Above the Bar Legal Recruiting is a search firm focused on placing highly skilled and talented lawyers with top quality law firms and companies throughout the United States.
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Submit your resume to connect with top law firms and companies across the U.S. and take the next step in your legal career.
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Your information is handled with the utmost confidentiality, ensuring a secure and professional job search experience.
Diversity-Focused Recruitment
We champion diverse hiring, following the Mansfield Rule to promote equitable opportunities for women, LGBTQ+, and attorneys of color.
Career Growth & Support
Gain access to exclusive legal opportunities, career guidance, and a network of top-tier firms committed to your success.
Some recent placements include:
Our Testimonials
5.0
5.0Top Rated ServiceVerified by TrustindexTrustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read morePosted on Google
Eryk Escobar10 July 2026Matthew at Above the Bar assisted me in my return to private practice. I appreciate how supported I felt throughout the process. Matthew guided me at each stage of the process, even when my questions came at odd hours of the day/night. Matthew was prompt to respond and always had great advice. I appreciated his honesty and the pressure-free environment he created for me. I always felt like he was looking out for me and it was nice to have that advocate in my corner throughout this journey.Posted on Google
Elena B6 March 2026Raj was great to work with! He listened to what I was looking for and made navigating the job search so much easier! Thank you!Posted on Google
Erik Lessler6 December 2025Worked with Matthew Pond. Highly recommend - he knows the people at the firms and understands the various practices in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.Posted on Google
Devon Mills17 November 2025Matthew was incredible! Went above and beyond in helping me find positions, preparing me for interviews, and helping me select the best offer. He was there every step of the way and I can’t thank him enough!Posted on Google
Lorien Giles6 November 2025Great recruiters. The team is very helpful throughout the process of identifying positions, interviewing, selecting offers, etc.Posted on Google
Robert Hyatt3 October 2025Matthew was wonderful to work with. His knowledge, kindness and experience shine through. I highly recommend this company.Posted on Google
James Lamb2 September 2025Matthew Pond and Above the Bar Legal Recruiting saved my life. No hyperbole. Above the Bar maintained contact, offered sage advice, and encouraged me in all phases of the hiring process. Whether taking the time to conduct mock interviews or their willingness to discuss salary expectations, Matthew and his colleagues Anita and Shana shepherded me through a hiring process I never would have navigated on my own. I can't thank Matthew, Anita, and Shana enough. I've never had a recruiting process where I was genuinely happy to discuss options and brainstorm next steps with a recruiter until Above the Bar. I can't stress this enough -- if you are an attorney looking for the next step in your career, you must speak to the good folk at Above the Bar Legal Recruiting. Without them, BigLaw was a pipe dream. With them, doors opened.Posted on Google
Garrett Jansma8 May 2025For attorneys seeking a trusted partner in their job search, I highly recommend Matthew Pond at Above the Bar Legal Recruiting. Matthew guided me through a successful transition back to private practice, providing expert advice and support at every stage. He is exceptionally professional, responsive, and knowledgeable-always available to answer questions and offer candid feedback. What truly sets Matthew apart is his genuine investment in his candidates’ success; he takes the time to understand your goals and leverages his deep experience and connections to find the right fit. I am incredibly grateful for his dedication and would enthusiastically recommend Matthew to any attorney considering a career move.Posted on Google
Theodore Briscoe14 April 2025Matthew Pond was very helpful in every phase of me relocating from Virginia to Los Angeles. In just a few weeks he got me a couple really good interviews, helped me land a job, and helped smooth out things out with the firm when the Bar caused a bit of a delay.Posted on Google
Miguel Mauricio12 April 2025Great experience working with Anita and the ATL team. Helped me secure a great place practice law!Posted on Google
Mara Vento11 March 2025Anita at Above the Bar was amazing to work with! She was incredibly supportive, responsive, and invested in finding the right opportunity for me. I’m so grateful for her help in securing my new role—highly recommend!Posted on Google
Fred K16 July 2024Taylor and Matthew were wonderful to work with. We provided a very unique type of attorney and experience combination needed with only a few hundred possible candidates in California. Taylor left no stone unturned and connected us with several highly qualified candidates in relatively short order. She was a joy to work with throughout the process. Our attorney candidates also spoke highly of Taylor’s professionalism and communication. Above the Bar is our go-to recruiter, and we will definitely work with them again when the need arises.Posted on Google
Estrella Lucero26 March 2024Derek was an absolute delight to work with! Very encouraging, and Derek actually listened to what I wanted out of my job transition instead of steering me to the biggest firms. Derek went ABOVE AND BEYOND by conducting additional research and reaching out to niche firms that ATBLR didn't have preexisting relationships with. Highly recommend.Posted on Google
Patrick Emerson13 January 2024Taylor at ATBLR brought a great opportunity for a lateral move to my attention and then moved the recruiting process along smoothly, up to and beyond my accepting the offer. She did a great job identifying a position that would actually be of interest (in a fairly niche practice) and is always a pleasure to work with. I would highly recommend Taylor!Posted on Google
Riley Smith6 December 2023I had the pleasure of working with Max during my job search. He was extremely helpful, easy to talk to, and transparent through the whole process. With his help, I was able to land a great job.Posted on Google
Marie Naguib2 October 2023Matthew Pond from Above the Bar was the greatest legal recruiter I could have worked with. He was extremely helpful, personable, efficient, and responsive. I highly recommend working with Matthew!Posted on Google
Nick Carter13 March 2023Matthew is excellent at what he does and went above and beyond to ensure that I made the best decision for my careerPosted on Google
Thomas Humann7 January 2023The mind readers at Above the Bar connected me with the job I wanted, even though I was not searching and had not told anyone what I really wanted. Also, Matthew Pond was a joy to work with through the entire process. He guided me along every step, was informative, diligent, and responsive. Let Above the Bar help you find your match.Posted on Google
Adam Pearse22 November 2022I worked with Taylor Friedlander who was amazing. She helped me find my dream job and made the application, interview, and salary negotiation processes so much easier for me at each step. I cannot recommend Taylor more highly!Posted on Google
Scott Rosen11 November 2022Matthew is my go to whenever I need an attorney recruiter. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for years. One of the best!Posted on Google
Tory Junkins29 September 2022Max was helpful, responsive and knowledgeable throughout the hiring process. He was always available to answer any questions and his prep prior to each interview round was top notch. I highly recommend Max and Above the Bar if you are looking for new legal opportunities!Posted on Google
Daniel Katz20 July 2022The First Two Candidates - Both Winners. They Both Fit My Needs and Were Hired. Matthew Pond took the time to have a detailed and substantive conversation not only about my current needs but also about my firm's historic reality and future vision. With that he promptly found me candidates that were perfect!. His Competition Have Barely Found Me Any Candidates - Let Alone Perfect Matches!Posted on Google
Karine Akopchikyan5 July 2022I had an amazing experience working with Matthew. He understood my preferences and provided options that met my criteria. He provided real and helpful feedback from the start of building my resume to my decision in accepting an offer.Posted on Google
Leonie Milstein28 June 2022I had such a great experience working with Matthew Pond. He got me four interviews in only a few weeks and I am thrilled with my new firm. Highly recommend the company and will definitely reach out to him in the future should I want to explore other options.Posted on Google
Melody Maleitzke4 February 2022The team at Above The Bar Legal Recruiting has been a pleasure to work with. Their commitment to elevating and recruiting diverse candidates in the legal industry is what impressed me. Not only are they diversity focused, but they really get to know candidates. By understanding the candidate's values, they match them to the right company culture that’s a perfect fit for them. I highly recommend any lawyer considering a legal job search to contact the ATB Team.Posted on Google
Lukas Dudkowski5 October 2021Matthew worked with me on a lateral move returning from in-house to private practice, something that is usually a more challenging placement. Given COVID restrictions, remote work, and summer schedules we all had to adapt to the new normal of Zoom interviews and longer timelines. Despite the challenges Matthew was great in helping me navigate the process from start to finish (an accepted offer) and matching my goals and experience with an awesome opportunity. Two weeks into the new role I'm more and more convinced it was the right move and would recommend AtB and Matthew to anyone considering a change.Posted on Google
Chris Orozco-Wallraff18 August 2021Matthew really went out of his way to find me a new position and did a lot of thinking out of the box. He was extremely responsive and stuck with me until he found me something I was happy with. I definitely recommend him most highly.Posted on Google
Jacquelynn Kwong17 August 2021Working with Matthew Pond made my job search experience pleasant and very manageable. Working and applying for new jobs at the same time can be stressful, but Matthew was able to guide me through the process seamlessly. From reviewing my resume to helping me prepare for interviews, I always felt secure knowing that there was someone I could ask for advice.Posted on Google
William Lok13 October 2020Taylor at Above the Bar is truly amazing! She takes the time to figure out what you are looking for in a new position and is extremely responsive when it comes to simple questions and following up on applications. She kept me updated on every step of the application process with numerous firms – this is something a lot of recruiters lack in. Unlike a lot of firms that take a "shotgun" approach, Taylor and her team have personal relationships with the firms that they recruit for. This makes a huge difference when firms are trying to differentiate between dozens, if not hundreds, of applications. Highly recommend Taylor and her team!Posted on Google
Francesco Di Cosmo13 November 2019I went to law school with Cam and know he’s super focused on being as helpful as possible for his clients.