NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Macrae, Inc., a premier global legal search firm with offices in Northern California, New York, Washington, D.C., and London, announced today that Laurie Caplane has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. She will be based in New York.
Caplane brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in a variety of professional services and corporate settings to the newly created role. She will be responsible for overseeing recruiters firmwide, and identifying and capitalizing on ways to enhance operations internally and externally. She will also play a key role directing the firm’s strategic expansion. Previously Caplane served as Senior Executive Director and Managing Partner of Law Firm Partner Search at Major, Lindsey & Africa. As part of her separation agreement from that firm, she will not be contacting Macrae’s law firm clients and candidates in the New York City area for one year.
“Laurie, whom I’ve known and greatly respected in a professional capacity for many years, is a natural fit to take on this vital role as Macrae continues to execute on an ambitious growth plan,” said Joe Macrae, Founder and Chairman. “She is a proven leader, her deep experience with partner-level recruiting aligns perfectly with Macrae’s focus, and her knowledge of the markets in which we operate is extraordinary. We couldn’t be happier to have her on board.”
Caplane is just the latest industry veteran to join Macrae, which was known as Mlegal Group prior to its rebrand earlier this year. Over the past several years the firm has expanded from three recruiters to 12, attracting some of the most highly regarded professionals in the business including Natasha Innocenti in Northern California, Robert Delicate in New York, Jane Roberts and Lauren Drake in Washington, D.C., and Melinda Wallman and Andy Russell in London. Macrae aims to grow its recruiter ranks to an optimal team of 20 within the next few years, with an emphasis on adding top-level talent in New York and Washington, D.C.
“I’m excited not only to join a team of true experts in partner recruiting, but to be a part of a thriving organization that is paving its own path in some very innovative ways, from its focus on collaboration and collective intelligence to its unique compensation model to its vision for the future,” said Caplane.
Caplane’s professional experience in addition to her previous employer includes leadership roles at Geller & Company, Arthur Andersen, Omega Performance, and Citibank. She has served on the Board of Trustees for the United Nations International School, whose members are appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as on the boards of the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, the American Film & Video Association and The Theater of the Open Eye. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Michigan.
The pandemic-induced disruption in the legal marketplace has prompted top law firms and partners to explore how best to position themselves for the future. Macrae’s expertise in making the right high-level law firm-partner matches has led to increased demand for its services, and the firm is on track to have its best year yet in 2020, with year-over-year revenue expected to double. In each of the previous two years the firm grew its revenue by more than 50%.
About Macrae
Founded in 2001, Macrae has grown from its San Francisco Bay Area origins to become an internationally recognized elite legal search practice representing many of the most successful and innovative law firms in the United States and Europe. The company has offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Washington, D.C. To learn more about Macrae, please visit Macrae.com.
