowledge that will only improve how I run my desk and make me much more efficient.
Richard Lock is a Senior Director that specializes in the strategic placement of high-level Associates and Partners across both law firm and in-house roles, with a primary focus on the Northeast and Midwest legal markets. You can contact him via LinkedIn or email at rlock@laterallink.com.
