Why we started Counselpath

Counselpath is a classic example of an entrepreneurial venture that comes about as a result of trying to solve your own problem. Few years back I was asked an insightful question at an entrepreneurship conference: “What is something most people roll along with, but you think is simply nuts?”. Putting Marmite aside and considering this from a work angle, something that crossed my mind was the prevailing talent sourcing approach in professional services, and especially in the ultimate “people business” – Big-Law. 

I think it is “nuts” that some of the most talented individuals in the world, who have often invested years of education and hard work into building their careers, have such limited tools at their disposal to navigate their professional journeys. At the same time, it seems “nuts” that some of the most prestigious and influential employers in the world are still reliant on a highly fragmented network of intermediaries to access their most important and scarce resource – talent. 

Consider the systemic impact of chance on recruitment outcomes from a common industry channel – search through a specialised agency. Partners reach out to agencies (5 on average), often on basis of personal experience. Agencies reach out to a number of candidates, understandably limited by time pressure and resourcing constraints. Candidates opportunistically engage, often depending on pure chance of being contacted at the right or wrong time of day (again, understandable given tens of requests received each week). Every step of this distributed process compounds to further decrease the odds for a successful outcome. Put them all together, the allocation of enticing opportunities to relevant candidates is significantly impacted by chance. 

Same issues apply to candidates. Good fortune is unfortunately a key factor in how experienced solicitors find out about appealing opportunities. It can be determined by factors as mundane as the search list position they appear on driven by recruiter LinkedIn algorithm. Given operational and resourcing constraints, recruiters will always have limited capacity on volume of candidates they engage with. Hard to know whether that dream opportunity would reach you on this particular draw. And it’s not like it’s easier to be proactive either. With 50+ legal search firms operating in UK market and low brand recognition among candidates, most recruits struggle to identify where to look for their next role. 

All of this is happening during a post-pandemic industry crunch, when candidates are longing for meaningful, long-term opportunities and employers intensify competition for talent. Matching the two has become more critical than ever. Counselpath was created out of the conviction that there is a better way. To increase the odds of talent – employer matching through data and algorithms. To facilitate transparency and information for better decision making. To champion equality of opportunity and level playing field for all. 

We are on a mission to introduce a new standard in the legal recruitment market. We collaborate with leading legal employers to ensure that best career opportunities are more transparent and accessible for the solicitor community. We advertise our roles instantly to the entire community, taking luck out of the equation. We empower the candidates by allowing them to review and apply for opportunities at their convenience, absent of cold calls, meet-ups and time pressure. It’s the start of a journey, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Welcome to Counselpath.