Zain Atassi is a Principal and Regional Leader with Lateral Link. While she oversees placements and client services in Chicago and throughout the Midwest, her practice is national in scope, advising attorneys and law firms across the country on strategic lateral hiring and career moves. She is a trusted advisor to associates, counsel, and partners, and she works closely with leading AmLaw firms, elite boutiques, and top regional law firms on lateral recruiting, partner growth initiatives, and long-term talent strategy.
Zain is widely known for her deep understanding of the legal market and for the strength of her relationships with law firm leadership, practice group chairs, and hiring decision-makers across the region. She is a preferred recruiting partner to many law firms, which consistently seek out her services for lateral hiring due to her market knowledge, discretion, and ability to identify and position top legal talent. Her market intelligence allows her to provide attorneys with real-time insight into firm culture, compensation structures, growth priorities, and advancement opportunities – all of which are rarely available through public sources. Attorneys who work with Zain value her candid guidance, tactful approach, and ability to help them evaluate opportunities thoughtfully, whether they are actively pursuing a lateral move or simply staying informed about the market.
Before transitioning into legal recruiting, Zain practiced as a litigation attorney for six years at Chicago-based law firms. That firsthand experience gives her a practical understanding of law firm life, billable demands, partnership tracks, and the pressures attorneys face at different stages of practice. As a former practicing attorney, Zain approaches law firm lateral hiring with empathy, honesty, and credibility, serving as a strategic partner rather than a transactional intermediary.
Attorneys choose to work with Zain for her judgment, integrity, and deep market knowledge, and for her unwavering commitment to helping lawyers make informed, strategic career decisions in an increasingly competitive legal landscape. She enjoys advising attorneys across all practice areas and helping them understand how their experience is perceived in the market, and how to best position themselves for their short- and long-term goals.
Zain earned her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and a B.A., with Honors, from Washington University in St. Louis. Based on Chicago’s North Shore, Zain lives with her husband and two children, and she is conversational in Arabic and French.
